Experiences with Aidan Montessori?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The point of making sure the kids follow instructions is because the montessori materials are to be used for specific purposes only and not creatively turned into other things. So the counting bead chains are for counting, not say making a pretend necklace.
They have lots of kids who are not good listeners, it's not that big a deal.
Ms Antonucci seems disagreeable and scary during the interview but as a teacher she seems laid back and kind.
I found it hard to sit back and have her boss my child round during the interview, but I felt like this was also a test of me.
In reality I love this school. Kids can work on learning multiplication when they are still in preschool! REally great learning materials.
If you want a school that is not focused on learning, but on just letting your child play freely than this school might not be for you. But if you want something that will actually teach your child rather than babysit them for preschool, then this montessori program is great.
As for not getting the 2nd sibling in, I think this is not a surprise. As great as any school is, they are in it for the money, not because they altruistically love your child. If you have a history of a short term stay they will not be as interested in you.

The best thing about montessori is that the kids learn at their own pace, and choose what to work on during the day, so that they can focus on one thing until they move really soaked it in and then feel comfortable moving on.

What a load of crap. Children learn through play. My play-based (in your words "babysat") child is doing wonderfully, as are her classmates. They are also creative and independent thinkers, which is a lot more than I can say for the Montessori robots. It's easy to follow instructions each day - it's a lot harder to self regulate, but it's a necessary skill that many Montessori kids don't get.

[Anonymous]

12:48, have you actually read anything about montessori or are you just reacting to your feeling threatened by something you don't understand?

[Anonymous]

I'm not the above poster but had experience with Montessori and have also read quite a bit about it. It's not the early childhood education most supported by current research. Why would anybody be threatened by it? Do what you want. For me the play based setting is much preferred. It's a place where the curriculum actually includes learning how to use kind words and be a friend. In my experience that wasn't part of the Montessori method.

[Anonymous]

In my experience when looking, some schools say "play based" when what they really mean is "we haven't really thought hard about our educational goals and we just let them play."

Sure, some play-based preschools are great, but the term is a useful piece of jargon for the mediocre.

12:48 - you are the one who equated "play based" and baby-sitting. Not the poster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not the above poster but had experience with Montessori and have also read quite a bit about it. It's not the early childhood education most supported by current research. Why would anybody be threatened by it? Do what you want. For me the play based setting is much preferred. It's a place where the curriculum actually includes learning how to use kind words and be a friend. In my experience that wasn't part of the Montessori method.

We had a child in montessori but decided to switch to a different program for several reasons not worth mentioning. What does the current research say about montessori and early childhood education?

[Anonymous]

All Montessori programs are not equal. Aidan is great, and I certainly never felt my child was treated like a robot. She was very social and now, as an 11th grader, her Aidan buddies are still some of her closest friends. It's a great school.

I have nothing against the play-oriented schools -- many of them are terrific.

[Anonymous]

Our DS is in Aidan's Primary program, and we love it.

The school is extremely well-organized. They send out school-wide updates and notices twice a week - I don't know any other school that keeps its parent body as well informed. The raft of newsletters and suited management team may result in a cold, elitist or "corporate" image, but having a more sophisticated management & communications team in place helps keep the administrative load off the teachers. At the end of the day, we want DS's teacher to focus on what goes on in her classroom.

To those who are quick to criticize Montessori for fostering children unable to be creative or control themselves, I would say they don't have a firm grasp of the method. Aidan is quintessential AMI Montessori, so you don't have to look any farther for a demonstration of this method in practise.

Yes, there are rules in place - they deal with how to respect your learning materials, yourself, your teachers and your surroundings. In my mind, these are not only reasonable things, but critical things to teach any young child. Indeed, all of the parent advice I read re. 3,4, and 5 year olds involves teaching limits and responsible behaviour.

Once they can accept these terms, the kids are free to select from a huge panoply of different projects. They are directed solely by their own interests, rather than having a teacher tell them what to do and when to do it. I think this method helps foster creativity and a genuine love of learning.

In regards to early departures and not letting 2nd siblings in as a result, I agree that part of this does have to do with money. But another component is that the 3rd year students are supposed to help and mentor the 1st years (then the cycle repeats again in Elementary school). If your entire rank of 3rd years are gone, the system kind of breaks down. Friends who have stuck it out say the 3rd year is by far the best for their kids, as the material really sets in and they are so proud and happy to be mentors to the young ones. Most non-Montessori's have Kindergarten year as their entry point, so there is a huge amount of pressure on parents to yank their kids early. Since Aidan runs through 6th grade, it makes it easier for us to imagine keeping our DS in the school for the full time.

[Anonymous]

Ah, Ms. Antonucci -- this brings back memories. We interviewed with her a few years ago. These anecdotes all ring true. I don't think the point was to humiliate, though. We laugh about the whole experience in retrospect, but I think she had a purpose to her method. It was a test of two types. First, how does the child operate, and would s/he be a good fit at the school. Second, how do the parents react, to see whether they will be happy with the school. She explained to us why she did most of the things she did (I forget now exactly all of them, although I do remember her telling our DC that she wasn't getting into the chair properly--she was climbing, rather than sitting down and pulling it under her). I assume that what she was trying to do was screen out people who didn't fit into the teaching method, and I'll say that we probably did not (not accepted, FWIW).

If Aidan is able to fill its classes with her as the gate keeper, more power to them. But I have to say that she certainly didn't make us feel welcome, and I doubt she's very good advertising for the school.

[Anonymous]

Current Aidan parent here to offer another perspective. In addition to the extras (chinese, spanish, etc.) that Aidan offers, the school also maintains a layer of staff devoted exclusively to supporting the main classrooms, curricula and incoming student transitions. Not just classroom aides, but extra AMI-licensed teachers.

In our case, when our DS had trouble adjusting at the outset, the school pulled in a counsellor and an extra teacher to work directly with him and to help smooth out his transition into his primary class.

We were kept in constant communication with his teacher and the director, and we felt that our ideas and suggestions were effectively solicited and incorporated to find a transition solution that worked. We have been mightily impressed with the amount of resources this school has to offer and how quick they were to throw them toward identifing and resolving a problem.

You always hope for a smooth transition for your kids into a new school. But in case you don't get one, it's reassuring to know that there is a lot of backup from the school to help make it happen.

[Anonymous]

My daughter started at Aidan this year. We couldn't be happier. I read all these posts before applying and I was nervous. And, yes, the interview process was not exactly warm and fuzzy. But it is a GREAT school. It is a warm, friendly environment--I have never felt even an ounce of snobby exclusivity. My daughter literally skips to school. She has been so happy there--she is more independent and confident and curious than ever. The teachers we have met are not cuddly types but they are very very good with the kids. When you ask her friends about their teachers their faces simply light up. We are trying to get our younger daughter in there and have no complaints about the school. My advice is to talk to people whose kids go there. And talk to the kids. Listening to disgruntled applicants (whether they got in or not) does not give you a complete picture of the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: What does the current research say about montessori and early childhood education?

Montessori has been largely ignored by academic researchers since an earlier study in 1930s which asserts that it is not a good approach to early education.

I am a mathematician but I found the Montessori way of teaching math very strange, to say the least.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: What does the current research say about montessori and early childhood education?

Montessori has been largely ignored by academic researchers since an earlier study in 1930s which asserts that it is not a good approach to early education.

I am a mathematician but I found the Montessori way of teaching math very strange, to say the least.

Very interesting. Would you care to elaborate?

[Anonymous]

yes, please explain. my son just started a montessori school and from what i can see they are teaching him about he concept of a unit and then the idea of 10 and 100 being 10 sets of 10. he just told me that 1000 is 100 sets of 10. when i spent a day in the classroom, he did an activity with me where we set out beads from 1-10 in order and then used the 10 bead piece and added the other to create 11, 12, 13, etc. all seemed pretty reasonable to me...

[Anonymous]

I agree with PP. Our 4-year-old is at a Montessori and has a decent grasp of multiplication, at least conceptually. That's not to say DC can multiply - but the basis is there, the general understanding is there. DC is also comfortable with large numbers.

Of course, every child is different, and different approaches work for different kids. Montessori does work for our DC, and we don't find the methods of teaching math strange.

[Anonymous]

There are many academic studies that have been done by academic researchers, so it's not clear what 21:24 is referring to. There recently was a study comparing outcomes in Milwaukee schools between kids who had attended a Montessori charter program as compared to kids who had gone through the public schools. A professor of developmental psychology at UVa also wrote a book in the last few years about the Montessori method from a developmental psychology perspective. I'm not going to rehash their findings here, but suffice to say that I wouldn't put too much stock into the "mathematician's" post without elaboration.