Considering a Montessori school

[TheSlingMama]

I'm REALLY drawn to a good bit of Waldorf but the closest school is over 90 minutes away so that is not feasible.  I'd really like my 18 month old DD to start attending SOMETHING at least one day a week and we do have a local Montessori school.  I'm considering enrolling her as an alternative school in case we stay in the area or a temporary school until we can move up there.  Would this be a good/bad idea?  What do you think?  What should I ask when speaking to the school?  I don't really know a lot about Montessori but find what I do know intriguing.  Lol, so I guess this post is a big, massive HELP post.  Thanks! 

[physmom]

Maybe you could share what it is that you like best in the Waldorf school and that would be a good starting point? One similarity that they do have, though, is that Montessori also tends to use wood a lot and also focuses on taking care of the environment around you. For instance, the school we planning on sending DD to has a communal garden that the children learn to take care of.

One of the biggest differences, though, is that Waldorf schools focus very much on a child's age when it comes development (as in a child that is ahead might very well struggle in the school) whereas Montessori focuses on child-led learning and allowing a child to learn at their own pace. Granted, this a pretty broad generalization and it depends a lot on individual schools on how strictly they follow that so you'd really have to check at your local school. Check out this site too: http://privateschool.about.com/od/privateschoolfaqs/f/montwaldorfdiff.htm

[TheSlingMama]

Perhaps Montessori may be better for is overall since there is a good chance DD will be gifted if genetics play a factor.  Hmm...  What I like best about Waldorf is the focus on imagination, developing the whole child, respecting and caring for the environment and the simplicity of the toys.  I despise plastic toys.  I really like how the teacher moves through all the grades with their students instead of switching each year.  I like the idea of Montessori that the learning moves at the child's pace though.  I want to be prepared with what I should be asking and looking for when I visit the local school to see if it'll work for us.

[physmom]

You might be interested in this thread then: http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/1178659/can-giftedness-and-waldorf-education-coexist and there are a few others in the gifted forum about similar topics. Obviously, it depends very much on the child and their personality but from my understanding early readers are especially a bad fit for Waldorf schools.

A lot of what you described about your likes in Waldorf can be found in Montessori schools too. Most of the toys are wooden and they use glass/breakable dishes. There's definitely a focus on the environment and learning about different cultures of the world etc. One thing that I absolutely LOVE about Montessori is how it uses every day objects and simple toys to teach children. Take the pink tower, which first works on fine motor skills then on counting, volume, etc. To me the biggest draw to Montessori is that it is child-led and you have multi-age classrooms and, like you said, there's the same teacher with the kids for 3 years.

There's actually a great thread on here with questions to ask the school to make sure it's a "true" Montessori school (unfortunately, some use the name but differ quite a bit from the basic principles). Hopefully someone else can you direct you there but if not I'll try and find it. :)

I also wanted to mention that some other things I really enjoy about the Montessori classroom is that children are free to move about the classroom at will and talk with others instead of being stuck behind desk all day. :D If you're interested in the science behind it check out "Montessori: the science behind genius", it's a really great book!

[TheSlingMama]

Thank you so much for your help!  I'll try and find the thread a bit later and then see if I can set up an appointment to speak to the local school.  They don't accept younger than 2 year olds so I have until July to answer my questions and decide which route is best for us.  We hope to make the drive this summer as well to participate in the Waldorf school's parent/toddler program.  I feel that would be the best way for me to get the feel on which route would be better for us. 

[physmom]

No problem and good luck!  Definitely try and find out as much as possible about both schools.  For all I know the Montessori might not be a true Montessori and the Waldorf might be flexible.  Ask a ton of questions and try and talk to other parents locally if possible to get a feel too.  I hope you find something that works for your family!