What do you love about montessori?

[momto1QT]

Hi there! My DD is starting a Montessori toddler preschool in the fall and I was just wondering what you Montessori mama's out there LOVE about montessori. I'd like to hear your Positive experiences! Thanks so much!

[alegna]

My dd is not in a montessori, but I started out in a montessori (from 3-6) and have some teaching experience there. What I love about montessori is:

children are individuals with individual goals and work
as individuals they can go faster or slower than "average" as needed
children are valuable as decision makers
children are trusted with "breakable" and "messy" things
mixed age grouping
great materials
well-thought out lessons

I'm sure there's more... that's off the top of my head

-Angela

[OhTheThinks.....]

My dd will be going to a 3-6 class. As an only child I think preschool is important and being able to have a Montessori school is great. My dh read the book "the secret of childhood" and like the philosophy.
We like the "respect for childhood" and the recognition of different stages of learning. I think it will give my dd a firm foundation for education and love of learning. I like the idea of learning independence in learning as I think this will be so important in later years when a child need to do independent work and get it done without prompting.
Also ditto for everything alegna wrote too!!

[mamaley]

my son will start his K year in the fall, finishing the primary level i am really excited about this year.

what i love about montessori:

my son has never been seen as being "too slow" or "ahead"--he's seen as being himself, and they let him do his work accordingly. when he is ready to try a new lesson, he dives into it and gets so much out of it. i love that they let them do things when they are ready, not when they are "supposed" to.

i love the balance between structure and creativity. his class is very structured, but there is also plenty of room for creative play, as well as art, music, etc. the structure helps him to know what to expect, and he really does well in that kind of environment--though, i admit this probably has more to do with his guide and not montessori himself--structure, i mean.

the teachers truly get to know each child--who they are friends with, what they are drawn to, what they stay away from (i'm talking about lessons here), their personalities, etc. they see each child as an individual and nurtures their individuality, if that makes sense. the teachers (guides) each bring their own unique gifts to the classroom and are, in my experience, very loving, patient, and passionate about working with children and the montessori philosophy.

i also love the montessori environment. the classrooms feel so peaceful and inviting...lots of natural light, everything on the child's level of reach, everything organized. very natural and relaxing.

it's also fun to get to know the other families and the children in your child's class. some come and go, but many kids stay...ds has kids in his class that he's known since he was 2.5 (when he started at the school) and once they're in primary together they stay together. he is almost 5, and these people have been constant in his life.

hope that was coherent--i'm sleepy. best of luck to you, i hope your child and your family have as wonderful of an experience as we have.

eta that ita with everything alegna listed.

[momto1QT]

Thank-you mamaley for your thoughtful reply and to the few others who responded to this post. I was beginning to think my question was in a black hole somewhere :LOL

I just needed a little encouragement and support. I'm glad they're are many wonderful attributes that you all love about montessori and I hope our expereince is just as positive!

[mamaley]

something else that i don't think i said before--academics are not pushed, but the children have so much available to them to learn from and it's fun for them to do it, so it's amazing what they learn. like one day we're in the car and ds starts telling me about how 2 and 1 are 3...another day he says "asia is the biggest continent" and then names all 7. he says phrases in spanish...all kinds of stuff...and none of this is pushed on him at all, but he learns it because he is interested. it's really cool.

[suz515]

Thanks for this thread. My dd and ds are both going to be starting at a montesorri school in August and I really needed to read some of your comments.

Best,
Suzanne

[OhTheThinks.....]

greetings suz!
welcome to the thread, it is quiet now but will probably pick up once school is started. What classes are your dd, ds entering? my dd is going into 3-6 class.

[Veloute]

Hi This is great to read---my daughter is starting in September in a Montessori preschool with ages 3-5. It's her first time away from us, but she seems ready...

[suz515]

Hi,
My son is going to be enrolled in the 3-6.
Thanks for the welcome!

[butternut]

I agree with everything said so far, but thought I would add a few lines since I have kids already in Montessori grade school. My first child is soon starting in second grade and my second is starting kindergarten. Both went to Montessori preschool (1 1/2 years for the first and 3 years for the second) interspersed with time at home. I have to say, as a parent who really really considered homeschooling, that Montessori has offered the most home-like atmosphere I could have ever wished for in a school setting. The teachers really know my children. I like the fact that my boys know teachers from all grades by name (first of course) and that they know other children from other grades by name. My 7 year old will run into kids from grade 6 or 7 in town and say, "Oh there is my friend!" Our school focuses a lot on the different grades interacting, having outings together, etc. For example, the whole school goes skiing together twice a year--from kindergarten through grade 9! Some go cross-country and some go downhill. They also have three days by a lake together every year. The 6th graders plan activities for mixed groups of K-4th graders. The 5th graders act as team coaches, making sure everyone is doing okay. There is no competition, just group activities. I love this inter-age mixing!
Also, someone mentioned the lack of focus on academics and competition. This is really true. The children are encouraged as individuals and not to match someone else's progress. My sons can spend a whole week exploring a math concept while their best friends are working hard at writing stories. We have several students in their classes with developmental delays and they are not singled out at all becasue everyone is different anyway.
Okay, I could go on and on, but I really do love our Montessori and am so excited that my boys will get 10 years there.

[OhTheThinks.....]

Greetings Butternut !
I too considered Homeschooling. I did find a Montessori school that has been here for many years and does very well. My dd was going with me to a parent toddler class since 17 mos and will start a 3-6 this fall. This school also goes to Junior High and if she continues to benefit from the program we hope to keep her there.
Her head teacher is AMS certified and really great.
I did get an opportunity to speak with a few of the middle schoolers and what a nice bunch they were. It was nice to talk to "verbally" polite and literate children. No offense to anyone meant. They also expressed they liked their school. There class was small which has its positives and negatives on both sides.
What considerations did you have when you think about Academics and when your children enter High School?