Has Anyone Gone to Montessori for K-8?

[Anonymous]

And then onto public school or a more traditional private school? If so, what was the transition like?

[Anonymous]

I'm 38 YO, and went to Montessori from pre-K through 4. Then went to public school.

Transition was challenging, but not insurmountable. First, there's all the normal transition stuff as the 'new kid' in class. But there's also the issue of adjusting to the cavernous differences between instructional models. I'd never in my life seen a textbook or a worksheet before, and a classrom not designed for walking around...???-- the notion of coming in and sitting at my desk all day struck me as weird. I was behind in science content knowledge, but -- if I do say so myself -- was probably above average in thinking like a scientist. I was also a bit behind in grammar -- I couldn't tell you the rules of written syntax, but I was a good writer and researcher. Also socially, Montessori felt a bit more egalitarian; cliques in public school threw me for a loop.

In the end, I got through it. I think I should have 'baked' a while longer in Montessori before moving to public school, but every child (and every school!) is different.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, that's very helpful. I'm just starting my son in Montessori, but if he likes it, I want the option of keeping him there past kindergarten.

[Anonymous]

I switched my 3 kids to a non-Montessori school in the same year. One had finished 1st, one 3rd and one 5th. I agree with the PP pros and cons. However, what really put my kids at a disadvantage is that they have not learned any study skills. They have never had to do homework or study for a test. The study skills that begin in K and are constantly built upon in a non-Montessori school are invaluable and kids really need the skills entering middle school. If I had to do it over again I would have switched each child after K or 1st.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I switched my 3 kids to a non-Montessori school in the same year. One had finished 1st, one 3rd and one 5th. I agree with the PP pros and cons. However, what really put my kids at a disadvantage is that they have not learned any study skills. They have never had to do homework or study for a test. The study skills that begin in K and are constantly built upon in a non-Montessori school are invaluable and kids really need the skills entering middle school. If I had to do it over again I would have switched each child after K or 1st.

I'm the 38-YO previous Montessori person--want to reply to this post.

I would have to agree that doing homework was a bit foreign to me when I got to public, but let me explain.

I did homework in Montessori, although sporadically. The montessori homework tended to be extensions of classroom projects, like preparing book report presentations to the class; studying 17, 18, and 19th century clothing for an anthropology unit; audiotaping a "radio program" about an historical figure; mapping out the natural contents of one square foot of ground in the front yard for a science project; and things like that. Doing worksheets for homework was no-where in the picture. I don't think I had to read a passage and answer textbook questions about it, or answer math questions #1-10 on p. 74, which seemed to be the typical structure of homework assigned in public. So in that sense, the homework I did in Montessori was different from the homework I was assigned in public school. This took some getting used to, and, yes, some new study skills. But, again, not insurmountable, I don't think.

Perhaps this is a case-by-case, school-by-school, and child-by-child decision you will want to make.

[Anonymous]

Our oldest child is only in 3rd grade in a Montessori school so we haven't finished and made the transition yet. But what I hear from the older kids who switch to public is that the amount of homework in public school is a big adjustment.

[Anonymous]

I have a first grader in Montessori and a 4 year old...I have since K, given him homework to do. We do sight word and spelling tests as well as workbooks. About 20-30 minutes a day. In the summer, he has to read one book a day to me. We left DC but are hoping to return within 2 years and the schools where we are living aren't very good but once we return we want to place all of our three kids in public school. FWIW, I have spoken to lots of parents about the "transition" and very few had any major issues. Good luck.