montessori for a future homeschooler- X-posted

[alegna]

Crossposted to homeschooling :

Okay- begging forgiveness in advance, this may be long and will jump around.

I'm a homeschooler at heart. Unschooler. Mostly school was a waste at best for me. Though I did really like montessori where I was from 3-6.

I *might* consider the right private school- a fabulous montessori, or a free school of some sort if the right one existed and was cheap or I was made out of money.

Such a school does not currently exist here. And no sign of being made out of money.

BUT. My mom is totally sold on montessori. Yes, it was great for my sister and I. She is willing/able/eager to pay for it for dd (and yes, any future kids too) for 3-6. (no strings attached) She can't pay after that and there is a limit to how much she could pay, but I think we can choose a montessori that would work within the budget.

I still need to actually visit the montessoris that I would consider, and if they are less than great it's a no-go, no question.

Montessori parents/teachers- thoughts? Opinions? How will having 3 yrs in montessori benefit her. Is it worth it?

My thoughts in no particular order:

school schedule- ugh
school mentality (lines etc)
getting into the school mindset
wanting to KEEP going to school after (not going to happen unless -see above-)

Your thoughts? Input?

thanks!

-Angela

[samuelsmom]

I'm watching this thread with interest. We are sending our ds to a montessori school next fall, but know that we won't be able to send him the following year (for financial reasons) and will be homeschooling. We are just really sold on the school and we feel like it will give him a really good start in so many ways, especially helping him to develop his own learning style in a great environment (and the school here has a great emphasis on peace, which we love, too), and we hope to learn the montessori method along with him to continue it at home the next year.

[alegna]

morning bump

-Angela

[boatbaby]

We are in the exact same position. We're starting DS in a Montessori program this fall and will keep him there if it goes well (which I really think it will b/c we love this particular place) from 3-6 then home school from there (while we're traveling on our boat).

I am also worried about him liking it SO much that homeschooling will be a let down afterwards.

Our plan is this -- we're lucky to have a flexible (and affordable) Montessori so he will only go 2 days a week this year and maybe bump up each year. But I don't think we will ever do 5 days a week all day. Just a few partial days. Especially since there is no need to get him used to a "real school schedule" considering our plans.

Then, I am going to get some homeschooling projects/ plans together of my own and do a "mommy school day" every now and again. Not sure how our actual homeschooling will go once we're fully homeschooling, but I am just going through the paces to get him used to the idea of mommy being the teacher. We're thinking of getting a flexible curriculum like Oak Meadow as a guide and just spreading out over the next few years picking and choosing what interests him and getting into our home schooling groove without the pressure of knowing I am IT just yet.

Even now he says all excited "next year I get to do Montessori school AND mommy school!"

We should stay in touch and keep swapping ideas on this... glad to know I am not alone.

[honeybee]

Well, here are the reasons (not in any particular order) I'm sending ds1 to a Montessori children's house. I'm not planning to hs, but I had considered keeping ds1 at home through the preschool years.

1) Atmosphere. The M classroom is so peaceful and orderly. Our house is quiet and peaceful... but not orderly. More like cluttered and disorganized. I thought sending ds to M might inspire ME to keep things simpler and more organized, if only to reinforce what he's doing in school.

2) Diversity/Peaceful coexisting. We're sending him to a public school that is a bit more demographically diverse than our home town and social network. I want him to interact with kids who have different social/ethnic backgrounds... but I want him to do it in a more "controlled" environment... one where children are treated respectfully and where students are taught problem-solving skills instead of being punished/coerced.

3) Language and math development. I LOVE the M materials for teaching writing/reading and math. I view literacy in both to be paramount. I'm a math teacher who also writes activities and lessons for publication. I found the M materials and methodology to be phenomenal. And it would be very expensive to reproduce many of the materials at home. I think the whole approach is superior to anything else I've seen.

4) Multiage classroom. Kids learn some things better from peers than they do from an adult. Being able to observe and work with kids just a little older or just a little younger promotes learning, both through observation and through mentoring/teaching. Kids become interested in getting to the next level because they see the older kids doing that work and enjoying it. But, at the same time, kids in M aren't FORCED to work with others or as a whole group.

5) Independent pace/respecting focus. M students are respected in regards to their individual development rate/style. M gives students the space to really focus on what they're doing without interruption, and childrens' work space is respected. I was so amazed by how purposeful, focused and attentive the kids were on their work when I observed. I think that type of environment is essential in our ADD world.

Of course, many of these qualities may be found in a hs environment. I just knew it would be really hard for ME, personally, to put these elements into a home environment.

[honeybee]

Angela,

I just realized you've been the one I keep agreeing with on the "new way to do math" thread. Have you had a chance to visit the M school and look at the math materials? I fell in love. I have a bachelor's in mathematics, taught for 5 years, and I never knew the Binomial Theorem even COULD be represented as a physical, 3-dimensional cube. Maria Montessori was way ahead of her time. I haven't examined the entire math sequence, so I don't know if there are any holes compared to current standards (like, do they introduce probability?), but that may just end up being something I'll supplement at home.

One thing I like about the M materials is that they are self-correcting. So, a teacher who is abysmal in math has less of a chance of screwing up students' mathematics instruction. Also, trained M teachers get specialized instruction in ALL the materials, so they've had much more fundamental mathematics training than your average elementary teacher.

Also, I'd recommend reading Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius. It really delves into Montessori methods compared to current research on learning (she even quotes Alfie Kohn. ). Reading that book and visiting the school and using a sample of materials from preK to 6th grade is what convinced me to send ds1 to a Montessori school.

If nothing else, reading the book may give you some idea if you want to incorporate M ideas into your homeschooling.

Melissa

[alegna]

Oh I LOVE montessori math. Love love love love it. I was in montessori from ages 3-5 and by the time I left I was multiplying and dividing. Montessori is why I like math.

Sigh... if I could just have all the math materials I would be in heaven.

Golden beads were my most favorite things in the world....

-Angela

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by alegna

Oh I LOVE montessori math. Love love love love it. I was in montessori from ages 3-5 and by the time I left I was multiplying and dividing. Montessori is why I like math.

Sigh... if I could just have all the math materials I would be in heaven.

Golden beads were my most favorite things in the world....

-Angela

Once again, I find myself preaching to the choir. That happens to me a lot.

[alegna]

-Angela

[arratt]

I really wanted to unschool but dd had a plan of her own and at age 3 began asking to go to school, by age 4 she was begging to go. I chose M. school basically because it was the only alternative school in our area. I have since fallen in love with M. method as I am amazed at what dd has learned and how she has grown since she started. I wish I would have enrolled her sooner for a number of reasons, by the time she started she was 5yo (due to my hesitation of enrolling her in a school and then the waiting list). I think her personality is better suited to a school environment than at home, which I dont necessarily believe is true for everyone, but it is working well for her.

Originally Posted by alegna

My thoughts in no particular order:

school schedule- ugh
school mentality (lines etc)
getting into the school mindset
wanting to KEEP going to school after

School Schedule: One of the problems I still have because we didnt have a schedule before and took a lot of multi-day trips. Having a hard time adjusting to getting up and out of the house on time, esp with dd2 getting dragged back/forth. On the bright side Im hoping it will benefit dd because it teaches her how to be responsible, time management, etc Still take trips but try to schedule them around her schooling, though I dont have a problem taking her out for a few days either. The one thing that does upset me a little is that dd has less time for activities outside of school. For example, she used to go to gymnastics and storytime at the library during the day. She still asks to go to storytime and is upset when I tell her we cant go because she is in school. We havent been able to work gymnastics back into our schedule yet either, which she really misses participating in, hopefully we can this fall.

School mentality: Positive points about M: dd is free to work on whatever she chooses most of the day (except lunchtime and group). As well as working at her own pace. I enjoy the practical life aspect of M. school (cleaning, cooking). No homework, no grades is important to me.

Getting in the school mindset: are you talking about you or your dd?

wanting to keep going to school: I dont have any advice here because I can see how hard it would be to take them out if they truly enjoy the environment

[alegna]

Originally Posted by arratt

Getting in the school mindset: are you talking about you or your dd?

wanting to keep going to school: I dont have any advice here because I can see how hard it would be to take them out if they truly enjoy the environment

School mindset is dd.

Thing is, there is only 1 public montessori here and I would not really consider it for a number of reasons. There are a number of private montessories that go through elem. and a few that go into middle school (and 2 that have high school) but due to cost they won't be an option past the 3-6 class.

-Angela

[lisap]

we're in a similar situation. we have sent dd (3.5) to a wonderful M school and she will attend through Kindergarten afterwards she will be homeschooled. I am really looking forward to it. I plan to do the same with ds. I read this interesting article:

http://www.montessori.edu/homeschooling.html

the story about michael gives me inspiration! good luck mama!


-lisa