Montessori or Public school Kindergarten (for 6 year old) - please help!!

[Anonymous]

Our DS will be turning 6 this November, and we are really confused whether to let him continue at his Montessori school for K or send him to our local public school. He has been going to this Montessori school for 2 years now and kind of doing well, but the problem is that he will be an eldest kid in the class (6 years in few months). There will be 3-4 other kindergarten kids in his Montessori class (all of them close to 5 year age), and the rest of the kids will be 3 or 4 year olds (almost half and half).

The Fairfax public elementary school is kind of mediocre in our area. So, we are planning to move to a different area and eventually want to send him to the public school system.

We are really confused whether this montessori option is good for him or not. And, not sure if he will be socially bored or will have social issues in future when going to public 1st grade.

Would like to hear from other montessori parents that have done this before, do you regret keeping your kid in the montessori school rather than joining the kindergarten? Will joining public school at 1st grade be difficult in terms of social and academic life? Would also love to hear from other Montessori parents who moved their kids in Kindergarten.

We have read a few forums and talked to a few people, but we are not able to decide about would be best for him. I would appreciate if you can provide your thoughts or comments, or tell us about your experiences. Thank you so much in advance !!

[Anonymous]

OP here.

Just to add ....

This will be his Montessori class composition:
5 year olds ---- 5 (4 of them just turned 5 + DS)
4 year olds ---- 9 ( most of them close to 4-4.5)
3 year olds ---- 9 ( most of them close to 4 or 4.5)

Will appreciate your comments

[Anonymous]

I sent my daughter to Kindergarten at a montessori school because of a terrible experience in Kindergarten at the public school. She also has a late birthday- Sep 23rd.

While she was advanced enough to be deemed ready for K by MCPS a full year earlier (I opted against that). So when I pulled her from Public school and placed her in the Montessori school, she was one of the older students in her class.

I cant say enough about how great it was to be at the Montessori school and how healthy it was for her to be an environment where kids were encouraged to be kind and mindful. As she adjusted there and flourished, I began to wonder if she was being challenged enough. What I found and what her teachers also found is that she took on a kind of leadership role and displayed kindness to the younger kids who would come in new and would be intimidated. She could comfort kids if they cried, and just generally she grew into the role of that older kid.

She is quite gifted and advanced in many ways, but I never actually felt that she did anything but benefit from the entire approach of mixing it up with the younger kids. It never affected her negatively and has she been in montessori the previous two years, wow- that would have been something. Alas, it was never an option beyond one year. If you can afford it, I would vote WITHOUT HESITATION to continue in the montessori school.

The public kindergarten here was sadly punitive and downright boot-camp like. It was a combo of the teacher and the principal, a sort of random luck toxic blend. My daughter had loved her preschool, and she loved her Montessori Kindergarten.

If funds are not a direct issue, I dont see how the gift of a montessori education for one more year could ever be something you would regret even for a second.

[Anonymous]

Oh, I should add that I have hear nothing at all about any negative experiences from the kids in kindergarten at that Montessori transitioning to 1st. IN fact, quite the opposite.

There will be SO much growing that your son will do this year, you will be amazed. There will be a maturity that kicks in and the responsibilities of K are rigorous in just the right way (or at least they were out our school) that I think you will find he will MORE not less prepared for 1st grade.

I myself am homeschooling my daughter starting this year. From the work we have already done I can see Montessori prepared her even for that. My work has been made easier by the skills she learned there.

[Anonymous]

Montessori. I thought there were advantages to the age groupings, including having the experience of being young and learning from older kids, then beig older and sharing knowledge with younger kids. Isn't that part of the Montessori model?

If you like the school, stick with it.

[Anonymous]

OP, it all depends how self-organized your child is. Montessori environment is all about a child regulating himself, pacing himself. It's a very nurturing environment, but with loose structure. I have two boys, a year and a half apart. They are polar opposites. While my eldest son thrived in Montessori environment, my youngest one was miserable. He craved structure and order and well, being told what to do So after K, we put him in public school and oh boy, what a change. For what it's worth, he's attending Little Run ES.

[Anonymous]

I am a Montessori teacher. It is an "honor" for a child to be "THE ELDEST!" Plus, it sounds like there is a good age ration in the class. If you like the school, stay! (imo.)

[Anonymous]

*ratio

[Anonymous]

I think it would be better to stick with the same (Montessori) school, then to have him go to one public K, only to move to a third school for 1st grade. I think it might be hard to have to make new friends each year, so if I were in your shoes, I'd just stick with the Montessori. Or hurry up and move to the 'better' school district before school starts.

[Anonymous]

I sent my older one through Montessori K and 1st. Both my older and younger attended for toddler and primary as well in the earlier years. I homeschooled my younger one for K. As for Montessori K, if your school has a good Montessori program and your child is enjoying it and thriving, then keep presiding forward with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I sent my daughter to Kindergarten at a montessori school because of a terrible experience in Kindergarten at the public school. She also has a late birthday- Sep 23rd.

While she was advanced enough to be deemed ready for K by MCPS a full year earlier (I opted against that). So when I pulled her from Public school and placed her in the Montessori school, she was one of the older students in her class.

I cant say enough about how great it was to be at the Montessori school and how healthy it was for her to be an environment where kids were encouraged to be kind and mindful. As she adjusted there and flourished, I began to wonder if she was being challenged enough. What I found and what her teachers also found is that she took on a kind of leadership role and displayed kindness to the younger kids who would come in new and would be intimidated. She could comfort kids if they cried, and just generally she grew into the role of that older kid.

She is quite gifted and advanced in many ways, but I never actually felt that she did anything but benefit from the entire approach of mixing it up with the younger kids. It never affected her negatively and has she been in montessori the previous two years, wow- that would have been something. Alas, it was never an option beyond one year. If you can afford it, I would vote WITHOUT HESITATION to continue in the montessori school.

The public kindergarten here was sadly punitive and downright boot-camp like. It was a combo of the teacher and the principal, a sort of random luck toxic blend. My daughter had loved her preschool, and she loved her Montessori Kindergarten.

If funds are not a direct issue, I dont see how the gift of a montessori education for one more year could ever be something you would regret even for a second.

Was she tested that year earlier? Was that at 4 or 5 if she was tested? I have one child and I'm debating about when to start kindergarten. I'm trying to understand if you had a 4 or 5 year old tested and if so, how does that work? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I love Montessori and have sent two (one with a fall birthday) through K. I am amazed by how much they learned, especially the fall birthday boy, and how advanced they both were transitioning to public in first grade. I think it did my oldest a lot of good socially to be the oldest--I had a similar experience to PP. I have zero regrets with either.

But the main reason I would say to stick with Montessori is so that you don't end up going to three schools in three years, which seems like it would be hard for a child.

[Anonymous]

If you are going to move I'd stay with Montessori. Other than that, I'd pick public because it's really the only year where it's more about socialization for both the child and the adult. If you don't care about that, I'd stay with Montessori, but most of the parents and friends my child and I made came from the kindergarten year.

[Anonymous]

Stay with your montessori school. With such a small class size, the teachers will know exactly where he is academically and will know how to keep him challenged. Unlike a public K, where the year is used as an "equalizer." The kids there start out with A, B, C and red, yellow, blue. Then, your son can just enter into public for 1st grade.

We did this with my son and it worked beautifully.

[Anonymous]

My son was the oldest in his Montessori classroom his k year and he loved it and thrived. His teacher was thrilled to help him do work that no other kids in the classroom had advanced to yet (my husband and I still lament the fact that even in a gifted 2nd grade program he is still not doing mathwork he was doing in k). I was worried about the transition to a non-Montessori classroom for 1st grade but it was not a problem. He did balk at the constant paperwork in the beginning, but aside from that he transitioned very well. Although he left friends behind he LOVED having swarms of new kids to make friends with. If I were you I would keep my child in the current school for k.