Kids who went to Montessori - how do they compare to others later in public elem?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a private Montessori school from pre-K through 6th grade. Then a traditional public middle school and high school, along with my other Montessori peers.

Here are my observations:

I am and continue to be very good a writing and other creative pursuits.

I am very good a team building, communicating and leadership.

I am good at critical thinking and problem solving.

I am terrible at math.

I crumple at the idea of a pop quiz or trivia, or anything that requires quick thinking and route memory skills.

I have issues with structure and respecting authority. I really want to be left alone and trusted to get my work done on time without being hassled about it.

If I loose my enthusiasm for something, it's never going to get done.

I do think these are foundational traits that I learned in my Montessori elementary school. All this aside, I went to college, have a good job, married with kids, I own a home and a car, and I am a solid tax-paying citizen of the United States.

The fact that you are "terrible" at math doesn't tally with my Montessori experience which is that it provides an excellent, incomparable foundation in math.

Not in our experience. We left in the middle of elementary because of a move. Math assessment at beginning of third grade put my child at the middle of second grade in math. Not a big deal and he caught up, but I was surprised since math is supposed to be a Montessori strength and we were told it was one of my child's strong suits. I wouldn't say he was/is terrible at math, but he isn't advanced now in 5th grade either. This was an AMI certified school.

My Montessori kid was tested at 7th grade level by the time he was seven. He started on algebra at eight. My six year old tested at third grade level. Older kid is definitely advanced but not exceptionally so among peers who are doing long multiplacation and division and multiplying fractions in first grade.

Their foundational understanding of math is excellent. I wonder if the tests didn't adequately test the breadth of your kids math knowledge?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a private Montessori school from pre-K through 6th grade. Then a traditional public middle school and high school, along with my other Montessori peers.

Here are my observations:

I am and continue to be very good a writing and other creative pursuits.

I am very good a team building, communicating and leadership.

I am good at critical thinking and problem solving.

I am terrible at math.

I crumple at the idea of a pop quiz or trivia, or anything that requires quick thinking and route memory skills.

I have issues with structure and respecting authority. I really want to be left alone and trusted to get my work done on time without being hassled about it.

If I loose my enthusiasm for something, it's never going to get done.

I do think these are foundational traits that I learned in my Montessori elementary school. All this aside, I went to college, have a good job, married with kids, I own a home and a car, and I am a solid tax-paying citizen of the United States.

The fact that you are "terrible" at math doesn't tally with my Montessori experience which is that it provides an excellent, incomparable foundation in math.

Not in our experience. We left in the middle of elementary because of a move. Math assessment at beginning of third grade put my child at the middle of second grade in math. Not a big deal and he caught up, but I was surprised since math is supposed to be a Montessori strength and we were told it was one of my child's strong suits. I wouldn't say he was/is terrible at math, but he isn't advanced now in 5th grade either. This was an AMI certified school.

My Montessori kid was tested at 7th grade level by the time he was seven. He started on algebra at eight. My six year old tested at third grade level. Older kid is definitely advanced but not exceptionally so among peers who are doing long multiplacation and division and multiplying fractions in first grade.

Their foundational understanding of math is excellent. I wonder if the tests didn't adequately test the breadth of your kids math knowledge?

I think it’s more likely that the Montessori math method works really well for some kids and not for others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a private Montessori school from pre-K through 6th grade. Then a traditional public middle school and high school, along with my other Montessori peers.

Here are my observations:

I am and continue to be very good a writing and other creative pursuits.

I am very good a team building, communicating and leadership.

I am good at critical thinking and problem solving.

I am terrible at math.

I crumple at the idea of a pop quiz or trivia, or anything that requires quick thinking and route memory skills.

I have issues with structure and respecting authority. I really want to be left alone and trusted to get my work done on time without being hassled about it.

If I loose my enthusiasm for something, it's never going to get done.

I do think these are foundational traits that I learned in my Montessori elementary school. All this aside, I went to college, have a good job, married with kids, I own a home and a car, and I am a solid tax-paying citizen of the United States.

The fact that you are "terrible" at math doesn't tally with my Montessori experience which is that it provides an excellent, incomparable foundation in math.

I'm like this and I never went to Montessori.

[Anonymous]

I went to Montessori school until 2nd grade. I then went to tradtional private. I was advanced in math and reading when I transferred and took those classes with the next grade level. I took honors classes in high school, but I don't think there was any difference between me and the traditional kids. I have a child in their third year of primary (Kindergarten) at a PK -8 school and an older child in a traditional private K-8. The younger child is more independent and inquisitive.

I'm a minority woman. My parents didn't supplement my education, but were always supportive.

[Anonymous]

Exactly the same. Exactly.

[Anonymous]

My 12yr old didn't go to preschool at all. He was home with me until kindergarten. He is now in 7th grade taking Geometry, which is traditionally taken in 10th grade. His first HS class was last year, Algebra in 6th grade. He is also in all honors classes and has straight As and a B+.

I actually only think preschool is critical if you are in an at risk group. 2 educated, involved parents who read to their kids, interact, and provide enriching experiences (aka. Not plop them in front of screens) is what helps a child be successful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a private Montessori school from pre-K through 6th grade. Then a traditional public middle school and high school, along with my other Montessori peers.

Here are my observations:

I am and continue to be very good a writing and other creative pursuits.

I am very good a team building, communicating and leadership.

I am good at critical thinking and problem solving.

I am terrible at math.

I crumple at the idea of a pop quiz or trivia, or anything that requires quick thinking and route memory skills.

I have issues with structure and respecting authority. I really want to be left alone and trusted to get my work done on time without being hassled about it.

If I loose my enthusiasm for something, it's never going to get done.

I do think these are foundational traits that I learned in my Montessori elementary school. All this aside, I went to college, have a good job, married with kids, I own a home and a car, and I am a solid tax-paying citizen of the United States.

The fact that you are "terrible" at math doesn't tally with my Montessori experience which is that it provides an excellent, incomparable foundation in math.

I'm like this and I never went to Montessori.

I’m exactly like this as well and I went to terrible public schools my entire K-12 career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hear a lot of complaints from teachers that they fall levels behind in math or another subject and have issues with the school structure. Even though several teachers have said this, my kids have known many and I simply don’t see a difference or that they fall behind. The biggest issue might be early on with behavior but I personally think that is kid specific and just happened to be a few from the same Montessori who also put out some other kids with no behavior issues. To paint all kids with one brush is ridiculous. I think people just like to feel better about themselves by putting others down.

Yes. I used to teach at a strong East Coast prep school, and middle school students coming from Montessori had these issues. I do not teach math, but I can say that the Montessori students did not have a strong base in writing, and they did not have adequate grammar/structure preparation. I am not a Montessori fan, and this opinion is based purely on observations of Montessori kids arriving at our school. My colleagues shared this view (especially my math colleagues).

NP. Same experience. Our Mclean ES is teaching math and reading well behind where the Montessori school was in PRE school. So I'm surprised to see PP reference kids from Montessori being behind others in ES. But we also learned that each Montessori is different despite the teaching philosophy.

[Anonymous]

Our three children entered public K (APS) well ahead of their peers in math. Can't say if it was their Montessori teachers, us or what -but friends in the program had similar stories as PP (that their K class in public was teaching math and reading that the Montessori covered 2 years prior.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our three children entered public K (APS) well ahead of their peers in math. Can't say if it was their Montessori teachers, us or what -but friends in the program had similar stories as PP (that their K class in public was teaching math and reading that the Montessori covered 2 years prior.)

How is this responsive? By later elementary school was there any difference?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can't even tell a difference in kindergarten.

Some enter in K and some enter in 1st. For those who enter in 1st, you notice the difference in behavior. It takes them a lot longer to learn to follow direction and actually do what is asked of them. They think it's a choice and that doesn't go over well.

[Anonymous]

I went to a montessori school through elem and my kids went for primary (pre school/K)

All in all, I think *any* quality school can provide a good education for most kids, so I don't think there's a huge difference between montessori kids and their peers by the time they are older. They may have a few months of adjustment/struggles, but that's going to be true of any kid coming from a different teaching method.

Montessori, by its very nature, produces kids with varying abilities. That's sort of the whole point - they aren't focused on cookie-cutter experiences for each child. So one kid may leave lower elementary at a 7th grade math level and another kid may leave lower elementary on a 3rd grade math level. And in the Montessori perspective, that's totally fine.
I think public school teachers are used to more consistency from kids - so they see a child doing one subject years ahead and another subject just on grade level, and consider the child "behind" for the grade level topic.

Their curriculum is also different, so while most schools are aware of common core and try to make sure their kids at least get that, they do teach different topics in different orders. So a child may be behind in science based on the public school curriculum, but know way more about a different topic that the public school hasn't even been exposed to yet.

Bottom line is - if a kid is happy and thriving and learning at a Montessori school - awesome! They'll surely be able to transition to a public school in middle or high school without major issues. But it's not some sort of magic that produces world changers. (well, except for the founders of google and amazon...)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actual studies with links

https://www.public-montessori.org/resources/making-the-case-for-montessori-in-the-public-sector/does-it-work-what-research-says-about-montessori-and-student-outcomes/

The more longitudinal study shows it makes no difference.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2018-01-02/studies-shed-light-on-merits-of-montessori-education%3fcontext=amp

At our kindergarten open house, the moms of 3 former Montessori preschool kids were going on and on about how independent and advanced their kids were. None made it into the gifted program a few years later.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/15/771668.page#14176503

[Anonymous]

I have a friend who has her child at a Montessori based daycare/Preschool. They had a parent teacher conference and were told that their two year old was struggling. Not with hitting milestones or anything along those lines but that he was disruptive in the classroom. At 2. He is not biting, hitting, throwing tantrums. He is not delayed in any way.

So pardon me for being skeptical.

I suspect that Montessori is a great fit for some kids and not for others. Most of the Montessori programs I know are private so there is going to be a selection bias because they can remove kids from the school pretty easily. So they end up with kids who do well there because they only allow kids who do well there.

I think that it is like all things, what works for you is awesome and amazing and everyone should do it and if it doesn't work for them it is because they are doing it wrong! I found this was the case for sleep training, potty training, and organizing closets.

I am thrilled for the parents who love it and whose kids are doing well in Montessori. I was thrilled for my neighbor who moved her child from a Montessori into public school and saw her child blossom because Montessori was not a good fit. I'll be thrilled for my friend when she finds a daycare that her child is not disruptive in.

I suspect that the kids all end up in very similar places taking different paths and the vast majority turn into good, productive citizens who love their families, just like the vast majority of kids who go to public school, parochial school, and private school.

[Anonymous]

The only differences I have seen are that when they start at a more traditional school, they can sometimes have trouble just sitting still/listening at circle time, etc (in a bad way; they get over it quickly) and they tend to be a little more assertive in some contexts (in a good way; for some kids it sticks, for others it doesn't).