anyone out there have a kid enrolled in a montessori preschool?

Question

my son is 2 1/2 and i'm looking at different types of preshools for him (for next sept). i'm leaning towards montessori. anyone out there have any advice? do you think kids who are montessori trained get a head start in elementary school? anyone know about 'reggio' schools? how are they compared to montessori?
thanks.

Answer 1

I have taught both traditional preschool and Montessori (Montessori for 11 years). I will never go back to traditional preschool. Montessori is amazing! I see so many differences between children who have gone through both. Children who go to a Montessori schools are more confident, orderly, focused, coordinated, and independent than children who have gone through traditional preschool. They are great problem solvers, adaptable, and learn to make decisions at an early age. Children who go through a Montessori program do very well in elementary school. Here are some comparisons of Montessori and traditional education. http://www.alexandermontessori.com/about...

I don't know a lot about Reggio Emilia school. My understanding about them is that they are more play-based like traditional preschools. The children decided as a group what they will learn and the teachers create a big group activity based on the topic the children want to learn about.

I must comment on some of the other answers. Some have said that Montessori programs do not focus on writing. This is far from the truth! We do, however, want them to be able to hold a pencil in an orthodox way. If we let them write before their hand is ready, they will develop poor writing habits. We will direct these children to activities that will strengthen their hand. It was also said that Montessori programs let the children “do what they want.” We don’t. The philosophy is that we “follow the child.” For example, if a child is interested in animals, we create activities for them about animals that fit within their needs and help develop needed skills. Say this child is lacking in math skills, we may create an activity that combines animals and counting. We call it “coming through the back door.” The child sees that directly he or she is learning about animals, but indirectly they are learning math.

Be careful about which Montessori school you choose. Some schools call themselves "Montessori" but are not. They may not have Montessori materials or the teachers are not Montessori trained. Look at http://www.montessoriservices.com... Check out some of the language, practical life, and math materials. A true Montessori school will have these types of materials. Also, make sure the teachers in the Montessori school went through a Montessori training program. Montessori is a good choice! Good luck!

Answer 2

The method of coaching in Montessori schools are good. But the kids studying in Montessori schools fail to scale up to the standards of the elementary school. Since they don't do much of writing in Montessori form of education,they develop an aversion to writing.

If you can enrol your kid in a Montessori school and if you can sit with him everyday and make him write,thereby inculcating the habit of writing in him,then Montessori is the option for you.

If you can't spend time,then better enrol him in the conventional form of education.

Answer 3

The philosophy of Montessori school is that they let the kid decide what they want to do. So if they show interest in numbers, he gets do play with numbers/math most of the time. If he likes drawing, than that's what he does. I visited such a school, and all the kids were doing their own thing. I don't think it's well balanced.

Answer 4

My son was put in a Developmental Kindergarten after going to a Montessori pre-school. They are good at teaching getting along and motor skills but not very good for writing and listening skills. It all depends on what your child needs.. I am also having a hard time getting him to wright. If I was to do it over he would not of gone there.