Montessori preschool worth it?

[sora]

Is a good montessori preschool worth the price? We can afford it but I'm a sort of person who always thinks about money value. It is almost twice as expensive as play based ones. I observed a class today and it is so different from regular preschools. It was quite fascinating. Everybody seems so focused and talk very quietly almost whispering including teachers. My daughter is 4 and she is very active and on the "wild" side. So I don't know how she will do it. But it would be a good change if she is able to have quite learning time.

The biggest thing that makes me hesitate is the cost: $440/mo. I'm thinking a lot lately about private vs public schools. Whether private schools really are better.... Or does it really depend on children? If they are smart, they will do well whether in public or private. My husband was a very smart little kid so he was bored all the time at school.

Also, when do kids who move from montessori to a public school, do they get bored or frustrated due to the relative easiness of curriculum and different teaching methods? I am probably not going to send my child to private schools starting kindergarten. It is a lot of money. I would only if I have so much money. Would you think early education such as preschool is more important than later years? My husband thinks the opposite - which high school to go to is more important than preschool.

After all, it's only preschool. My husband does not understand why I can't just pick one preschool. In fact, my daughter will love any school with lots of kids.
Thanks so much.

[mamadebug]

I think a good Montessori is worth every penny. It wasn't something we easily afforded, but it was definitely a priority for us. We sent DS to Montessori last year and he loved it and we loved it. DS is a wild kid and has some sensory issues that can make him every more "wild" (distracted due to over stimulation really). Those things were much more of an issue in his play based preschool than in Montessori (not an issue in Montessori due to the calm and organization of the class). Anyways, it was worth it to us because DS was able to progress at his own pace, he learned soooo much, he loved the calm and order of the classroom, he learned a lot socially.

As I have looked at schools, both public and private, DS is way ahead of any first grade (his current grade level) I have seen. I think he would be bored in most traditional school settings because of his Montessori background - but that isn't a reason to avoid Montessori in my opinion.

[sora]

Originally Posted by mamadebug

I think he would be bored in most traditional school settings because of his Montessori background - but that isn't a reason to avoid Montessori in my opinion.

Why wouldn't this be an issue? If a montessori child has hard time adjusting to traditional schools and he or she could regress or lose the motivation and interest to learn.

[ollyoxenfree]

My 2 dc attended Montessori casa programs and then moved into the public school system. We made the switch for a variety of reasons but none of them was because of any problems with Montessori.

To answer your question, i think the early Montessori program has great value. I appreciate the tremendous respect for the child and the way independence is encouraged and a love of learning is nurtured. Even today, when they are teens, I see the benefits of the Montessori philosophy and approach to child-led learning.

When they moved into the public school system, there was definitely some adjustment for all of us - children and parents. There was no loss of motivation in school though. Partly because they had excellent teachers and attended good public schools and partly because we continued to foster a love of learning at home. They have always been leaders in their classes. They are the responsible kids that the teachers pick as classroom helpers and peer buddies. Last week, my DD's 9th grade science teacher told the class that she was busy with something. The class was given a study period and told that if they needed help, they should just ask my DD.

I'm sure that if they had stayed in Montessori through elementary and high school that it would have been an excellent choice. I'm very happy that they had the pre-school experience even though they didn't continue.

[GuildJenn]

Originally Posted by sora

Why wouldn't this be an issue? If a montessori child has hard time adjusting to traditional schools and he or she could regress or lose the motivation and interest to learn.

Just wanted to share my thoughts on this - I would never want to hold my child back out of fear that a school in the future might not provide a rich enough programme.

There is also adjustment to public school -- and every teacher's style -- no matter where you start. I do think kids who go to Montessori have similar adjustments to make, but there is no reason to assume that they will become less adjustable/flexible just by virtue of being in a Montessori programme. Where I would be more concerned is a programme that deliberately withholds instruction in certain areas (like Waldorf).

If my child's bored in grade 1, in other words, we'll deal with it then.

You do hear complaints from teachers and sometimes from parents about adjustments. I personally don't take them all that seriously - of course a bad transition will stand out in a teacher's mind, but she will pin a tough transition from Montessori on "all Montessori" and a tough transition from say, being at home, just on that one family or child's temperment.

Anyways we're very very glad we went with our Montessori. They are doing work this year (the final year of casa/kindergarten year) to help the kids transition to a more traditional grade 1 class. We're thrilled that my son has had rich, enjoyable, caring days for the ages that he's been at, which is my focus.

[AllyRae]

YES, a Montessori program is worth every penny, if it's a good program. Our child, who was diagnosed as severely autistic at the beginning of his Montessori journey, wasn't expected to read, write, or have any friends, according to our local special needs preschool and early intervention program. Now, he has made it through the Children's House and is in the first year of the lower elementary program (so 1st grade). Not only is he reading above grade level and writing, but he has friends and has moved from severely autistic to mild-moderate. I'm quite certain it was because of the respect he was given there, the fact that his learning is directed by him and the teachers work with his interests and motivations, and because it is so "hands on". I love Montessori so much that we bought all of the work and do Montessori homeschooling for my girls (DS's school is $14,000 a year and we can't afford that...he's on autism scholarship, but the girls wouldn't be obviously).

[nanette0269]

We did the math. We were in a "beyond centers" academic preschool which was $660/month. The M school was $865/month (including after/before care). For the difference, it was sooo worth it. The previous school was nice...excellent teachers. close to home, very clean. But, I feel that they are learning so much more...and not just academic stuff at the M school.

[MattBronsil]

Originally Posted by sora

My daughter is 4 and she is very active and on the "wild" side. So I don't know how she will do it. But it would be a good change if she is able to have quite learning time.

To put a different spin on this, you saw a room full of students who were likely all on the wild side. They did it...your daughter can, too. :-)

The biggest thing that makes me hesitate is the cost: $440/mo. I'm thinking a lot lately about private vs public schools. Whether private schools really are better.... Or does it really depend on children? If they are smart, they will do well whether in public or private. My husband was a very smart little kid so he was bored all the time at school.

One thing to note is that regular non-Montessori programs offer a lot less intellectually and developmentally than the Montessori programs.

Also, when do kids who move from montessori to a public school, do they get bored or frustrated due to the relative easiness of curriculum and different teaching methods? I am probably not going to send my child to private schools starting kindergarten. It is a lot of money. I would only if I have so much money.

There's almost always some adjustment. But if you want no adjustment problems, find a program that has preschool children in desks moving from one classroom to the next and never concentrating on the material. That's the only way you'll find no problems being used to regular schools.

My experience: it depends on the teacher. A teacher that's going to do nothing but timed single digit addition test drills will be boring to anyone. A teacher that gets children actively engaged will be fascinating, but more so to a Montessori student because of the creativity level.

Would you think early education such as preschool is more important than later years? My husband thinks the opposite - which high school to go to is more important than preschool.

How are they going to get into a high school they love without a good early childhood foundation? Really....neither is more important. I think preparing for life is more important. That is what sets Montessori different.

After all, it's only preschool. My husband does not understand why I can't just pick one preschool. In fact, my daughter will love any school with lots of kids.
Thanks so much.

But...do you agree with the philosophy of Montessori?
I'm glad there are fantastic non-Montessori preschools out there. They're not ideal for what I would want, but I want something very different for children. I want a place that builds up concentration (not just tries to entertain the kids most of the day), focuses on working peacefully in a real society (I.e. Learning how to talk through problems instead of being completely ruled over by a teacher when disputes come up), and develops an intrinsic love of learning (as opposed to grades, offering candy, etc.)

I also love the fact that children love working through much more advanced academic areas with the materials.

If it's not what you're after, other things offer different options. For me, I would WANT Montessori over anything else. If even for your husband's reason, so there IS a genuine love of learning that will get her into a better High School down the line.

[mamadebug]

Originally Posted by sora

Why wouldn't this be an issue? If a montessori child has hard time adjusting to traditional schools and he or she could regress or lose the motivation and interest to learn.

Hmmm.....let me put the question another way - Why would I want my child to miss out on having what I believe to be a wonderful experience as a young child because the many of the schools that will be available to him as an older child are not so stimulating, engaging or challenging?

This is just my experience with my son and my observations - he was able to transition to a more traditional school setting fairly easily. He was able to sit in a desk and do work sheet after work sheet (and this was at a "Montessori" school - one that definitely was not worth spending money on) and not have the freedom of movement or freedom to choose his own work as he was used to. He wasn't crazy about it, but he did it just fine. He was really bored with the work. The way of doing the work (work sheets) and the content was really boring to him. But, he didn't loose his motivation to learn at all. He wanted to learn and told me, "I want to go to a school that is harder and stricter - like my old school". So it wasn't that he didn't want to learn - he just got that this method was dull. I feel like being in Montessori taught him how to learn and gave him the wonderful early experience of learning in a hands on, connected way. Just because we are struggling to find something that suits him at this level, I wouldn't have wanted him to miss out on that earlier experience. I believe it really laid a great foundation - and sadly, we are struggling to find a school that can build off of that.

I think my posts may seem that it was all academic gain - it wasn't. My son became much more focused, calm, aware of his surroundings, paid more attention to detail. I value those aspects of Montessori more than the academics (although I certainly appreciate that too).

[freestylemama]

I think you should take your child's personality into consideration before you make the switch. We are having a rough time adjusting to Montessori and are considering sending our spirited, talkative, extremely social 3 year old back to a play based program. She's in an excellent school with excellent teachers, but she is having a heck of a time adjusting to the method. When she plays by herself or with her dolls it's all about someone instructing someone else. She's very interested in sharing and people, so having to work by herself for 2 hours a day is difficult for her.

We're trying to make some adjustments to help ease the transition, but frankly, if I knew that it was going to be this difficult for her, I would have kept her where she was.

[MattBronsil]

Originally Posted by freestylemama

I think you should take your child's personality into consideration before you make the switch. We are having a rough time adjusting to Montessori and are considering sending our spirited, talkative, extremely social 3 year old back to a play based program. She's in an excellent school with excellent teachers, but she is having a heck of a time adjusting to the method. When she plays by herself or with her dolls it's all about someone instructing someone else. She's very interested in sharing and people, so having to work by herself for 2 hours a day is difficult for her.

We're trying to make some adjustments to help ease the transition, but frankly, if I knew that it was going to be this difficult for her, I would have kept her where she was.

Why doesn't she just work with other students then?

[carmel23]

Originally Posted by mamadebug

I feel like being in Montessori taught him how to learn and gave him the wonderful early experience of learning in a hands on, connected way.
[...] My son became much more focused, calm, aware of his surroundings, paid more attention to detail. I value those aspects of Montessori more than the academics (although I certainly appreciate that too).

this is the purpose of school, no?

[freestylemama]

Originally Posted by MattBronsil

Why doesn't she just work with other students then?

When we ask her she says, "we work by ourselves".

[MattBronsil]

Originally Posted by freestylemama

When we ask her she says, "we work by ourselves".

I've heard parents say their children say similar things before. Usually, once we hear about it, we invite another student and that student to work together on something. Or I see that student and another wandering, so I ask the one that said it to go ask the other one to work with him/her on a certain work. That usually solves it once we know. :-)