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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]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.[/quote]

I see two issues here.  One is the philosphy and administration of the Montessori school.  Some Montessoris emphasize grammar and some do not.  I am partial to AMI, but even within AMI or AMS, their is a good deal of variation between schools in terms of how well students are taught to write.   However, many public schools are a disaster when it comes to teaching writing -- good writing has become a lost art.  Also, public schools tend not to teach much geography, and often use questionable methodologies to teach math.

The bigger issue is that the variation in instructional method and curriculum between a Montessori school and public school becomes increasing large in later grades, and so the transition for the child is often rough.  Public schools have age-segregated classes, a lot of multiple-choice tests, and often follow the latest education fads, irrespective of their efficacy.  With the rise of No Child Left Behind, many public schools, have basically stopped teaching history, science, art, music, writing, creative thinking, etc., and focus primarily on drilling basic math and reading.  Montessoris, on the other hand, offer their students a rich curricula, and an environment conducive to learning.

Before first grade, the differences between Montessori and public schools that I cite above are not that large, so typically there is no problem for the child who does Montessori from age 3-6, and then goes to public school.  It's a bigger issue for students who attend a Montessori school up to third grade, six grade, or higher, and then try to transfer to public school.  The outcome of the transfer is often the same -- the students is far beyond their peers, but the public school considers their intellectual curiosity to be a bevahioral problem.

My advice to others who have children in a Montessori school beyond the age of 6, or who plan to do so is that you will likely need to find a private school or specialized public school (e.g., magnet, charter) to send them to after they graduate.  [/quote]

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