Montessori for older kids?

[AdInAZ]

I had wanted a Montessori pre-school education for my daughter. Unfortuenately, we weren't able to do that. But now we have a chance to do Montessori for 1st grade, and the school goes up through 8th grade. Does anyone have experience moving a child used to public K and pre-school into a Montessori environment? Any problems with that? And how does Montessori work for the upper elementary grades and middle school? (I should mention this is a Montessori inspired school. Teachers are Montessori accredited but the school is not.)

Thanks!

[KBecks]

I toured a school that has M trained teachers but no M accreditation. The higher levels brought in subject experts for the kids in various topics, like math and language, science, etc. plus their regular class teacher. I thought this was good because so the kids can go as far as they want and need to go in a subject. I think that was in the highest grade level, so 6-8th grades. I also saw that the teacher would write on the board the things that needed to get done that day, so the kids would have things they needed to do but they could make choices about what order, etc. They also had "corrections" they would do each day to work they had turned in previously.... the M kids can work on their problems over again for practice and to develop their understanding.

[Lingmom]

My almost 6-yr old just started Montessori in the elementary class last month and she's doing great. She came from a pre-school and then a Catholic school for her first semester of Kindergarten. Here's an email to me from her teacher after her first week or two. I think it sums up the sort of work she's doing and her adjustment from a traditional to a montessori classroom.

...All is going really well! There are no concerns or questions on my side. She is doing very well. I'm glad she is not overwhelmed. With the older children and big classroom, it is a lot to take in. For the rest of this school year, I just want to make sure she is comfortable, and I want to round out her skills to give her a good base to begin her elementary years. She is very articulate and is a sharp little girl. Academically, she is right on. She has a good base in language and sense of numbers. She likes the large numerals and is beginning to see the expansiveness of the mathematical world. She is still looking for direction, but will soon learn to rely on herself for her inner need for knowledge. To help with this, I am having the students guide her and show her "the ropes". I want her to see the power is with the children, within herself and in the environment... and not the teacher.! I enjoy my time with her, giving lessons or chatting about our favorite things, but I've observed when I spend too much time with her, she will follow me around. I know this is because she is adjusting from a traditional environment where the teacher is the main source of instruction to a more open/self-directed form of education. She does very well with lessons and I can show her a work... to get her going, and then walk away and she finishes it. This is wonderful and is what we want. I really feel that this is a good match for her and I think she will thrive!

[onlyboys]

I started my son who was in his first 3 weeks of 4th grade, having been in a traditional school, in a Montessori program. It took him about 6 weeks of adjustment. He needed to understand that there were no desks, no place to sit, and that he had control over whether or not he worked. This was an adjustment for him! The first day he went, sat down and waited, while the other kids were in a flurry of activity around him.

He loves, loves, loves his school now, and he's in 6th grade.

[AdInAZ]

This is great to hear. It sounds like the Montessori here does things similar with the upper grades such as bringing "specialists" in for certain topics. I'm really hoping this will be a good match for my daughter. When she is interested in something, she works well, but when she doesn't see the relevance in her life, she could care less. (Probably like most kids I think.) I'm hoping that this power over her work in Montessori will entice her to seek out learning.