Anonymous wrote:I think Montessori definitely attract parents who want to give their kids a leg up on academics early. They want their kids to go as fast/far as they can because it is not one size fits all. Several MoCo up county Montessori are majority foreign born parents (mostly Asian) who absolutely cares how early their child reads or do double digits addition or subtraction. Other area may be different though.

It definitely does attract some of these parents in NOVA even though these parents can also be friendly. Lots of easy going parents though too.

We've had our child at 2 different Montessori schools in NoVa and there were a few hyper-competitive, nutso parents, but the majority were nice down-to-earth people who just needed a stimulating environment for their child while they worked and Montessori was cheaper than daycare.

Oddly enough, there seemed to be more hyper-competitive, pushy parents (mostly Chinese and Indian) at the school in the less affluent neighborhood, than in the pricier neighborhood where my child's current school is.

Definitely don't just by the Open House. If you like the school, the teachers and the Montessori style of instruction, then send your kid there. Ignore the dopey parents who want their 3yos to do Calculus problems in their spare time.

My children went to Montessori and then private elementary school. In my experience, what you describe is the area, not Montessori.

I do not recall any competitive parents at our DC Montessori (2 kids in 6 years there). Mostly a group of people who were child focused, developmentally aware, earthy, "let the kid develop at his own pace" types, allowing teachable moments to evolve organically out of the child's interests and choices.

We chose it based on our child's independent personality. Very much into doing his own thing at his own pace and level. We started at a play based school where there was a strict routine, enforced circle time, and art time with everyone doing the same project, etc. He hated it. Montessori was a much more natural fit for him.

PP her. Sorry for a couple of typos and one weird sentence ("the things that matters," with only one thing cited in that sentence.) it's late.

To go back to the original poster's question -- tempting though it is, please don't judge the school by the people who come out for the open houses and tours.

The things that matter in Montessori schools are the training of the staff. Anyone can slap "Montessori" on their school, but look for schools that are either AMI or AMS affiliates.

Don't get hung up on AMI vs AMS. In my experience that matters more to the educators than to the kids. (I just moved my child from one system to the other and the materials are very familiar. To her, Montessori is Montessori, and I agree.)

The Montessori environment should be clean, organized, airy and inviting.

Ignore the haters. If a Montessori school is right for your child, you'll know it. I could tell as soon as I visited, and bringing my child in for a visit at 2 1/2 confirmed the choice.

My second child went because my older one did. It was actually a better fir for her, and she is still in a Montessori school in 4th grade. My older one thrived there through Kindergarten but needed a bigger peer group for 1st grade, so we went public at that point.

Good luck with your choice. Look at non Montessori schools too unless you are already quite sure it's right for your child.

And PS, we were pretty laid back at our Montessori school. I think that's more typical than a tightly wound group of parents because Montessori tends to draw a certain number of out-of-the-box types. However, in Fairfax County, where I live, I would say a LOT of Montessori families see the school as a stepping stone to the Advanced Academics program. A pretty good number of kids DO make that transition, but lots of kids don't. It's nice for the kids not to be in a setting where everyone is fretting about it though.

Anonymous wrote:Its been trendy for a LONG time.

Who? People with a lot of disposable income. People who "believe" in the method. And people who like to do things without proven outcomes or results, but names that seem smart. IE, Attachment Parenting.

Whoa, why the hostility? Lots of people choose certain methods of schooling - play-based, Reggio, Montessori, Waldorf, home schooling, whatever - because they've done the research and think it's the best fit for their kid. It's overgeneralizing to paint them all as sheep with disposable incomes.

And there is research supporting positive outcomes based on Montessori education - see, e.g.,

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2006/sep/29/schools.uk

I think Montessori definitely attract parents who want to give their kids a leg up on academics early. They want their kids to go as fast/far as they can because it is not one size fits all. Several MoCo up county Montessori are majority foreign born parents (mostly Asian) who absolutely cares how early their child reads or do double digits addition or subtraction. Other area may be different though.