Is Montessori for every child ?

[Sam75]

Hi, I need your input, parent and teachers alike. My DD has been going to Montessori school since she was 2.5. She is turning 5 in a few weeks. We still only see her staying within her comfort zone, and unless being prompted by her teachers, or encouraged, she will never go to math, reading and language, science, geography, etc. or any other academic work areas willingly now even in her new school year. Her teacher was saying to give about 6 weeks to adjust after the summer before encouraging her to try new things esp. more academic areas in the classroom. My first question is, do they need that long if its the same teachers, friends and same classroom that she's coming back to etc. ? (there are a few new students being phased in that her lead teacher is focused on right now) My DD adapts very well to new things though.

Anyway so far, she observes in class, looks through books, colors, scribbles, paints, food cutting work, food prep work etc.. although I KNOW she has more of an interest than this. At home, without being asked she would go through puzzles of maps, would write words and at bedtime, she wants to read her beginning level phonics books and tries to say new words without being asked or expected. But at school, its a different story. Seems like such a shame when a Montessori classroom has so many neat areas to explore and learn from!

My question is, does this seem like a child that would benefit from Montessori in the long run ? We're trying to decide if in the long term, especially during her Kindergarten year, whether we will keep her in Montessori or would she benefit from a more traditional public classroom setting ? I went to an AMI Montessori school and this is new to me. I wanted to try and learn new stuff. But my DD seems different and doesn't want to try right now. Shouldn't there be some balance in all work she does in school ? And not all about paint and art and crafty stuff ? The few times she has shown an interest in other work areas in the classroom, it lasted only a few days, a couple of weeks at best.

Also, her teacher mentioned she is a level 2 according to AMS and level 3 would be her Kindergarten year. I thought she would be level 3 since this is technically her 3'rd year in Montessori in a primary class, but it seems AMS is different on this ?

FYI, her school is AMS accredited.

Thanks!

[Sierra]

I'm a Montessori mom, though I have a bit of professional experience (administrative) with Montessori. It has been my experience that some kids need to observe, observe, observe (all the while soaking up a great deal of info...which might then manifest itself at home) before taking on work as their own. It is likely your child is absorbing what the other children are doing and do forth. In fact, I remember one mom posting on these boards before in a breakthrough moment when her kido finally started doing math works (I believe that kid was a few years older than yours).

Especially given that your child is demonstrating ability at home, I would be inclined at least based on your description (of course, it is impossible to know for sure since I've never met her) to believe that she is learning at school. Also, bear in mind, even though she has been in Montessori for two and a half years, five is still so young.

That said, if I were you, I would consider the match between her and the particular school (even among certified schools in the same philosophy-- AMI, AMS, etc.-- there is great variation) and the teacher. And I would also want to inquire some more about the works she has chosen in the past. One thing I would be concerned about is whether she ever did attempt language or math works, and if so, if an adult came to help her. Sometimes teachers intervene even when it isn't the Montessori way. I observed 13-16 Montessori classrooms last year (30 minute to one hour long observations each), and I saw it a number of times. A teacher might see a kid take out a new work she hasn't done before, and swoop down to support the child in exploring this new work. My observations have confirmed my theory that this frequently undermines a child's newfound confidence in a lesson. The child's facial expressions change, and they begin to sort of turn the lesson over to the teacher. Perhaps your daughter had this happen to her once or twice, and she was particularly sensitive to it??

[MattBronsil]

Originally Posted by Sam75

Her teacher was saying to give about 6 weeks to adjust after the summer before encouraging her to try new things esp. more academic areas in the classroom. My first question is, do they need that long if its the same teachers, friends and same classroom that she's coming back to etc. ? (there are a few new students being phased in that her lead teacher is focused on right now) My DD adapts very well to new things though.

It can take some time. There are some other points I want to bring up, which I'll do later since they relate to other things you said. But every child has his or her own time line.

Anyway so far, she observes in class, looks through books, colors, scribbles, paints, food cutting work, food prep work etc..

That's fantastic.
Looks through books = reading
Colors = artistic expression
Scribbles (in what way?) = Pre-writing (?)
Paints = if you knew the amount of work that REALLY goes into painting in a Montessori classroom, you'd be glad she chose this activity.
Food cutting/prep = This is definitely an everyday skill needed.

"although I KNOW she has more of an interest than this. At home, without being asked she would go through puzzles of maps, would write words and at bedtime, she wants to read her beginning level phonics books and tries to say new words without being asked or expected. But at school, its a different story. Seems like such a shame when a Montessori classroom has so many neat areas to explore and learn from!"

She's getting the reading, writing, geography, etc. at home. Remember what Montessori does - it builds a lifetime love of learning ~ it doesn't promise many academic outcomes other than that. It sounds like that is exactly what is being built.

Your child loves learning. At home, she is eager to get the "academic" stuff (for lack of a better term). At school, she is excited to learn how independent she is. The best things a child can learn from a classroom is independence, confidence, and concentration.

My question is, does this seem like a child that would benefit from Montessori in the long run ?

It sounds like she's benefiting in the short run. The long run should be no different.

We're trying to decide if in the long term, especially during her Kindergarten year, whether we will keep her in Montessori or would she benefit from a more traditional public classroom setting ?

I don't see how.

I went to an AMI Montessori school and this is new to me. I wanted to try and learn new stuff. But my DD seems different and doesn't want to try right now.

Your daughter is different, though. That's the first thing to realize. Your daughter has different needs than what you have and what you had.

Your assumption that she's not learning new stuff is inaccurate (I don't mean that offensively...so I hope it's not read that way). I put a post on my blog about the differences between "direct aims" and "indirect aims." Here's a link to the blog post:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...ogID=427561197

It might help to see what your daughter is getting from these activities. It's something every child needs, but not something that every child is provided with.

Shouldn't there be some balance in all work she does in school ? And not all about paint and art and crafty stuff ? The few times she has shown an interest in other work areas in the classroom, it lasted only a few days, a couple of weeks at best.

She still has previous learning to do then. OR she has mastered that material and it's time to move on to something else. It's impossible to guage which one without careful observation. From the sounds of it, she needs more of the concentration materials, but that's just an armchair guess.

Also, her teacher mentioned she is a level 2 according to AMS and level 3 would be her Kindergarten year. I thought she would be level 3 since this is technically her 3'rd year in Montessori in a primary class, but it seems AMS is different on this ?

There's not really a "level 2" or a "level 3." That's just a way to help categorize a general idea of where she is. A lot of this categorization depends on age. If she's in the 4-5 age range, realize you'll likely have an entire year of this building up concentrations, struggling to balance work and social time, and sticking only to those things that are comfortable for them.

That's just how that age group is and how they function.

Matt