What might be the "next best thing" to an M school?

[KBecks]

I should introduce myself. I'm Karen, mom to 2 boys, Alek age 2.5 and John, age 11 months. I'm starting to think about education and have heard praise for Montessori and am intrigued by the concepts. Just ordered a load of books off Amazon.

While I am very interested in Montessori education, we have obstacles. I have looked into what's available in our area, and there's not a lot. We'd need to do some commuting. Then there's the private school tuition, about $5k per year. Figuring two boys that's a $30k investment for the Children's House 3 year program.

Just typing it out, the reality of the high expense and the inconvenience of locations seem huge / insurmountable. It would be a major investment of time and money for us to pursue Montessori education at a private school.

(Well, I could return to FT work and put #2 in daycare, but that would also be a fairly large undertaking.)

I am tempted to visit the private Montessori that's closest to us, just to see, but I don't want to waste our time, either.

So, I'll ask.... what in your minds, is the next best thing? or what is a compromise? For others who have had to make compromises, what are the balances you have struck for yourselves? I have started to look at Montessori homeschooling info and the tools, etc. etc. but want to keep a perspective on what's going to transfer well to our home life. I understand that the classroom is the ideal, and I love the process of observe, learn, then teach. But, I'm not sure our family can realistically make it happen.

Before getting tempted by the glowing reports of M ed, I was thinking of skipping all preschool programs and just starting the boys at Kindergarten (or maybe even 1st grade) because it seems they will spend so much of their lives in school already, KWIM?

I also have information on a popular 3 y.o. 2 morning a week preschool program that's very convenient to our home that is highly regarded among local moms. It's much less time in the school and the cost is much more approachable.

I have a lot to think about, whether I want to "preschool" at all, and what might be most valuable for the boys.

ETA: I also realize I might be getting caught up in myth that because this school is expensive, it must be good, or it must be more desirable. And that the amount of money spent is somehow representative of my caring. (Aaargh!) I'm trying to remember that our kids are likely enjoy education in any of a variety of paths.

Thanks for any insights!

[tbone]

I'm not really sure how to address your concerns. I can totally relate to your feelings though. Making these kind of decisions in our childrens lives can really reak havoc on our minds. Ultimately, you do what you truly feel is best for both you and your child. I'm a big believer in going with your gut feeling.
I'm also a huge 'pros and con's' list maker!

Maybe you could call some of the M schools in your area and find out there tuition. There might be some more affordable ones. Maybe a public montessori? The M my ds goes to is actually the one of the most affordable ones in the area, and it is a really great school. Better than most of the more expensive ones that I visited. So it might be worth it to look around.

I don't know a lot about Montessori hs'ing but there are a lot of great sites and blogs out there. We practice simple M principles at home- shelves for toys, glass dining ware, ds has kid size furniture, brooms, etc.


It sounds like you may want to read over the books you ordered and decide if Montessori is a right fit for you and your child first. Then go from there.

Hope this helps!

[KBecks]

Thanks for the reply. I'm trying to relax....

... and take one step at a time, but I'm also feeling like I need to get things sorted out.

Anyway, I have done several Google searches and there are 2 private M schools with tuition listed online, and they both run just under $5k/year, which is out of reach for us w/o drastically re-prioritizing our lives.

I live in a suburb of Milwaukee and read a research report of M outcomes that was run in Milwaukee. I'm looking to see if a public magnet school is available to us, but it seems unlikely.

I'm having a hard time finding lists of M schools. I looked on all three M org's sites and there aren't many listed. I also looked in the phone book. Maybe I've found all that are available around here, maybe not.

I called the non-M preschool that I hear good things about and is close to my home and we may do a 10-week 2 year old class there to try it out and see if it may be a good fit.

I'm also going to talk to our local children's librarian to pick her brain about area schools, etc.

[nkm1968]

It's also useful to apply to the M schools and apply for financial aid....and also, as an alternative, any progressive school which promotes child-centered learning, choices, multi-aged classrooms, the avoidance of grades and labels is really just as beneficial as pricey Montessori. Although I've done the pricey bit, if I were at home full time I would seriously consider unschooling, with probably a coop of like minded moms. There is a seriously progressive and affordable school here in Cleveland called the Urban Community School, which has a Montessori preschool, and progressive elementary up to grade 8. It has a sliding scale tuition schedule, and a really amazing and dedicated faculty and parent base...it might be worth seeing if the model could be replicated by a group of progressive parents where you live. I know they have a web site, just don't know the address.....

[camies]

Karen,

I too am from a suburb of Milwaukee. I had my son in a 3k preschool last year and just thought I wanted something more for him. The preschool he was in was highly recommended and has a waiting list to get into. We toured Milwaukee Montessori 3 weeks ago and I fell in love with it. We just found out that he was accepted. It's such a hard decision because it's kinda far away and expensive.

Have you checked out APL preschools or Mary Linsmeier?

Cyndi

[KBecks]

I just found out about APL and Mary Linsmeier last night while doing more online reading. It sounds like APL and ML are kind of M-lite.

I'm hesitant to tour Milwaukee Montessori because I'm not sure I can handle falling in love with it -- but I think it may be interesting to tour and compare all three schools.

I'd love to know more about your Milwaukee Montessori visit!