transferring into Montessori from non-montessori

[Lisali]

Is it typical of schools elsewhere that they don't accept kids into their school unless they are coming straight from another Montessori?

[Drummer's Wife]

Depends on the M school. Here there are some that do and some that don't. I think the child's age matters as well. I do think that a child who has been in a montessori environment from say 3 yrs old and has experienced a primary classroom is going to have a huge advantage over a 6 yr old coming from a traditional kindergarten class who transitions into M for 1st grade. The pedagogy is so different and in M children have the freedom to take what they need from the environment, choosing their own work. Most public schools have children sitting in desks and the lessons are teacher directed. It's a big difference. And then the level of education received generally varies greatly, an example is my brother and I. I attended traditional pre-school and then public elementary school. In Kindergarten I was mastering writing my name and numbers, etc. My brother attended M school from 3-5 and in kindergarten he knew the whole map of Asia. HTH there's a lot more to it but I do think that any amount of Montessori is beneficial, no matter the age your child starts.

[trimomma]

Ds just started M and he's in the first grade. When we were looking at M schools, there were a few that said they don't accept children that don't have previous M experience in preschool age. The school we did choose recently told me they accept children up to 1st or 2nd grade without M experience, but those are very rare occasions. Ds had to spend the day at the school before they would 'accept' him to make sure the school would be a good fit for him.