I'm a DC Montessorian. AMA.
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Anonymous
| What is your perspective on Montessori for the spirited/can't focus child? A recipe for disaster? |
Anonymous
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Supposedly it can work for that spirited child/can't focus child because it's so very quiet in the classroom as children individually do their work. so a child who can't focus wouldn't have noise to distract, wouldn't have the busyness of children moving about, and 'should' be able to be in an environment that would work.
BUT... it also requires that a child be internally motivated to get directed in an activity. Not externally, and alot of children who can't focus need lots of external direction. "mary, it's time to choose your work and find space at a table or on your floor mat with it." and then after 10 more minutes of wandering about, a teacher would need to redirect and redirect and.... I think you would FOR SURE need to visit the school and the classroom and see what you think would be the positives and the negatives and see what the school's tolerance would be. I've visited many Montessori's when I was making a study of it (I'm an ECE professional but not Montessori trained) and at one school I noticed it was actually a bit loud in comparision to the others I'd been visiting. I remember thinking, wow, it's kind of loud in here and it was actually only the regular noise level of a non-Montessori classroom so it wasn't really that loud, just very different from the others I'd visited. I do like that during their long extended work time the children are quiet and do their work in long periods of time, it's not broken up in 20 or 30 minute chunks like many other preschools do. But, the quietness is also because the children are working alone and I prefer a more social learning environment that exists in (a good quality, not one that is a zoo!) play-based or "non-Montessori" program. |
Anonymous
| I'm a NP with a DD at Franklin (Rockville). This is her third year and we have been thrilled with the progress she is making, the enrichment programs, teachers, individualized attention etc. I can understand the distaste toward a for-profit school, but I wonder what we are missing. So many claim that the non-profit montessoris are so much better - what are they doing that the for-profits are not? Thank you. |
Anonymous
OP here! Many of the non-profits take shortcuts to keep costs low and profit high, such as doing online "teacher training," overcrowding classrooms, etc. Also, the private for-profits sometimes screen for behavior, and can have classes that are low in socioeconomic diversity, keeping Montessori "bougie" as some might say. |
Anonymous
OP here: I definitely never said that's the majority. Just keep in mind that the poor schools exist. Screen schools, do your homework, and you'll be happy. |
Anonymous
OP here: A misconception I keep seeing that needs to be squashed is that classrooms are silent. Nope. Nada. Classrooms shouldn't be silent. A steady hum and conversation should always be present. |
Anonymous
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OP:
Thanks for all of the great information. Your discussion on this forum has been very useful, particularly for those of us that are relevantly new to learning about the Montessori philosophy. I have a few questions that I think you could provide some useful insight to. Our son is starting this fall at a public Montessori school in DC that is very highly regarded. We are excited for him to enter the school as we believe Montessori could be a very good fit for him. He is an independent learner that likes to focus on individual work for long periods of time - he hates being interrupted and has been frustrated at his current preschool because of the short time periods that they allow him to engage on any one thing. Unfortunately, he has also proven VERY challenging to potty train. While he has been out of diapers for four months, he continues to have regular accidents (once a day) and will do whatever he can to get out of going to the potty. Our school requires children to be potty trained because they have larger classes and can't afford to give the individual attention to kids to take them to the potty. With his current track record, I am afraid that he will get kicked out of the new school. My question for you this: why is it necessary to insist that children be so potty independent? Isn't Montessoris focus on letting children develop and learn at their own pace? If so, forcing them to be completely toilet independent so early would seem to go against this philosophy for those of them that are not as ready to be toilet independent. My second question for you is also related to this large classroom sizes and high teacher to child ratio . What age is the best age to enter this large classroom environment with so few teachers? Would it be better for him to enter when he is just four rather than just three? He is a September birthday so will be turning three the week that school. While we are very excited about his school, we are also concerned that we may be pushing him into this environment too early because of the birthday cutoff dates for school entrance. Thanks in advance for your advice and experience! |
Anonymous
PP, not the OP, but just saying I could have typed your exact message, so if we are going the same place this Fall, we are in it with you!! |
Anonymous
Is this in the District? Not OP, just an interested reader, but at some of the DCPS and charter school open houses I attended, the principals said that they (DCPS and charters) are not allowed to tell you that you can't be potty trained. One principal said that requiring potty training is "illegal." If you are indeed in a DCPS or DC charter, I would do research and go to them and then say that you would like to talk to them about a plan in place. Best of luck. |
Anonymous
| What's your experience been with Broad Branch Montessori in Chevy Chase? |
Anonymous
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The issue with "requiring" potty training is that it's illegal from an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) point of view. Because a child with special needs may have delayed ability to be potty trained BUT may be intellectually or socially ready to be in a preschool room, you can't REQUIRE a child to be toilet trained. And that's true for non profit, for profit, private, and public/charter schools. Because ADA is required for all of us (so are other ADA things like having doorknobs that are easy to open, bathrooms at a certain height and with turning radius, the list goes on).
However, many schools have kept that "must be potty trained" rule since they opened in 1901 because it used to be ok to exclude based on potty training. And then the ADA was passed and all that should have gone away but.... it didn't. So, I'd send your son to school with 1000 pairs of underpants, pants/shorts, socks and 2 extra pairs of shoes. (no kidding, I'm being serious). then I'd tell his teachers that he needs scheduled potty times, that he won't stop himself from an activity to go, and that he needs reminders/to be told when to go. Any self-respecting preschool teacher of 3 and 4 yr olds knows not all kids are 300% potty trained. So they'll have scheduled breaks every 1 to 2 hours, they'll insist all children go at various (and scheduled) times of day (before/after snack, before/after going outside, before/after nap, and the list goes on). WHEN he wets himself, he will have to do the best he can to change, and that will be a learning experience in an of itself. Often when children really feel soggy they learn to capitulate to their body and just go to the bathroom to stay dry. At a Montessori program there aren't multiple children competing for the same objects vs in a play based program it's possible that he feels: we're all playing in block area with trucks and if I leave the other kids will take the red truck I'm using. So once he's done doing his "work" he'll clean it up and it's a natural time to go to the bathroom. Especially if his teacher knows this about him and makes sure it gets done. Again, though, you're going to have to be patient with the wet clothing - because he'll have a few accidents every day and over the first month or so as he works this all out. You could try a reward system - every time he goes to the potty without an argument he gets a sticker on the chart. Every day he comes home from school without wet clothing he gets 3 stickers on the chart - when he gets 5 stickers on the chart (however long that takes) he gets something cool he likes - a trip to a particular restaurant, a cool lego thing, or whatever rocks his particular world. Just don't make it too impossible to get the object/activity or it will be too insurmountable to get and then there is no motivation. So perhaps it's when he gets 3 stickers he gets to do the thing/activity. You know your son best. Now, remember - children can't all be in diapers, but it is developmentally appropriate that by 3 yrs of age children are moving toward being fully potty trained. Just as by 15-18 months toddlers are moving away naturally from 2 naps and consolidating to one afternoon nap. Is there an outlier 2 yr old who still needs 2 naps? Is there a 12 month old who drops their AM nap? Sure, but toddlers bodies are ready for 1 nap. So, too, are 3 yr olds ready to be potty trained (assuming no special needs, delays, etc.). They naturally have dry diapers for longer periods of time during the 2 yr old year, which then leads to being able to hold it and then let it go at the "right time" (in the potty), they are able to communicate that they need to go, they can get themselves on/off the potty, take down their clothing, etc. They are also ready emotionally to take on this responsibility and eager to grow up and do so. And then there are children who do it earlier than 2, later than 3, etc. But believe me, in 4 months he'll be good to go, probably by mid-October he'll be good to go. They all do it, it just takes longer for some, and much less time for others. And also, you're right, AMA teacher: I didn't mean silent classroom, but while there is a general hum it is much quieter than the play-based preschools are - and I say that as a director of a play-based preschool and as a former teacher for 15 years at play-based programs. We get LOUD sometimes (not always, and it shouldn't every be crazy or out of control) and Montessori expects children to be a bit quieter - but then, most are working independently so they aren't arguing/negotiating/discussing together, which gets loud no matter how many times we remind them to use their indoor voice! 
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Anonymous
| What are your thoughts on shining stars? |
Anonymous
OP here: The person below me answered the potty inquiry beautifully. I've never been in a school where it's a requirement, but sadly, they exist. Three is the best age because it helps them adapt and normalize faster- they loooove being with the "big kids." I know that freaks a lot of moms and dads out, but in my classroom, I work really hard to pump up the older kids to be buddies to my incoming littles. |
Anonymous
| OP here: Unrelated, but, happy first week of school to me! |
Anonymous
There's certainly some iffy-ness happening right now with admin, from what I hear. That's just the rumor mill churning. |