Experiences with Aidan Montessori?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had such a different experience of our interview with Ms. Antonucci. However, I can understand why the process puts some people off.

Of all of the preschools we applied to, Aidan was the only one that very actively assessed our daughter during the process (NCRC was second in terms of really looking at her as an individual, imo). It was kind of uncomfortable to be present while she was clearly being evaluated for attention span, frustration tolerance, ability to follow directions, short-term memory, etc., and Ms. Antonucci's style was very directive and not particularly warm and fuzzy. It was definitely a situation in which the parents were of secondary concern. That, however, is as it should be, imho, since it is a school for our daughter and not for us.

Our daughter responded extremely well to this approach and really blossomed during the interview. If we had not seen her response, we would likely have chosen a play-based program and come away from Aidan thinking it was a little too structured. But our daughter loved it, so we were excited to accept the position we were offered there for this fall.

Is this a contest to see how often you can say "BLOSSOM" in connection with your daughter's interview at Aidan?? She had a good day - her personality fits well there - I understand these things - BUt a 2 yr old doesn't BLOSSOM at an interview, for gosh sakes. Give it a rest. You make it sound like the birds started chirping and the angels singing when your dd walked into Aidan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had such a different experience of our interview with Ms. Antonucci. However, I can understand why the process puts some people off.

Of all of the preschools we applied to, Aidan was the only one that very actively assessed our daughter during the process (NCRC was second in terms of really looking at her as an individual, imo). It was kind of uncomfortable to be present while she was clearly being evaluated for attention span, frustration tolerance, ability to follow directions, short-term memory, etc., and Ms. Antonucci's style was very directive and not particularly warm and fuzzy. It was definitely a situation in which the parents were of secondary concern. That, however, is as it should be, imho, since it is a school for our daughter and not for us.

Our daughter responded extremely well to this approach and really blossomed during the interview. If we had not seen her response, we would likely have chosen a play-based program and come away from Aidan thinking it was a little too structured. But our daughter loved it, so we were excited to accept the position we were offered there for this fall.

Is this a contest to see how often you can say "BLOSSOM" in connection with your daughter's interview at Aidan?? She had a good day - her personality fits well there - I understand these things - BUt a 2 yr old doesn't BLOSSOM at an interview, for gosh sakes. Give it a rest. You make it sound like the birds started chirping and the angels singing when your dd walked into Aidan.

Wow. I have no opinion of Aidan whatsoever. I don't even know what city it is in. But that last response was pretty mean. You must be very proud of yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Is this a contest to see how often you can say "BLOSSOM" in connection with your daughter's interview at Aidan?? She had a good day - her personality fits well there - I understand these things - BUt a 2 yr old doesn't BLOSSOM at an interview, for gosh sakes. Give it a rest. You make it sound like the birds started chirping and the angels singing when your dd walked into Aidan.

Your hostility is really out of place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[size=18][/siz
Get off the internet and spend some time with your child or with a book or enjoy some quiet time for yourself.

People come to this forum--on the Internet--for advice. Which they gave. And you gave. On the Internet.

I suppose the idea of a 2.5 year old being "interviewed" at all is distasteful to some people. But what is also distasteful is being quizzed on how long you breastfed and what your birth experience was like, and--oh--watching your toddler being set-up and then reprimanded by a stranger for "not following instructions" because he touched the roof of a playhouse. It's so very, very sad.

I am absolutely horrified by all of this. It's like a bad reality tv show or something. I agree that it's so sad.

[Anonymous]

re: previous post

I had an interview at Aidan with my son earlier this year. I was not asked any questions about breastfeeding or birth complications. Nothing I considered inappropriate. The interviewer, Ms. Antonucci, did ask if there were any health issues the school should be aware of. And she did tell my son things about how children behave in a Montessori classroom (push their chair in, put the puzzle away), but that seemed fine to me. He did play with the farm mentioned by a previous poster but was not given any directions about not touching animals...or set up in any way. Ms. Antonucci was not a bubbly person and she did seem serious, but she was very warm with my son and seemed like a wonderful teacher. I wasn't sure what we were in for after reading all of these posts. I do encourage people to make judgments for themselves.

[Anonymous]

I had two c-sections and did not breastfeed. I wonder what she would think of me?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had two c-sections and did not breastfeed. I wonder what she would think of me?

Honestly, I think this thread is getting really out of hand, distorted and maligning a good school. We interviewed with Ms. Antonucci and were simply asked if there were any complications at birth or in terms of development in the past 2.5 years. Perfectly relevant information when you are taking a history and evaluating a preschooler.

Let it go already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Me again from 11:00am.

At nearly all of the Montessori schools that we saw, the questions ran the gamut of very *very* personal (like, how long did you breastfeed? were there any birth complications?) to more general/understandable probes (like, how does your toddler deal with tantrums? how do you discipline your child? or how long do you plan to keep your child at the school?). They reminded me of how I felt once when asked when I intended to get married & how many children I wanted to have by my prospective employer in France!

The very personal ones can make you squirm, so get ready to deal with them the best that you can. Unlike job interviews, I don't think there is much that is forbidden in terms of questioning. Maybe someone else can answer why they ask such things. But for me, I just rolled with it and still feel strongly that the positives of the education style far outweigh any discomfort in questioning.

bumping this up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC interviewed at Aidan when he was 2 1/2. The interview was scheduled during his nap time. When he misses a nap, he gets a little manic. Regardless, he did pretty well during the classroom exercises. When he got out into the playground, he started running and climbing like crazy. The interviewer looked at me and said, "I don't think we can accomodate his energy at this school. He belongs in a play-based program." She's an idiot. First of all, the montessori method was originally created to teach children with developmental problems, so why wouldn't it work for an energetic little boy? My DC now goes to a different montessori school and is thriving.

bump

[Anonymous]

Oh for God's sake, let it go.

Someone really has a chip on their shoulder about this.

[Anonymous]

I think that people either love Montessori schools or they are a little creeped out by the cultlike aspects of them. Aidan seems to be a lightning rod for this phenomena, as opposed to Franklin and the others.

[Anonymous]

Has anybody heard any specific details on Aidan's plans to move to a larger space? They mentioned it in the interview, in a vague way, but no more detail was provided.

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

My daughter went to Aidan Montessori for 3 years. Yes, Ms. Antonucci is not the best interviewer in the world. Yes, it is ridiculous that a 2 year child is interviewed. BUT, Aidan is a very good school, especially for younger kids. The teachers are very experienced. Despite the size of the classes (Montessori philosophy), my DD received individual attention. The teachers were always positive about her, never feeling obliged to find fault to earn their pay (as you see frequently in other private preschools). I really regretted not sending my elder DD to AM. Like some other people on this thread, I had been turned off by the school during my tour. BIG MISTAKE. Appearances can be very deceiving as I learned a few years later.

By the way, AM is a feeder school to some very good private schools in the area. It makes your life and your child's life much easier if you send her there. I speak from experience, trust me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter went to Aidan Montessori for 3 years. Yes, Ms. Antonucci is not the best interviewer in the world. Yes, it is ridiculous that a 2 year child is interviewed. BUT, Aidan is a very good school, especially for younger kids. The teachers are very experienced. Despite the size of the classes (Montessori philosophy), my DD received individual attention. The teachers were always positive about her, never feeling obliged to find fault to earn their pay (as you see frequently in other private preschools). I really regretted not sending my elder DD to AM. Like some other people on this thread, I had been turned off by the school during my tour. BIG MISTAKE. Appearances can be very deceiving as I learned a few years later.

By the way, AM is a feeder school to some very good private schools in the area. It makes your life and your child's life much easier if you send her there. I speak from experience, trust me.

May I ask you to share to what schools the children in your dd's class were admitted after their time at Aidan?

And do people at Aidan typically apply for pre-K or for K entry to the ongoing privates?

TIA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter went to Aidan Montessori for 3 years. Yes, Ms. Antonucci is not the best interviewer in the world. Yes, it is ridiculous that a 2 year child is interviewed. BUT, Aidan is a very good school, especially for younger kids. The teachers are very experienced. Despite the size of the classes (Montessori philosophy), my DD received individual attention. The teachers were always positive about her, never feeling obliged to find fault to earn their pay (as you see frequently in other private preschools). I really regretted not sending my elder DD to AM. Like some other people on this thread, I had been turned off by the school during my tour. BIG MISTAKE. Appearances can be very deceiving as I learned a few years later.

By the way, AM is a feeder school to some very good private schools in the area. It makes your life and your child's life much easier if you send her there. I speak from experience, trust me.

May I ask you to share to what schools the children in your dd's class were admitted after their time at Aidan?

And do people at Aidan typically apply for pre-K or for K entry to the ongoing privates?

TIA

Bump.