This is a really interesting discussion. I am interested in the approach, but was leery of it in practice. Sydness, your descriptions are great, but lead me to a few more questions. First, how do kids like your dd do when they leave this environment and return to a public school environment in which they have significantly less control? And in your description above of using the materials properly, what if a child wants do use the materials in a way that is not intended, but still provides a learning experience? Is that allowed? My ds is often creates "experiments" at home and using all kinds of household materials to do so. Also, how does the teacher's approach work with gifted kids who may be used to and seek more social interaction with adults?
I am not intending to be critical of Montessori, I am genuinely interested in how it deals with these issues. This just got me thinking about it again. There are some schools near me that I would consider but for some of these concerns. And ITA with the pp who said there is alot of variation between schools. I just wonder what the Montessori approach is "supposed" to be and whether the one I visited is following it well or not.
