Pros and Cons of Montessori education?

[Anonymous]

DC had a very bad experience with Montessori -- Evergreen in Wheaton -- but other schools may do better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC had a very bad experience with Montessori -- Evergreen in Wheaton -- but other schools may do better.

Can you elaborate on this? Evergreen is close to my house and I was thinking about it for DS. Did DC have a bad experience with the Montessori method, or was the school the issue?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

22:14 PP in response to 7:36: First, I think Montessori through K is great. My comment was after K. In response to your question: The lack of homework and lack of tests which results in lack of study skills made the transition harder. Eventually Montessori ends, and private or public, the kids have to adapt to homework and tests. Reason 2: because Montessori classrooms are multi-grade, there isn’t enough peer socialization. Montessori aims at having 8 kids per grade in a classroom, 4 of each sex. Having only at most 3 other kids of the same sex and grade in my kids’ class wasn’t enough in 1st -3rd. Added to this is Montessori kids typically stay with the same kids in the class all day verses recombining groups for English, Math, etc. like some schools do. The belief that the grades mingle and counsel each other isn’t true on a daily bases – kids gravitate towards kids their age. Reason 3: There is a common belief that ADHD kids do well in a Montessori environment and so there are a lot of them in the classrooms. Our experience was too much teacher time was spent directing these kids and our kids lost out. Reason 4: “True” Montessori schools follow the method that was developed in the 1900s. “Montessori based” schools are criticized by “true” Montessori believers. However, I want my kids at a school that is constantly evaluating their curriculum and modifying it. “True” Montessori schools don’t do this and the teachers/administrators hide behind any criticism to their approach stating that it’s not the “Montessori way”. In reality, kids in “True” Montessori schools are stuck in an educational program that was developed in the 1900s. I think it’s a great base, but should be reevaluated, expanded and updated.

I am sorry, but your facts are just plain wrong. Maybe you are interpreting your experience of Montessori at one school as the whole program. It also makes a difference if you were in an AMI school or not (sounds like you were).

I went to an accredited AMS Montessori school through 8th grade. We took tests, including standardized tests, and had homework. At my school, if you scored below 90% on a test you had not learned the material and you would re-do the work and test until you made a 90 percent. By the time I graduated 8th grade, I had better independent study skills than anyone in my public, traditional high school. I also scored in the top 5% on the Iowa Test of Standardized skills.

As for not adapting and teaching what they learned in the 1900s, that is just ridiculous. We had computers, learned updated science curricula, etc.

I am not discounting your experience, but globalizing it to include all of Montessori is incorrect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher I would just like to add my own input. I have had many students transfer from Montessori schools to my public school classroom and truly struggle. In Montessori education students are not taught deadlines or accountability and are often shocked when they have to hand in reports or essays on time. Parents too are shocked when they see that their Montessori educated child is not always the star pupil of the class. I have also found that although these children enjoy reading and love to write and write and write, if one actually reads their work it is riddled with grammatical errors. This has just been my observation over my years of teaching. Hope that helps some people.

Your experience is far from representative. My school (which is 3- high school now) had tests, deadlines, and even took national standardized tests as well. We had monthly work plans as well as weekly plans, and even daily plans for early child hood classrooms. So to globalize that no Montessori kids have deadlines and poor grammar is patently unfair and incorrect.

For what its worth, I transferred to a public first grade for 6 weeks then back to my Montessori school. The teacher thought I was a problem student because I wasn't used to being stuck in a desk all day and I was used to talking to my peers. I was also bored to tears because I was reading at a third-grade level (they had to move up to a different class for language arts) while the other first graders were coloring in the letter A, an alligator, an apple, etc.

I too may have been perceived as a problem child when I transferred to first grade in a traditional school. That was because I was bored, since I was already reading street signs I had never seen before while as a class we were coloring in the letter A and pictures of alligators and apples. I don't see how being

[Anonymous]

4/16/10 22:15

This is for the 4/18/10 14:47 poster. Sorry to be so late getting back, but life intervened.

The Montessori approach is probably not appropriate for DC -- we'll never know, because we found another kind of school that worked better -- but, especially at the preschool level, no program is appropriate for every child. What made the experience really unfortunate was that Evergreen handled it badly. From talking with other people I think there may be other Montessori schools that aren't quite so rigid, but can't chance it with my own kids.

Of course, I'm not objective about this -- furious, in fact, but trying to be fair. Good luck with your school search!

[Anonymous]

I noticed that a lot of public school teachers seem biased against Montessori kids. I remember when my daughter was 8 years old and in Montessori -- some "know it all" public school teacher parent friend mentioned she thought Montessori was great for just slow learners ...well -- my DD is at an Ivy now -- and the teacher is still infecting p.s. kids minds.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher I would just like to add my own input. I have had many students transfer from Montessori schools to my public school classroom and truly struggle. In Montessori education students are not taught deadlines or accountability and are often shocked when they have to hand in reports or essays on time. Parents too are shocked when they see that their Montessori educated child is not always the star pupil of the class. I have also found that although these children enjoy reading and love to write and write and write, if one actually reads their work it is riddled with grammatical errors. This has just been my observation over my years of teaching. Hope that helps some people.

[Anonymous]

I am a parent of a Montessori child, and I was a Montessori teacher. I want you to be VERY CAREFUL about choosing a Montessori school. My daughter was in a private Montessori preschool when she was 3. It was WONDERFUL! However, I was teaching at a public Montessori school when she was 4, so I brought her with me. She was in a class across the hall. Montessori DOES NOT use a set curriculum, so I see A LOT of holes in things that I know she should know by the time she starts kindergarten that she DOES NOT know. Graphing is not part of the Montessori curriculum. Sight words are not part of the Montessori curriculum. The students do get to choose their work, but this can leave holes in things they should know. (For example, she does not know basic sight words. I am having to work a lot with her over the summer to catch up.) If you EVER plan on switching your child to a traditional classroom, then he or she will NOT be able to sit still and listen to directions. He or she will question you and talk back to you after Montessori exposure. Also, there are a lot of behavior problems because the children have so much free reign in the classroom that they have trouble respecting elders and following directions. I know some classes did not allow for much free play outside, but I always took my class outside. (I believe America has changed what Maria Montessori originally intended Montessori to be. America has changed it to an "if it feels good, do it" sort of mentality. I know Maria Montessori would be terrified if she was still alive.)

[Anonymous]

My personal Montessori classroom had 20 kids in it. That is not a small number by any means.

[Anonymous]

Graphing is not part of the Montessori curriculum.

It's also not something a rising kindergartner needs to know.

Sight words are not part of the Montessori curriculum.

And, again, not something a rising kindergartner needs. Or even a rising first grader.

If you EVER plan on switching your child to a traditional classroom, then he or she will NOT be able to sit still and listen to directions.

Actually, the practice of receiving a lesson and then doing their own work, independently, has served my children very well. I agree that it has taken some teachers in traditional classes by surprise, because my kids are just keeping their heads down and working away, but they do know how to listen and follow instructions.

He or she will question you and talk back to you after Montessori exposure.

OK, this is true, but it's also true of the kid who didn't do Montessori. They also learned that sometimes we can talk or argue about things, and sometimes they need to hush up and follow instructions.

Also, there are a lot of behavior problems because the children have so much free reign in the classroom that they have trouble respecting elders and following directions.

Our Montessori include "Grace and courtesy" as one aspect of the day's activities. Is that not part of standard Montessori?

I know some classes did not allow for much free play outside, but I always took my class outside.

Again, definitely not our experience of Montessori. Given the range of Montessori programs out there, parents need to dig deep to find out what their children will be getting, because NOTHING sounds familiar -- or desirable -- from the PP's experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Graphing is not part of the Montessori curriculum.

It's also not something a rising kindergartner needs to know.

Sight words are not part of the Montessori curriculum.

And, again, not something a rising kindergartner needs. Or even a rising first grader.

If you EVER plan on switching your child to a traditional classroom, then he or she will NOT be able to sit still and listen to directions.

Actually, the practice of receiving a lesson and then doing their own work, independently, has served my children very well. I agree that it has taken some teachers in traditional classes by surprise, because my kids are just keeping their heads down and working away, but they do know how to listen and follow instructions.

He or she will question you and talk back to you after Montessori exposure.

OK, this is true, but it's also true of the kid who didn't do Montessori. They also learned that sometimes we can talk or argue about things, and sometimes they need to hush up and follow instructions.

Also, there are a lot of behavior problems because the children have so much free reign in the classroom that they have trouble respecting elders and following directions.

Our Montessori include "Grace and courtesy" as one aspect of the day's activities. Is that not part of standard Montessori?

I know some classes did not allow for much free play outside, but I always took my class outside.

Again, definitely not our experience of Montessori. Given the range of Montessori programs out there, parents need to dig deep to find out what their children will be getting, because NOTHING sounds familiar -- or desirable -- from the PP's experience.

I completely agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous my child is 3 and half yrs and she is being put to montessori 1 by the authories at school as she is december born.Is it ok to loose 1 year as the others of her in regular schools are in mont 2.

[Anonymous]

<He or she will question you and talk back to you after Montessori exposure.>

This made me laugh.

[Anonymous]

"<He or she will question you and talk back to you after Montessori exposure.>

This made me laugh. "

Me too. Any school run poorly is going to produce a bad outcome. This is true for public, private, and Montessori. It is common in every type of school for a bad administrator or teacher to try rationalize that this is what the approach requires when in fact they are just poorly executing it.

My 5 year old is in a Montessori preschool and reading just fine. She certainly is not skipping over sight words and only partially reading her books. One of the pros of Montessori for us on the academic side has been the reading and math instruction. Its provides a deeper level of conceptual understanding than other approaches researched. It seems to work with a broader spectrum of learners since it combines visual, tactile and traditional learning styles. DD was very verbal at a young age. The writing, reading, and phonetic approach worked great for her. DS has a speech delay and more difficulty sorting out auditory sound distinctions. The visual and tactile approaches, and early exposure to phonetics helped him quite a bit.

Another pro with Montessori is that it incorporates things are that are not traditionally academic but give kids a sense of accomplishment, respect for others, and pride. Both my kids really enjoyed practical life activities. At first I thought it was odd that they were laying things out in a particular order and then polishing them. I asked the teacher about it and she explained that it helps them feel a sense of empowerment (the pieces are fragile, glass, look like adult things), learn a pattern of steps but more importantly help them develop fine motor skills so when they move onto writing they are not frustrated at first.

The mix of kids from different ages, IMO teaches the kids better social skills, how to relate with peers that are different and different level of development, and provides leadership roles once the kids are older.

The comment about kids having holes in their education is ridiculous. Public school curriculums are absolutely filled with holes the size of craters. Science, art, music, history, social studies and anything that is not covered on those darn tests has been thrown out in favor of less expensive test prep time in the classroom. The worst problem in public IMO is the lack of critical thinking skills and analytical writing. These skills are very important for college and working success but they are often short changed.

The downsides to Montessori are that you need to commit and make sure you are comfortable with the school. I think it would be very difficult to jump out of Montessori in mid elementary cycle and go into a public school. It doesn't seem to be a problem entering public school at 1st grade but by 2, 3, or 4th it becomes an issue. The other downside could be less exposure to fill in the bubble tests. By the time PSATs and SATs roll around, public school kids have experienced a zillion standardized tests. Some people are comfortable in these testing situations and others are not. I would suspect for people who are not the constant exposure in public school would help them.

[Anonymous]

A bit off topic -- but can anyone tell me what the "Montessori Method" is for Language Arts in the upper elementary years? I'm currently tutoring a boy in 5th grade in reading and writing who has attended a Montessori school all his life. I'm having trouble understanding exactly what his language arts portion of the day looks like -- or should look like in an idea Montessori classroom, anyhow.

[Anonymous]

You have all been ragging on my comments about the negatives of Montessori. I want to add that the Montessori school I was referring to was PUBLIC and POORLY run. (No, I will NOT say I was doing it incorrectly when a child was allowed to spit in my face, punch me in the private parts, and he was NOT removed from my classroom.) The children in my child's class across the hall was also doing these things to my daughter, so do not blame it on me!

On another note, I observed a private Montessori school (which is beyond the realm of affordability), and the children were writing research papers in 3rd grade. I will NOT say that all Montessori schools are bad, I said BE VERY CAREFUL!