Montessori elementary school from play-based preschool

[KennethsMama]

Hi there,
I am not new to reading Mothering.Community (I have been reading since I was pregnant 5 years ago) but this is my first post; I appreciate any advice anyone can offer.

My son has been in a very good play-based preschool at a church for two years. He has done really well in preschool but a few months ago, one of his teachers - who had previously been a teacher at a Montessori preschool - asked us if we had ever considered Montessori school for him, as she thought he would really take to the Montessori method and how activities are structured. As a result, we applied to a Montessori charter elementary school in our area and recently found out he was accepted for the kindergarten program.

Now, though, I am a little worried that he will be in the class with a lot of kids who are coming out of Montessori preschool, and will know about the manipulatives, the "work" concept, etc. and he does not. I am wondering if there's anything I should do with him to help familiarize him with Montessori methods before he starts kindergarten in the fall. His new school is an open public charter, so he very likely won't be the only kid there without a Montessori background (it isn't a prerequisite for admission), but I just want to ease the transition for him as much as possible. He has loved his preschool and his teachers, and leaving them behind is going to be difficult - I don't want to add to the difficulty for him by putting him in an environment that is totally unfamiliar to him. Thanks in advance for any tips anyone can offer.

[carmel23]

I would see if he can spend a few hours there "shadowing" another child before the end of this school year.  Then I would just explain a few basic parts of Montessori-- the concept of works, not touching anyone else's work, etc.  That he will have a lot of freedom, but also responsibility.  I am sure they will have some sort of period of time for him to adjust.

It is helpful for the parent to read some books about Montessori as well-- Maria Montessori's work is really incredible. 

[livnsimply]

My daughter just lived that experience this year. I would not advise you do anything. Unless you are trained in the method, you will not know how to introduce him to things the way the school will and may even confuse him when they do it differently than what ya'll did.

Since Montessori is all about a kid moving at his own pace, it does not matter where he is when he starts. They'll figure out where to start him in all the tasks and let him move along as fast or slow as he needs to.

Here's my daughter's experience this past year. She came out of Waldorf Kindergarten which is the opposite end of the spectrum from Montessori. She loved it the first 1/3 of the  year because of the novelty. She was a little frustrated that a lot of the works and manipulatives were off limits since she was new and had to be given lessons before using them, but I am not sure that was unusual for the 1st graders. Even those who had been at the school for K had been in a different part of the school.

Then the 2nd 1/3rd of the year we hit some bumps. Figuring out what the expectations were, what the rules and boundaries were, she definitely was frustrated. I think it was less about the works and more about the whole system of how to be in a Montessori class room. There were aspects of the school she liked and aspects she did not. I did not intervene because nothing seemed seriously wrong but I supported and encouraged her.

Then the last 1/3rd of the year has been great. Whatever she needed to figure out, I guess she figured out and she is enjoying everything about the school.

So I guess I am saying your child may face some struggles but if you have good teachers who know the method, they should be able to bring him around in the end!

I was in Montessori myself up to 3rd grade and remember loving it. I think it put me on a path of really liking school that pays off as you go further and further. I hope your school is a good one and your son has a wonderful experience, too.