What do you all think about Montessori School for elementary? Do you think that graduating from there will make any problem at the time of transfering to a private high school, college, or university?
Thank you all so much for your great support.
It's my understanding that pretty much any school can SAY it's "Montessori" - that the name is not regulated. So check it out, find out it's history, and rates of college admissions of graduates, etc.
I am a Montessori middle school teacher and I send my son to Montessori preschool. Many charter schools use the name Montessori but they are not accredited. It could mean they use a sprinkling of Montessori philosophy mixed in with very un-Montessori practices, like whole class lectures. Check accreditation first. Take a tour. Look up the work of Linda Polk. She writes very accessible guides for people wondering about Montessori. In a well run Montessori classroom, you will see students who are highly independent and a teacher who facilitates their learning by guiding them through a prearranged curriculum, which is very hands on, even for literature and social studies. It can be a great experience for a child who can handle that kind of independence. The mixed age classrooms are something special as well. You should know that for an extremely precocious child, the Montessori curriculum can be limiting, so ask the school if they offer enrichment for gifted kids if you think that concern might apply.
I work at a montessori school that goes up to 4th grade. I think it's great! Most kids who go through a montessori education actually do better than traditional school. I have heard nothing but good things from kids who graduate and move onto regular high schools and colleges.
We loved Montessori!
I wish the school that was near us did higher elementary grades but the highest they went was kindergarten.
If we could have we would have stuck with Montessori right up through high school.
My kids had little trouble transitioning to a traditional classroom after 9 years in Montessori, pre-k through 6th grade. But it also depends on your kid, mine are pretty resilient and flexible.
My daughter goes to a montisori school and loves it. She started in public. I wasn't too thrilled with the public to say the least. She did really well on the FCAT though. Good test taker. Anyway what the montissori allowed her to do was expand her mind and creativity. IThey do not just teach to a test. In public if felt like my daughter was being held back by the system and the cliques and bulling she found in the public system. In montissorri she was allowed to grow at her own level. As you might be aware the grades in montissori are mixed. For math she was able to learn stuff years ahead that she would never have been given the chance in public but in English were she is only average she could stick to her level. They are more hands on. Also for some reason she was even able to learn more extra curricular items in the montissori. Whereas there never seemed to be enough time to do in public. The classes are smaller so there is more teacher involvement. Cliques and bullying do not have a chance to get out of hand. As another poster mentioned, just make sure you get an accredited montissori not a private or public saying they are montissori.
I don't want to rain on anyone's parade here. You will get LOADS of praise for Montessori education and that is great. We have a really good Montessori school here in our community which we strongly considered for our children, but ultimately decided against it and here is why. The Montessori school here does not go through 12th grade. We knew that ultimately we would put our kids in either public or a private school with a more traditional school setting and curriculum. We talked to parents of children who had sent their kids to montessori and then sent their kids elsewhere. We also talked to teachers who taught children who were first in montessori. Pretty much ALL said that these kids had a really hard time adjusting to the new setting and new way of learning. It didn't seem to matter what age they transferred over, but all said it took 1-2 years for them to adjust. We just didn't want to put our kids through that. I would advise you to do the same - talk to people you know. Get as much input as you can and make an informed decision from there.
