Thanks, everyone! Well, we ended up pulling him out of the preschool because the administration was making it pretty clear that they couldn't (didn't want to??) meet his needs. Also, to me he just didn't seem happy there and I didn't want him somewhere that he wasn't happy. We just want a safe and fun place for him to make friends.

Today is the first day of Montessori - it's a half day, actually, meant to be an intro for him. My daughter (18 months) is starting Montessori too. To me honest, I'm having some reservations about this place. I have a lot to learn about Montessori, but maybe someone can help me out here --- for a kid that has a very active imagination and lots of creativity, is Montessori a good fit?

My son said a few of things in the presence of his teacher. He likes to joke and he loves imaginative play. She wasn't exactly amused by his brand of humor and actually "corrected" him. Here is just one example, he took some beads on a rope (there is a proper term from them, but I forget) and draped them over his neck. He said "What a lovely necklace. I'm a pretty girl!" He then giggled. (OK, it's not his best joke, but he thought it was pretty funny.) The directress said "No, those are not necklaces. And you are a boy." Not even a smile. No humor. My son took off the beads and put them back and said "It was a JOKE." She ignored this. So I don't know if his personality and her personality are going to mesh well.

I dunno what to think about anything anymore... would a class clown personality do OK in a Montessori environment? Is this just the teacher being humorless, or is Montessori culture sort of rigid?

If this doesn't work, or if he has behavior issues here, I want to just pull him out of preschool all together and wait until the public school 4k. I love his creative and funny personality, and I'd hate for it to get "corrected" all day long.

I have a feeling they will have a low tolerance for any hitting and pushing issues too - but with older classmates (he's the youngest in a 3-6 classroom), I am hoping that behavior won't surface.

I know any parent can relate to this - you just want what is best for your kid and there are no easy answers.

I'd love to hear any thoughts on this, and above all I really appreciate getting to "vent" here. Thanks for listening.