obsessing over next year & kindergarten 2010

[Double Dip]

I am grateful to read everyone's insight and experiences on this forum. This is a spin off thread which I posted in another thread, but I don't want to derail the OP's thread so I figured I'd post a new thread.


We just moved to Arizona - our girls just turned 4. There are 2 charter schools (free for grades K +) we are considering. There is a wait list for both of them.

One (Eduprize in Queen Creek) is a K-7 school and already has a wait list for Kinde for Aug 2010. We are going there this Wednesday to check it out. I will find out more about it during the tour & presentation but it is rated and "excelling" school by the state.

The other one is a 35-40 minutes drive from our house but is a Montessori "inspired" charter school. We have been offered 2 spots for 2 days a week, 3hrs a day preschool which would cost us $6,000. Then we would basically be gauranteed they'd get in for kindergarten which would be then free. The problem is I was so taken aback by the situation of the current school. They plan to build a new school but currently are using a temporary space. The classrooms were tiny and nothing was on the walls as they have to move out of the space on the weekends so the church can use the classrooms. Then I am not sure exactly if kindergarten and first grade are combined but 2nd, 3rd & 4th are combined. I am not so sure this will lead to a superior education from what our other choices are. However IF we pay the $$$ (which is a LOT for us) to send them there for preK then K I am not sure they will get into the other charter school later as those spots get filled up - your best chance of getting in to the other charter is in Kinde (especially since we need 2 spots for our twins) Even if I do love the 2nd, 3rd & 4th grade of the Montessori style charter I'd HAVE to switch them ot another elementary after 4th grade.

So my question is
1) What would you do?

2) Can you convince me that Montessori is superior past 1st grade?

[MattBronsil]

Here's a good video on Montessori elementary:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGFYV...ext=1&index=24

What I would do is go to the school and meet the teachers. Having a good feeling about the teachers is the most important thing, I believe.

[Double Dip]

Matt- thanks for your post. I enjoy your insight on this board.

I have a lot to think about this week.

There are no other charter Montessori schools close to us. The next one is 45 minutes away. I guess I will know more after I tour the other charter school on Wednesday.



Kristin

[mightymoo]

My biggest concern is the amount of time you would spend commuting to the Montessori school. 90 minutes a day is a long time for a young child to have to commute. I love Montessori, but I wouldn't do that personally. If you think you might move closer if they got in, that might be a different story. Our montessori school is 5 miles away, which takes me 15 minutes each way. I don't know that I would want to go much further than that really.

After having experienced the 3 years of children's house (ages 3-6), I am more and more convinced that I prefer the multi-age classroom. My daughter has gone from being the youngest in the class, looking up to the older kids, watching and learning from them to being the example the other kids follow. The teachers can rely on her to help a younger child with a work if they are confused. It is fostering confidence and leadership. I also think when you have a wide range of levels in a classroom the child who is a little ahead or behind does not stick out and feel wrong. Each child has an opportunity to look up to those who know more, and be the one looked up to.

For me, we chose Montessori elementary for our daughter for several reasons. She loves it, its a style of learning which will be conducive to her continuing to love learning. I believe that if you love to learn, the knowledge follows and fostering a love of learning is most important. I think allowing children to follow their own interests makes a huge difference in this regard. I also love the focus on social development. Things like grace and courtesy, knowledge of our relationships to others and their feelings, how to deal peacefully with fellow students. I feel these are handled much better in the Montessori classroom. I feel these years will significantly shape my child's character, and I am choosing carefully the way her character will be influenced. My child is also fairly bright, and I feel that she will get the appropriate challenge in the Montessori classroom and that she will be bored in a traditional classroom in many situations.

I think the key is that I believe education is about learning the right questions to ask, learning how to learn, understanding concepts, not rote memorization of information. I dislike the traditional schooling model and its emphasis on standardized testing and grades.

I am constantly amazed at what my daughter brings home from Kindergarten. A 75 page handwriting book she completed, or her addition and subtraction books or her handmade book all about types of triangles. I know no one told her 'Do this now' and forced her to sit down and do it. She enjoyed doing it, she was excited to finish it, all because she wasn't told 'do it or else'. She was influenced by the positive role model of her friends, and excited that now she was old enough to do and understand what she had seen older children doing in the past. This is how learning should be.

[mightymoo]

Oh, I was going to say also, that it seems to me you could put your name in for the first charter school, but send your child to preschool at the second, if your name gets pulled for the first, you could send them there for Kindergarten, if it doesn't, you are already in the system for the other.

[Double Dip]

Thank you so much for the insights.

If we don't send my twins to the "Montessori" inspired charter school for preschool next year we won't send them to any preschool.

I think I am just not "sold" on this particular "Montessori" school, at least not for next year in their current location.

For now, as always, I do many creative things to encourage their learning and love of exploring new concepts and demonstrating new skills. I, too feel like I have carefully constructed their environment (and friends even) thus far and I just cannot invest the $$$ to send them to preschool when I am unsure of the temporary feel of this school. I will have a much better idea at the end of next year about the style and ability of the Montessori charter school.

.... I appreciate all the feedback and will update after we tour the other charter school tomorrow. It uses a "cottage-science based thematic" approach. I am thinking it is most like Reggio Emilia but they don't use that specific term anywhere on thier website.

Kristin

[Double Dip]

I liked the tour today for a lot of reasons and I think my girls would like it there too. It is great to have another option (IF we get in anyway).

I think we decided to keep them home next year for preschool with me. I will ask to be put on the K wait list at the "montessori inspired" charter school and we are already on the wait list for the science based thematic charter school.

At the moment I don't think either one is the perfect fit, so I guess we'll look at other options too. My dh also made a wise suggestion - I am going to offer to volunteer at both schools next year - it will be a good way for me to better assess each environment. The charter school today said as long as I got through the fingerprint & background process I am a welcome volunteer.

Kristin

[daytripper75]

70-80 minutes a day in the car would be a deal breaker for me. That is a lot of car time!

[KBecks]

I am strongly leaning toward homeschool M-style. If you do that let's stay in touch!

[Double Dip]

KBecks-

When we were in Alabama, I was probably going to home school for K for sure. Here in Arizona with the charter schools, I think I will find one that is a good fit - not perfect but I think I will find one!



I am a SAHM and currently do a variety of educational & fun activities with the girls. I'd love to keep in touch if you have any activities you do. It is great to share creative ideas. Before we moved, I had started a Montessori preschool playtime with another mom of 2 year old twins, myself with my 3 year old twins (at the time) and another mom of 4 year old twins. We met once a week for 3 hours. I am still continuing preschool time and learning activities with my girls. Currently they are in swim & gymnastics lessons one day a week. We go to the Queen Creek library preschool storytime once a week and then to the park for a picnic lunch after that. I just posted something in our community email about starting a preschool playgroup.

In the past we have had memberships and frequented the children's hands on museum, the zoo, the discovery science center and a music time. Here in Arizona we've been to the zoo, the science museum, hiking at San Tan Mountain, Mesa's Art Museum for Youth and of course many other things. At home, we do all sorts of things.

The other day we poured beans, we worked with sandpaper letters I made along with a lotto card and then used the LeapFrog fridge phonics. I also used flashcards I made then for them to match up the letters that have a picture of something that represents the letter (example - for "L" there is a picture of a Lion licking a lollipop). After they matched the 4 sand paper letters to their lotto card, then found the leapfrog magnetic letter, they placed it in the holder to hear the phonic sound. Finally they used the 4 pictures to make up a story.

Yesterday we traced a large stencil shape and they did the Montessori style activitiy where they draw lines going from left to right to "color in" the shape.

Sometimes we go on alphabet walks - at the zoo or even at the mall. I'll take some letters from their wooden puzzle along and give them one at a time. Then they have to search for something that starts with that sound. At the zoo when we did it, I took their picture by the animal with them holding the puzzle letter. Then I could print the picture at home and make it into their own ABC book.

For practical life, we've done dishes & sweeping of course. For a twist when they were a little bit younger, I'd take out all their shoes then have them line up their stuffed animals and put pairs of shoes on them.

I have the pantry and dishes set up so they can reach their own dishes and snacks.

There is an online site - Montessorimom.com (I think that's the link) where you can join for free. Every month they send an activity to my inbox

There is another site which I used when organizing the "preschool" playtime with my girls and the other twins in Alabama. I'll go find the link and post it.
here it is: http://www.ux1.eiu.edu/~cfsjy/mts/_link.htm

I do think a formal Montessori school does a superior job with creating a prepared environment and the scope and sequence of activities follow a more natural progression.

I am still proud of what I have done and challenge myself to do more. I think that doing some of it at home though really enhances the learning and better responds to children of this age.

Kristin