Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments do you know anything about montessori preschool?

I am part of another parents forum and I have read so many posts from people stating that they would not consider Montessori for Preschool or Kindergarten.

I am trying so hard to make some choices for my daughter for the fall, and one environment i have thought might be a good match is Montessori.

Have you had any experiences? Positives/negatives?

Thanks!

Well I will let you know in a couple weeks. We are starting my DS4 in a montessori program this week. It seems like a much better fit than his current pre-k. There was nothing wrong with his other pre-k we just think it would be good for him to learn how to be challenged a bit, to work on completing tasks, and to be in a more relaxed setting as when his setting is calmer he is significantly calmer. We tried it out for a day last week and he loved it. He is in love with all the "manipulatives" He could care less about typical pre-k toys (action figures, dramatic play, etc). but really likes blocks/puzzles, math stuff, art, etc. And they get to go outside each day which he is excited about and I think it is good for kids.

This topic comes up a lot, and the reviews here seem to be mixed. Some had amazing, fabulous experiences, and others (like me) were not terribly pleased.

Preschool success seems to have more to do with the specific school and teacher and whether they "get" your child and just how GT s/he is than with the method, Montessori or otherwise. Certainly the Montessori method is a valid one. Properly practiced and with the right teacher, it can be a good fit for an HG+ child. But like everything else, one size does not fit all.

You might search for "Montessori" here and check the old threads. There hasn't been one for a few months, but there are a number of them buried in there.

Hi Oneisenough -

Kriston's advice is spot on! My DS4.5 has done two years of Montessori and has been thriving. I don't know his LOG but I think maybe around MG+ ...not as advanced at 2-2.5 as your daughter (going by your posts from October.)

Really, it all depends on the particular school and if the teachers get your kid. We went with Montessori after another preschool that was a **terrible fit**. You will see some of my old posts when you do your search.

PM me if you have specfic questions.

Montessori was supposed to be our solution for next few years (read till DS runs out of their curriculum) at least that's what we thought back in 2007.

DS6 spent 2 years in a play based PreK and was very happy there. There wasn't too much academics involved and it was mostly about having fun. They still let him read to other kids and bring in his own report about Solar System. He loved it there.

He spent K in Montessori together with his younger brother who was 3 at that time. Within a week the teachers told me that they had never had a child like my son but they also told me that this wasn't school for him. On one hand they said he was extremely gt on the other hand they told me I was pushing him, he learned only to please me, etc. They went on and on about his handwriting. He was unhappy and angry at home. His perfectionism went trough the roof. He asked to be hs.

I still think it was most likely a better match than public K would be (part of the reason was that he went only 1/2 day as opposed to full day in PS). That said I have a big regret that I didn't pull him out when he asked to stay home.

It was a very bad year for our younger one (3 at that time). Where our older son was clearly out of their curriculum and they tried to accommodate him, our younger one fit nicely in their idea of 3-6 year old program. They followed the manual to the "t". They wouldn't let him move beyond simple counting because he couldn't write the numbers. Nevermind that he had hands of a three year old and none of the 3 year olds could. He came there reading but they still attempted to teach him a few letters. He didn't like it there. He refused to go to school quite often and I let him to stay home.

This year DS6 is hs and DS4 is back in the play based preschool where our older one used to go. He is happy in PreK now.

Our experience can be summed up to "No academics is better than wrong academics." For some gt kids play based PreK may be a very good option. They can get all the academics their heart desires at home and on the right level.

Then there was the Montessori pre-K we visited but did NOT attend in which the kids listened silently to a LONG Dr. Seuss book for something like 20 minutes without even breathing loudly! No one asked questions, commented on the pictures, or interacted in ANY way with the teacher! It was creepy! When my 3yo son asked a question about the book, a litle girl beside him shushed him before the words were out of his mouth.

It didn't get better when they moved to their work. It was the quietest room I ever saw. I felt like I'd entered the pre-K from the Stepford Wives! Not a great place for an active, talkative, social boy!!!

When we left, DS said, "I didn't like that school."

"Neither did I, sweetie," I replied, "Neither did I!"

That's the worst and weirdest example I've heard of, but it's a good example of why not all Montessori schools are created equal. <shudder>

The one he went to was just not good at skipping the "easy" work, though they had promised up-front that they would. Remember: they can sell you the moon and the stars when you're school-hunting; the question is really will they deliver? Ours did not. Some do! (Thank goodness!)

I hesitate to write on this thread b/c my knowledge is through some friends, but what LMom wrote hit so close to what one friend's daughter is experiencing I just wanted to add it. She is in a long line of Montessori students. Her dad's education was the Montessori program as well as all his siblings so he was very insistent on the school choice and the international guidelines. But she too is being pigeon held to the age range. She is ready to progress into the next level for a few areas but they won't let her continue because she is too young and if I am not mistaken it is the same logic of having to write the numbers before going on. Which I'm sorry but being able to write something is of a different ability. The sad thing is that even though he is complaining about the structure and holding her back, he is by no means ready to pull her out of the program and I really hope that decision doesn't hinder her.

All of this said I also want to say that I have heard very positive comments about Montessori school and from who all I heard both sides from I am coming to a conclusion that I think Montessori school is great for the ND or lower level GT kids but not necessarily the best option for HG+ b/c of the limits of acceleration.

And I too am under the belief of play based preschool being the best option for my DD 28 mths. My rational for it is she really doesn't need academic since she is far ahead (already equates to 1st grade curriculum in verbal and math) as it is and the reason we would even put her into preschool at this point is for socialization.

Anyway... that is my 2 cents for what it is worth since I don't have direct experience with Montessori schools.

Some are really good. I know Wren loves their Montessori school, and there are others out there who had extremely good experiences, too.

Even ours wasn't all bad--they did let him move ahead eventually. It just took them until January to figure out that when I said "He's reading books and has been for a year now," that I MEANT IT! That was really frustrating, and it wasted half the year. My son did absolutely no language arts in that school for half the year! He did other things, of course, but it seems ridiculous to me that they didn't know he knew his letters because they ignored me and were requiring him to go lockstep through their activities.

But that's about that one school and that one teacher. It just shows that all Montessori schools aren't great for HG+ kids, not that all Montessori schools are bad for HG+ kids. I don't think either is true.

I would never bash any one pre-K method. You can't paint all of them with a single brush like that. It really does come down to the specific school and the specific teacher and if they get the child, regardless of method.

Hmm ... well, ds6 (who is HG+) had a *great* Montessori experience.

We moved him from playbased daycare (it wasn't *really* preschool, we needed all-day care) to Montessori when he was 4y3m. It was becoming clear to us that he wasn't happy at his play-based center. He was already reading well and was starting in on the math; he seemed bored with the kids and bored with the available toys.

Let me preface this with the fact that the Montessori Early Childhood program he attended (ages 3-6, mixed age group) is a Montessori training college -- they are "good" Montessorians.

He really blossomed at Montessori. He entered reading fairly well (he was big into Captain Underpants at the time), so the reading wasn't as noticeable. But his math in particular took off, not really as a result of particular instruction but because he was able to explore manipulatives. OTOH, he *was* exposed to money and place value, ideas I wouldn't have thought to teach him. Before he turned 5 he was accurately counting large piles of change.

No, they didn't know how GT he was -- but for that matter, neither did I. His teacher was floored one naptime toward the beginning of the year; Ds-then-4 was meant to be napping, and his favorite teacher was sitting next to him with her laptop, working on write-ups for parent-teacher conferences. She heard him whispering quietly, and realized he was reading the words as she was typing them! I think after that they had some idea that he was pretty bright, and they did work to keep him stimulated.

The nice thing about Montessori, when done right, is that so many of the materials are open-ended and the child can differentiate for herself, to a point. The language lessons and the math are easier to take to a deeper level, especially with a skilled and in-tune teacher.

The other nice thing is the self-help skills. As a pampered only child, ds never had to do much for himself -- it was faster for me to put on his shoes, coat, etc, so I just always did! Montessori places a heavy emphasis on self-help and self-care skills; these were great for ds.

Overall, it was great for us. Ds liked his time there, and we were happy with it. Yes, the classroom was quiet and orderly, but not in a bad way -- the kids were all just busy and engaged! It is amazing to see a Montessori classroom in action -- as long as it's not of the Stepford variety. The kids are all active and engaged and really enjoying the learning process.

Go in and observe!

And that is how it can (and should!) be at a Montessori school. I really think the method has a *lot* of promise for HG+ kids. But it just comes down to the individual school and the individual teacher and their take on your kid.