AMS member school?

[daytripper75]

Does being a member of AMS assure parents that the school is truly a Montessori with adherence to Maria Montessori's teachings? Or is it something that can be "bought" and not really significant?

We're looking at two schools, one I am certain about the methods and another that I think is less stringent in their "ways"...both are AMS accredited.

Any opinions on this? Both schools seem lovely and nurturing and pleasant, the one I am less certain of costs significantly less than the first. However, both have shining parent reviews.

I only have a couple of days to make the decision and just want to be sure I am selecting the right school for my dc.

Thank you!

[BCFD]

Other people may have a difference of opinion, but personally I would choose the most loving, nurturing place available that is using authentic Montessori materials and teachings. I recently toured 5 local schools and some of them were using authentic materials, but felt cold and stale to me. Some of the schools acted like they didn't even want me there for the tour and just walked me around the school without telling me much more. I do not believe any of them were AMS affiliated (definitely not AMI), but most of them had AMS training. The school we ultimately decided on is exactly the kind of loving, nurturing place I wanted my 3 year old DD. They have authentic Mont materials and fall into what I would consider somewhere between AMS and AMI. I believe the owner is affiliated with both AMS and AMI, but the school wasn't (I'm still not real sure what she meant, but I did see some AMI plaque hanging in her office). Honestly, I wasn't hung up on affiliations, but I did want a TRUE sense of Montessori and my DD's school takes Mont methods very seriously.

Good luck!

[MattBronsil]

Most AMS Member Schools are fantastic and well run. An AMS Member School must have Montessori Trained teachers in some, but not all, of the classrooms. If you are looking at a small school with 1 classroom, then you know that person has the training.

There is more leniency to exact interpration in AMS Schools as opposed to AMI Schools. (I say that as an AMS person myself).

More important is what you will see in a Montessori school:
--Few, if any, toys.
--Children working and trying to do things for themselves.
--Furnature that is the correct size for the child.
--Materials that are kept looking nice and organized in a logical manner.
--Children of age groups together. (In this case, 3-6)
--No rows of desks. If it looks like a typical classroom, it is. I say that because there are some schools that actually keep Montessori materials stored away and bring them to the desks. You won't find that in an AMS School anyway, but just putting the idea out there for people who are looking for schools.
--Children treating each other with respect and the teacher stepping in and helping students solve issues when they do arise.

If you have a gut instinct of one over the other, I say go for it.

Matt

[daytripper75]

Ay yi yi! The problem is that my gut instinct is telling me that both schools are great but for different reasons.
School A has the materials and no toys.
School B has a religious aspect to it that we like but we're not so sure about how Montessori they are.

*sigh* We have 24 more hours to decide.

[BCFD]

I had the same problem deciding between two schools (we toured 5 and 3 weren't even in the running). The deciding factor for me is that the school we picked was authentic Montessori. The teachers in both schools were equally loving, nurturing, and gentle, so the authentic, more structured approach was really the deciding factor for us. While neither school was AMI or AMS affiliated, it seems like the teachers were all AMS trained. The director of the school we picked eats, sleeps, and breathes Montessori and it shows in her pride of her school. She gave us a very detailed tour of the school, explained a lot of the jobs and explained in detail what and why the children were doing them, introduced us to all the teachers, and was extremely proud of her students. It was just my gut instinct that told me to go with this school. They just happened to hold a parent night the week that we toured the school and they really went all out for the parents (awesome buffet, too! ). Every teacher had a display table and they did a few of the math exercises. It was very well thought out and DP and I were very impressed. I believe the director of the school is affiliated with AMS and AMI, but the school isn't (I've never been clear on that or WHY she is, but the school isn't. Maybe it's a cost thing?).

Anyway, maybe what will help you is to make a list of positives outside of the school itself (distance, location, will it be an easy or hard commute, tuition). I think you either want authentic Montessori or not. So, if you're not looking for a true Montessori approach, you will probably be happy with either choice. Good luck in your decision and let us know who you went with!!

[daytripper75]

PHEW! Thank you for all of your help. We made a good decision yesterday and I am glad that the deciding part is over!
Now we just have to wait for August!

[Montessori teacher]

I am happy to hear you were able to make a decision. FYI - if you were still wondering- a Montessori school is affiliated with AMS if they have paid the AMS affiliaton fees. Some schools are excellent but choose not to pay for membership for various reasons. Some schools are not Montessori but have paid membership fees. An AMS accredited school is a school that has met AMS standards to receive this status.

[Mountain Diva]

At the end of the day, your child will be comfortable in whatever classroom makes YOU feel really comfortable. Just because you have accreditation it doesn't automatically mean you are good with children, or parents.

And for more clarification, from an AMI teacher, the AMI accredited schools must comply with the stricter AMI standards, it can't be bought. They are subjected to an in-school evaluation every 3 years of each teacher, as well, by a certified AMI trainer of teachers. AMI is the only one still run by a Montessori descendent, Rinalde Montessori is the granddaughter of Maria. Anybody can buy the materials, the distinction is in how the teacher has been trained to use them. An AMI accredited school will have the three hour uninterrupted work cycle in the morning, which Dr. Montessori held as essential to a child's development of concentration skills. The US version, AMS, will have times and instructors for things like music and language, whereas AMI classes have music as part of the daily materials, and if they are really lucky a bi-lingual adult either as assistant or teacher to incorporate second language studies.

[Lillianna]

You know, I was just about to post on this thread but didn't want to offend anyone or appear "snooty". I'm also AMI-trained and I have researched the AMI/AMS connection and history because I was wondering why they were not still affiliated. I read in one of Rambusch's papers (AMS founder) that Montessori should be seen as one of a plurality of possibilities and that she sought to integrate Montessori with American education. This necessarily lead to changes in Montessori fundamentals such as the 3 hour work cycle and 3 year age span. I kept researching and comparing the training and found that while there are many similarly trained AMS professionals, the quality is not consistent through all AMS schools and there are differences in scope and sequence with the materials between the AMS and AMI trainings. AMS was originally affiliated by AMI but AMI withdrew when changes were made. I saw reference to an actual court case which makes me feel that AMS is kinda hypocritcal when they go around saying "anyone can call themselves Montessori - the name is not trademarked" because they essentially caused this situation. I realize I am biased, I could have just as easily of gotten into Montessori at an AMS training center and never known the difference. I'm not trying to put down AMS just trying to give my perspective. Also, I work at a school started by associates of Rambusch (neither AMS or AMI accredited) and I can tell you that almost 50 years later, we are still trying to make our school more closely aligned with true Montessori practice.

[MattBronsil]

Originally Posted by Mountain Diva

And for more clarification, from an AMI teacher, the AMI accredited schools must comply with the stricter AMI standards, it can't be bought. They are subjected to an in-school evaluation every 3 years of each teacher, as well, by a certified AMI trainer of teachers. AMI is the only one still run by a Montessori descendent, Rinalde Montessori is the granddaughter of Maria.

Am I mistaken or did she retire a few years ago?

Matt

[Lillianna]

Hey Mountain Diva! I'm OMTI98.

Originally Posted by Mountain Diva

AMI is the only one still run by a Montessori descendent, Rinalde Montessori is the granddaughter of Maria.

Renilde is no longer active but did leave a magnificent legacy. Her most recent contribution being the Educateurs sans Frontiers.

[Mountain Diva]

Hi Lilliana, I am OMTI 96! I'm very new to this board, and I don't know what the rules are regarding one-one communication within a thread, so I'll keep this breif. You are very eloquent, diplomatic and clear in your descriptions of Montessori, I envy your talent. I'm very much a purist in my belief in AMI. I would love to chat more with you. If you know of a way to connect via this site via direct email please do so. I don't think I can put my direct address in here, so I hope there is a way.