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https://montessoriobserver.com/2013/07/02/montessori-and-gifted-children/

This is interesting; based on my knowledge of montessori schools, do you think the parents of young children (pre-k) arent given enough information about their child's abilities to suspect giftedness? I know my own daughter's "teacher" (she is 2) has told me that they arent really allowed to tell me anything unless there is a problem, but has told me outside of class on numerous occasions that she is "so smart"

It made me wonder if the adherence to some of the philosophies actually allowed some kids to go unnoticed as gifted.

I think it is really dependent on the Montessori school. DD3 is in a Montessori school that was recommended by our psych (who specializes in GT kids) and although we are moving her to same school at DS (we knew it would only be for 1-2 years max since hers only goes to around the eq of first or second grade).

We have visited and heard of wide range of Montessori schools - some where I can completely see where the school would have no clue about giftedness.

In DD's case (she is in the class with 3-5 year olds), since the classes are mixed age, I don't see a lot of comparisons to what a typical age peer would be like I did in the previous preschool at our PT conferences. She gets to hang out with older and younger kids.

In her classroom, they do really allow them to go at their own pace - her teacher told us that sometimes DD would sometimes sit with her activity close to a lesson for the older kids and although appear not to be listening, as soon as the lesson was over, she would get it out and do it correctly, and they don't force her to put it back. She has been showing a lot of interest in some areas so they have been encouraging her and they are aware of her ability to pick up things quickly.

I would imagine - in a good Montessori school, where they do really follow the child's pace, there should not need to be identification for GT specifically but rather work seamlessly so if the child needs materials from next class, they could get those materials. However, Montessori name is used and misused frequently so it would really be dependent on school, like any other school.

Montessori as a concept and the implementation of those same concepts are two totally different things.

What you mention about working at their own pace is what actually gives me concern. I mean, she is only two, but at the same time, I could see how they would be working with her individually, and not use her abilities comparably. In our montessori school/daycare, the ages are not mingled. She is in the 2s classroom and another child has to age out of the 3s room before she can move in, and they do it by age order, not by ability. which frustrates me. They say they curriculum is the "same", but I think her being exposed to kids that are her peers would be beneficial for her. Like her teacher says, she is very smart. but she also, I doubt, is being given much room to grow.

I think in general teachers may not be good identifiers of giftedness (and this is not a knock on teachers - it's a really hard job).

I would agree with this. especially with gifted kids that are not 2e, and are in that socially optimal range.

Is the teacher bringing materials from older age rooms into her classroom once she's mastered those in the 2s? Our son's teachers did that regularly. They were always bringing in new-to-him materials. I don't know that anyone there every called him gifted, but the head of school did tell us several times that he was amazingly smart.

As with any school, experiences vary considerably between Montessori schools. We had a 95% awesome experience with one our ODS (DYSnow ) attended for nearly four years (age 2-K). He flourished there. The teachers knew he could handle more advanced materials and made sure he had exposure to them. In particular, the math manipulatives worked very well for him.

We visited two Montessori schools in our new town and were far less impressed with them.

I am not sure. I have a small complex about being a pushy parent and I don't want her teachers thinking her mom thinks shes a snowflake... and I also don't know if she is really pushing for anything new? if that makes sense. shes a pretty submissive and sensitive kid, so i'm not sure that there is an awareness that's even an option, thus not triggering anything from her teachers.

I did bring up the fact that she was "reading"... or knew some sight words once to her teacher and she said, "yeah, that's pretty common at this age that they start associating pictures with words". It felt pretty dismissive, but it also made me think that DD isn't really showing herself at school.

I really do love the daycare/school. she is happy there and seems to be well adjusted and enjoy the teachers and children, so I don't plan on reevaluating her being there. If she really wants to move ahead in concepts, she will.

I do wonder, though, if there is a shyness/reservedness about her that doesn't allow other people to see growth potential. if that makes sense

In general, I would suggest that at this age, if she's happy, don't worry about this quite as much as you will likely need to do later. However, if she starts to say it isn't fun or gives you other signs she might be through the materials (no longer finding things to interest her), then revisit it.

thanks! that's good advice. It was my inclination. mostly, I just what her to be having fun at school, and learning to be around and resolve conflicts with other kids. play. shes two... so i am not worried about her education so much as I am wanting to make sure that she doesnt fall through the cracks because of her personality.

We have three children in two different Montessori schools. In my experience Montessori is very good for gifted children, especially if they enter at the younger end of a mixed age classroom. Active support for gifted children varies not only from school to school but from teacher to teacher.

We have had one teacher who has been immensely supportive of DYS, providing advanced lessons and enrichment, and supporting his going for math lessons to the highest class in the school (a 5 grade acceleration). We had another teacher who flatly told us - when we told her DD-then3 was reading simple books with sight words - "we don't expect three year olds to read" and refused any enrichment. We switched DD to a different classroom, where her teacher does provide advanced work to DD and a small group of gifted peers but does not go out of her way to challenge or stretch them. DD is fine with that but is cruising along and could do with a bit more challenge when she switches classrooms. The gifted group is working about two grades ahead.

We also have a two year old in Montessori program where I spend a morning each week. At two the curriculum primarily focuses on practical life, emerging language, fine and gross motor skills, and social interactions. It is very different from most daycares for two year olds, and from most traditional schools. If your child is engaged and happy with the activities I would not push for more formal academics. (DS had to "go back" as a kindergartener to master a lot of practical life activities most three year olds have learned ... he was too busy reading and doing math at that age) The works in the classroom are typically updated weekly, and as the children get closer to three more math and language activities are typically incorporated. Our DD2.5 is readily included in these activities with the young three year olds in her class. A good teacher will gauge your child's level but may still have them work through all the material, since most works are designed to address multiple developmental areas. (e.g. sensorial as well as math). Perhaps worth noting that it is common for children in Montessori to read ahead of age peers in traditional schools. Also, Montessori tends to teach writing (tracing letters at first) before reading, but is not rigid about that sequence.

Another very important note about Montessori is that the children select their work. The teacher may suggest something, but ultimately the child decides what they want to work on. Again if your child is engaged and happy she is bound to be learning, though it may be more in the practical than academic areas. As in your daughter's case, our child's teachers realize that she is bright but probably don't realize just how bright she is. At home she works on more advanced math (if you can call it that - counting and adding objects) and reading, and I have no doubt that she will jump from reading sight words to actually reading before long ... but having been through this with DS I am not in a rush! There are a lot of very useful things to learn about navigating the world, independence, and peer relationships: that is the real value of toddler Montessori.

On balance, we are very happy with how Montessori is serving our children. In particular, pre-K through early grades seems so much better suited to gifted children's interest, learning style and pace than most traditional schools.