Why do parents who send their kids to Montessori seem to think their kids are better educated?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure where these parents have their preschoolers, but I'm also sick of the "my child is bored in kindergarten" postings. As if all children who start out in K will forever be bored for the rest of their lives and no other children will ever catch up to them. One parent made such a fuss near us that they ended up having to leave the school after it was determined that little Jonny was super high in math, but couldn't even write a sentence in 1st grade whereas most of the other kids from play based schools had surpassed him in this regard. We did play based and Montessori for our kids and there were positives and negatives to both. Seriously comparing two great preschools, I didn't see that one was better than the other in terms of the whole child. Just different and they emphasized different things. Yes, Montessori is known to be more academic, so I don't get why these parents complain when they put their child in public school. I want to tell them, "feel free to enroll your kid in a private elementary Montessori." I do wish parents would do searches on this subject before posting about their bored kindergartener or 1st grader 2 months into a new school. There must be a hundred "My kid is bored in K" postings both here and on the individual state public school forums.

Truly gifted kids don't get bored.[/quote]

+1 but you'll get flammed for this.

Only because you are both wrong. Go over to the davidson academy forums to see the stories of the profoundly gifted kids. Some of them are truly gifted and bored in the wrong learning environment.

Right - but that is for the profoundly gifted. Not the run of the mill advanced (gifted) DCUM kid.

I'm sorry, but that is idiotic. Yes, my kid gets bored in school. Is it because he's super extra gifted? Well, no. But he is smart and capable of quickly doing his assigned work. When he finishes, he is allowed to do exactly one thing-free draw. The kid hates drawing. With a passion. If his teacher would unbend enough to allow him to read a book instead he would never be bored. "Only boring people are bored" only applies when a person has at least some autonomy in choosing their activites. Within his classroom, my 1st grader has virtually none.

And yes, in Montessori preschool he didn't get bored because he didn't have to wait on the other kids. He did his work and moved on to the next thing. So yeah, I do wish I could put him back in that environment. If only money grew on trees, I would.

[Anonymous]

I read up on Montessori, and I really wanted to send our kids to Montessori. However, my dh lost his job and couldn't find another one, so we just could not afford it. Comments about Montessori education versus our play-based preschool really grate on me because it is looking down on people who did the best for their kids with what they had. We don't all have tens of thousand of dollars for preschool. I needed that money for food and shelter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I read up on Montessori, and I really wanted to send our kids to Montessori. However, my dh lost his job and couldn't find another one, so we just could not afford it. Comments about Montessori education versus our play-based preschool really grate on me because it is looking down on people who did the best for their kids with what they had. We don't all have tens of thousand of dollars for preschool. I needed that money for food and shelter.

I'm really sorry about your situation. I'm sure that's really hard. That said, the people talking about how great Montessori is (vs. any other kind of education or not vs. anything at all) are unrelated to your family's financial issues. My child goes to a Montessori charter in DC that is free and it's been a really wonderful experience for us. I think she's getting a lot more out of this school than her previous playbased program and I'm really glad that we got a spot. When I say that my child is getting a better education than she was before, that in no way indicates that you are not doing the best for your child. Please stop projecting your issues.

[Anonymous]

I've had a kids start K after Montessori and one after play based - both were ahead of the K curriculum. But they were not bored - sure they could read, and do math - but really that is only a portion of the day - so much time is devoted to learning how to sit, line up, listen to directions, socializing etc. Let them be

[Anonymous]

We're talking about preschool here. I really don't think long-term its going to matter if a child went to a Montessori preschool or some other type of preschool. I think the experience of preschool is valuable but once they hit real school - it all tends to even out.

[Anonymous]

Partially because Montessori describes its curriculum as good for building independence, etc. So parents like to think that is what their kids are or will be (don't all parents!) and so they pick montessori. Some kids do better in that model than in others. i have fraternal twins and think one may thrive in that environment (but not others) while her sibling would do well in any environment.

Also, it is Catholic and lots of Catholics have a bias for Catholic things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure where these parents have their preschoolers, but I'm also sick of the "my child is bored in kindergarten" postings. As if all children who start out in K will forever be bored for the rest of their lives and no other children will ever catch up to them. One parent made such a fuss near us that they ended up having to leave the school after it was determined that little Jonny was super high in math, but couldn't even write a sentence in 1st grade whereas most of the other kids from play based schools had surpassed him in this regard. We did play based and Montessori for our kids and there were positives and negatives to both. Seriously comparing two great preschools, I didn't see that one was better than the other in terms of the whole child. Just different and they emphasized different things. Yes, Montessori is known to be more academic, so I don't get why these parents complain when they put their child in public school. I want to tell them, "feel free to enroll your kid in a private elementary Montessori." I do wish parents would do searches on this subject before posting about their bored kindergartener or 1st grader 2 months into a new school. There must be a hundred "My kid is bored in K" postings both here and on the individual state public school forums.

Truly gifted kids don't get bored.[/quote]

+1 but you'll get flammed for this.

Only because you are both wrong. Go over to the davidson academy forums to see the stories of the profoundly gifted kids. Some of them are truly gifted and bored in the wrong learning environment.

Right - but that is for the profoundly gifted. Not the run of the mill advanced (gifted) DCUM kid.

I'm sorry, but that is idiotic. Yes, my kid gets bored in school. Is it because he's super extra gifted? Well, no. But he is smart and capable of quickly doing his assigned work. When he finishes, he is allowed to do exactly one thing-free draw. The kid hates drawing. With a passion. If his teacher would unbend enough to allow him to read a book instead he would never be bored. "Only boring people are bored" only applies when a person has at least some autonomy in choosing their activites. Within his classroom, my 1st grader has virtually none.

And yes, in Montessori preschool he didn't get bored because he didn't have to wait on the other kids. He did his work and moved on to the next thing. So yeah, I do wish I could put him back in that environment. If only money grew on trees, I would.

My kids are both advanced (at least a year each) in every core subject and neither has ever reported he/she is bored. Sorry - I think this is ridiculous. It isn't as if your child is drawing 6 hours/day. If he has pencil and paper - he could certainly write, do math, etc.

[Anonymous]

My advanced kid in K from Montessori was able to pick up a book to read whenever he wanted. Sorry that yours wasn't. There are easy ways around the "I'm bored issue in K. Now in 3rd he's advanced I guess, but nothing out of the ordinary. A third of the class is at the same level. Some Montessori kids aren't even academically advanced anymore by 3rd grade.

[Anonymous]

15:44 again. Just to clarify, we went the public school route for K. It was not an issue. Other kids starting in 1st grade, some of them at the top of their Montessori class and it was also not an issue.

[Anonymous]

You are all so freaking insecure. Stop comparing your babies!!! Have you nothing better to do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure where these parents have their preschoolers, but I'm also sick of the "my child is bored in kindergarten" postings. As if all children who start out in K will forever be bored for the rest of their lives and no other children will ever catch up to them. One parent made such a fuss near us that they ended up having to leave the school after it was determined that little Jonny was super high in math, but couldn't even write a sentence in 1st grade whereas most of the other kids from play based schools had surpassed him in this regard. We did play based and Montessori for our kids and there were positives and negatives to both. Seriously comparing two great preschools, I didn't see that one was better than the other in terms of the whole child. Just different and they emphasized different things. Yes, Montessori is known to be more academic, so I don't get why these parents complain when they put their child in public school. I want to tell them, "feel free to enroll your kid in a private elementary Montessori." I do wish parents would do searches on this subject before posting about their bored kindergartener or 1st grader 2 months into a new school. There must be a hundred "My kid is bored in K" postings both here and on the individual state public school forums.

Truly gifted kids don't get bored.[/quote]

+1 but you'll get flammed for this.

Only because you are both wrong. Go over to the davidson academy forums to see the stories of the profoundly gifted kids. Some of them are truly gifted and bored in the wrong learning environment.

Right - but that is for the profoundly gifted. Not the run of the mill advanced (gifted) DCUM kid.

I'm sorry, but that is idiotic. Yes, my kid gets bored in school. Is it because he's super extra gifted? Well, no. But he is smart and capable of quickly doing his assigned work. When he finishes, he is allowed to do exactly one thing-free draw. The kid hates drawing. With a passion. If his teacher would unbend enough to allow him to read a book instead he would never be bored. "Only boring people are bored" only applies when a person has at least some autonomy in choosing their activites. Within his classroom, my 1st grader has virtually none.

And yes, in Montessori preschool he didn't get bored because he didn't have to wait on the other kids. He did his work and moved on to the next thing. So yeah, I do wish I could put him back in that environment. If only money grew on trees, I would.

My kids are both advanced (at least a year each) in every core subject and neither has ever reported he/she is bored. Sorry - I think this is ridiculous. It isn't as if your child is drawing 6 hours/day. If he has pencil and paper - he could certainly write, do math, etc.

So is mine. That doesn't, in first grade, make him super special. He reads on a second grade level and is in a second grade math class. And the work is still easy peasy. And he isn't bored every minute of the day, so no, he isn't drawing for six hours a day. But he is bored frequently because traditional schooling involves lots of waiting. The teacher has to read directions to the class, which he could do faster himself but others can't, the slower writers take 10 more minutes to finish, his teacher is new and sucks at classroom management...Whatever. He's bored. I would be too (and was). I don't think he learned more in his Montessori preschool than other kids necessarily, I do think that the style of instruction allows for a lot less twiddle your thumbs time, and THAT is where the boredom originates.

[Anonymous]

DC came from Montessori to public traditional and the teacher says he is not very patient.

[Anonymous]

We did a very part time play based preschool associated with a church for pennies and had a great experience. DD ended up in an expensive Reggio private for Kindergarten. Most kids were either there or the montessori for preschool, and you can not tell the difference. I will say that the parents of the montessori kids do like to talk about it.

FWIW All the research out there supports a play based approach. Montessori is definitely academic so I would expect the kids to be ahead in kindergarten, but it seems to mean very little.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Does "Montessori" have any minimal standard whatsoever? I don't think so. Anyone can claim to be Montessori.

There is accreditation. You can't stop someone from saying they are Montessori, but only accredited schools that follow the model and have trained teachers can claim to be accredited, which is a differentiator.

One of my kids went to play-based preschool and one did Montessori. They are both very bright and learned to read early, but no question the one in Montessori learned more, across many dimensions (math, geography, practical life, science).

Things my non-Montessori, play-based preschool attending son could do before K:

--Knew the capital of every state
--Knew the location of every state (i.e. hand him a blank map and say, "Where is New Hampshire?" and he could point to it)
--Knew the planets in order
--Knew how to add and subtract numbers 12 and less
--Could read fluently (like Frog and Toad type books)
--Wrote sentences himself (as in, he'd sit down and would write on his own, unprompted: "Pleas do not tch this diaree. It is min" for "Please do not touch this diary. It is mine."

And this is why I CANNOT STAND when parents mention Montessori preschool as being some end all/be all of education. Kids are different. I just sit there with my mouth shut smiling at you "sympathizing" about how unstimulated your "poor" kid is in kindergarten but I'm thinking: STFU. My kid isn't unstimulated and it is hard to envision yours is above mine as far as his/her learning.

Maybe your friends are assholes. Maybe they're really excited that they've found a preschool that works really well for their kid. Maybe you should take it less personally, or be friends with people who don't suggest that your kid is stupid.

You misunderstand...this is NOT from the preschool attending set that blabs like this - it is from the kindergarten set. MEANING: Their kids formerly were in a Montessori preschool, and are now in public elementary school, and talk to me like "Oh poor Sally who has to sit there all day bored to tears because the curriculum is so, so beneath her ability because she went to (past tense) Montessori." All the while I'm thinking, seriously...stop.

When DD started public preschool, there were a lot of people who complained about their child's experience of the transition - whether that was from daycare, from a nanny, from a stay at home parent, or whatever. Maybe the curriculum IS beneath their child. The point of kindergarten is still to acclimate children to being in school at all. It doesn't need to be academically rigorous, and kids who are already acclimated to being in school at all may very well be bored with that agenda. It doesn't mean your kid is stupid so chill out.

I'm not going to 'chill out' - MY point is that I don't think kids get bored unless parents put that idea in their heads. My child has never said he is bored and he is the one reading far above kindergarten level. (If he is one of a few kids out of 60 who is pulled out for enrichment and he isn't bored...why would yours be?)

It sounds like you're just projecting your own insecurities onto others. The fact that someone said something that implied they are proud of their child was not an insult to you or a form of one upsmanship and they don't have an obligation to not say it around you to protect you from your own insecurities. The fact that their kid happened to go to a Montessori as opposed to play based or any other preschool that could have made kindergarten seem unchallenging by comparison is entirely immaterial and pretending that you've made a poignant observation about parents if Montessori children when really you've just failed to deal with your own issues is kind of sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does "Montessori" have any minimal standard whatsoever? I don't think so. Anyone can claim to be Montessori.

There is accreditation. You can't stop someone from saying they are Montessori, but only accredited schools that follow the model and have trained teachers can claim to be accredited, which is a differentiator.

One of my kids went to play-based preschool and one did Montessori. They are both very bright and learned to read early, but no question the one in Montessori learned more, across many dimensions (math, geography, practical life, science).

Things my non-Montessori, play-based preschool attending son could do before K:

--Knew the capital of every state
--Knew the location of every state (i.e. hand him a blank map and say, "Where is New Hampshire?" and he could point to it)
--Knew the planets in order
--Knew how to add and subtract numbers 12 and less
--Could read fluently (like Frog and Toad type books)
--Wrote sentences himself (as in, he'd sit down and would write on his own, unprompted: "Pleas do not tch this diaree. It is min" for "Please do not touch this diary. It is mine."

And this is why I CANNOT STAND when parents mention Montessori preschool as being some end all/be all of education. Kids are different. I just sit there with my mouth shut smiling at you "sympathizing" about how unstimulated your "poor" kid is in kindergarten but I'm thinking: STFU. My kid isn't unstimulated and it is hard to envision yours is above mine as far as his/her learning.

Maybe your friends are assholes. Maybe they're really excited that they've found a preschool that works really well for their kid. Maybe you should take it less personally, or be friends with people who don't suggest that your kid is stupid.

You misunderstand...this is NOT from the preschool attending set that blabs like this - it is from the kindergarten set. MEANING: Their kids formerly were in a Montessori preschool, and are now in public elementary school, and talk to me like "Oh poor Sally who has to sit there all day bored to tears because the curriculum is so, so beneath her ability because she went to (past tense) Montessori." All the while I'm thinking, seriously...stop.

When DD started public preschool, there were a lot of people who complained about their child's experience of the transition - whether that was from daycare, from a nanny, from a stay at home parent, or whatever. Maybe the curriculum IS beneath their child. The point of kindergarten is still to acclimate children to being in school at all. It doesn't need to be academically rigorous, and kids who are already acclimated to being in school at all may very well be bored with that agenda. It doesn't mean your kid is stupid so chill out.

I'm not going to 'chill out' - MY point is that I don't think kids get bored unless parents put that idea in their heads. My child has never said he is bored and he is the one reading far above kindergarten level. (If he is one of a few kids out of 60 who is pulled out for enrichment and he isn't bored...why would yours be?)

It sounds like you're just projecting your own insecurities onto others. The fact that someone said something that implied they are proud of their child was not an insult to you or a form of one upsmanship and they don't have an obligation to not say it around you to protect you from your own insecurities. The fact that their kid happened to go to a Montessori as opposed to play based or any other preschool that could have made kindergarten seem unchallenging by comparison is entirely immaterial and pretending that you've made a poignant observation about parents if Montessori children when really you've just failed to deal with your own issues is kind of sad.

Your response is nonsensical. A mom complained her kid was bored yet also said she wasn't pulled for enrichment. She can't be that "bored" then, can she? This is not about my issues. It is about being tired of hearing too many parents bragging about their kids....most without a true basis for doing so. Seems like you may have been/are one of those moms...