Transition Montessori to traditional private

[Anonymous]

Mine went to 8 years of Montessori from age 3 to age 12. Had a hard time adjusting to tests and homework at elite private here. We hired a test tutor. Kid then did great + graduated from HYP. Had another kid in her HYP graduating class that went to same little Montessori School when they were little.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine went to 8 years of Montessori from age 3 to age 12. Had a hard time adjusting to tests and homework at elite private here. We hired a test tutor. Kid then did great + graduated from HYP. Had another kid in her HYP graduating class that went to same little Montessori School when they were little.

Helpful. Thank you n

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine went to 8 years of Montessori from age 3 to age 12. Had a hard time adjusting to tests and homework at elite private here. We hired a test tutor. Kid then did great + graduated from HYP. Had another kid in her HYP graduating class that went to same little Montessori School when they were little.

Helpful. Thank you n

Good luck to your child!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think for most kids this isn't a big deal and they will just follow along with the other kids. Obviously you explain it beforehand and have them visit the new school. Issues may arise if your kid has trouble sitting still and controlling their body and speech in an age-appropriate manner, and if they are below grade level academically in something but don't realize it or have been allowed to skate by. (And I'm not saying it's because of Montessori specifically, it tends to come up with various more 'child-led' approaches). You need to do an honest assessment of your child's preparedness and maturity so that you, and they, go in eyes wide open.

This.

[Anonymous]

My child did nine years at an AMI Montessori school then transitioned in at 6th grade to a PreK-8 private. She had no trouble transitioning to the routine of classes and tests and homework. Luckily her private had advanced math courses which she placed into. The biggest problem was that she just knew a lot more than her peers. We supervised homework and reminded her about tests for the first 6 months or so, then she was independent. She would wonder that the other kids didn't seem to know basic stuff or know how to behave in the hallways. She enjoyed her private through 8th then transitioned to a public magnet HS program where she ended with a 4.0 uw GPA. She's in college now with a double major in math and music. I think Montessori gave her a great foundation for her education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child did nine years at an AMI Montessori school then transitioned in at 6th grade to a PreK-8 private. She had no trouble transitioning to the routine of classes and tests and homework. Luckily her private had advanced math courses which she placed into. The biggest problem was that she just knew a lot more than her peers. We supervised homework and reminded her about tests for the first 6 months or so, then she was independent. She would wonder that the other kids didn't seem to know basic stuff or know how to behave in the hallways. She enjoyed her private through 8th then transitioned to a public magnet HS program where she ended with a 4.0 uw GPA. She's in college now with a double major in math and music. I think Montessori gave her a great foundation for her education.

Thank you. Helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child did nine years at an AMI Montessori school then transitioned in at 6th grade to a PreK-8 private. She had no trouble transitioning to the routine of classes and tests and homework. Luckily her private had advanced math courses which she placed into. The biggest problem was that she just knew a lot more than her peers. We supervised homework and reminded her about tests for the first 6 months or so, then she was independent. She would wonder that the other kids didn't seem to know basic stuff or know how to behave in the hallways. She enjoyed her private through 8th then transitioned to a public magnet HS program where she ended with a 4.0 uw GPA. She's in college now with a double major in math and music. I think Montessori gave her a great foundation for her education.

+1. My child transitioned in 4th grade after finishing lower elementary to a private K-8. There were no issues to speak of. She was definitely more advanced in a few areas. She would often marvel that other kids knew nothing about geography, and their knowledge of science was very limited, comparatively speaking.

[Anonymous]

Transitioned at 3rd and 6th. Neither liked the decline in autonomy. 3rd grader we realized really need more structure than Montessori was offering, so it was an adjustment but good for him. 6th grader still doesn't like that he can't "go ahead" in the class work, but was fascinated by the novelty of it all. For that age they see the older kids in non-Montessori schools so they know it's coming. I don't think there are rules for this, each kid has their own quirks! I do find that they really like free-playing after school now, less than when in Montessori, wonder if it's because the school day is more structured than before... Best of luck to you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Transitioned at 3rd and 6th. Neither liked the decline in autonomy. 3rd grader we realized really need more structure than Montessori was offering, so it was an adjustment but good for him. 6th grader still doesn't like that he can't "go ahead" in the class work, but was fascinated by the novelty of it all. For that age they see the older kids in non-Montessori schools so they know it's coming. I don't think there are rules for this, each kid has their own quirks! I do find that they really like free-playing after school now, less than when in Montessori, wonder if it's because the school day is more structured than before... Best of luck to you!

Helpful. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Good luck. Our DC was at Montessori for 6 years…3 years longer than we planned.

[Anonymous]

My kids switch at first grade. My first was bored, especially in math, but did fine. My second had some behavior problems, but they were the same behavior problems we had heard from his primary teacher about, and he has ADHD, so nothing was a surprise. He settled down after a transition period and had a good year too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Transitioned at 3rd and 6th. Neither liked the decline in autonomy. 3rd grader we realized really need more structure than Montessori was offering, so it was an adjustment but good for him. 6th grader still doesn't like that he can't "go ahead" in the class work, but was fascinated by the novelty of it all. For that age they see the older kids in non-Montessori schools so they know it's coming. I don't think there are rules for this, each kid has their own quirks! I do find that they really like free-playing after school now, less than when in Montessori, wonder if it's because the school day is more structured than before... Best of luck to you!

The bolded is the same for mine. It’s his biggest complaint about school. Specifically, not being able to learn what he wants while being stuck repeating things, waiting for folks to catch up, or not understanding how a certain task/thing he doesn’t enjoy will be of benefit later.

[Anonymous]

Just to correct something in your post, no decent elementary school is “lecture style.” The teacher will talk, yes, but classes don’t operate like college lectures. Even at middle school there will be lots of small group work and other formats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People do this all the time. Haven't you noticed there are lots of Montessori elementaries and far fewer Montessori middle and high schools? It is not a big deal unless your child is ND (whether you acknowledge it or not), or you're a parent who likes to be precious about things.

This. My kids went to Montessori through 6th. There were zero problems transitioning. They did get a shock with the behavior of kids in public school, but that’s a separate topic. We’ve known many families that have left Montessori in various grades over the past decade and I’ve never heard of anyone having problems. If your child isn’t neurodivergent, they will be completely fine

[Anonymous]

One thing I would do to prepare your kid is explain how the different educational philosophy requires some of the things they will find annoying. For example when my kids switched from Montessori to traditional they were frustrated by the fact that they couldn't just speed through or skip everything that was easy or that they already knew and it helped when I just pointed out to them that the reason they can't do that is because the lessons are given to the group and so they have to make sure at least most of the kids understand before moving on. Then they were fine with it. Still bored but no longer feeling like they were victims of injustice lolol. They just hadn't really put that together for themselves. They were six so maybe an older child would figure that out by themselves -- but I'd just kinda think about how the day is different and why and highlight the reason for anything you think your kid will struggle with if they don't know the reason for it.