Okay, so, in a Montessori classroom, children are not praised for learning. They are not praised for being smart. They are never rewarded for seeking a teacher's aproval...

They are learning for learning sake. Small children like to learn. Their reward is knowing something they didn't know before. They are discovering without the presure of adult expecations. They will find what they like to learn about that way.

I remember once, my husband told the teacher at conferences that dd then 4 really seemed to like bird watching. She had memorized a lot of the names of birds and knows their call. She asked if someone in the family was exposing her to it.

Yes, her grandfather. She replied, "Well, sometimes children really enjoy doing an activity with a family member and take on a passion for the things that the other person likes, but she most likely is not interested in birds."

I was so offended. But ...ya know? She was right. My daughter couldn't care less about birds. She cared about the connection she was making with her grandfather.

Not to say that ALL things that children are interested in are because of presure for adults, but a Montessori teacher is trained to see why a child choses what he or she choses. She can tell if a child has an interest.

She told me that my dd was talented in Art. I was so disappointed. She was doing multiplication in Kindergarten, guided by the teacher, but I wasn't told she was advanced in Math. She was attending writing with the first graders, but I wasn't told her was advanced in Writing....Just Art.

That was weird to me. BUT my daughter spent hours of time in her classroom, with NO rewards, no hanging up of pictures...no coments about how wonderful her work was...nothing from any adult...and still chose to draw. And to draw wonderfully and creatively and be so engaged in drawing that it was obvious to label her as a gifted artist.

She is obviously gifted in Math and Language Arts as well. But she has been asked to study these subjects. She was never asked to draw.

Anyway, not having adult feedback in a Montessori school works...it is not competative like other schools. No student will be 'noticed' or not. The children have NO presure to perform. When they decide to perform, they do amazing things.

I think the people Montessori is not for...the children who have already decided that they need approval...

The child who needs to be noticed. I actually think Montessori is for them too, but it might take longer to get to the learning process. But I'm sure this type of child would learn to love learning like the rest of them.

Yes, there are things that are 'child led' that are not allowed. But for 3 hours a day, a child should be able to use material as they were ment to be used.

I AM concerned about the small class size....For a true Montessori approach to work, at least 20 kids are best...30 in the higher grades.

In 1st and 2nd grade my dd had 30 kids with a head teacher and 2 assistants....

Good luck with your decisions...!

For pre-school it would be a no-brainer...DO IT! You can re-evaluate in Kindergarten...

We ran into problems in 2nd...I wanted my daughter to start being competative, she was just too happy in her little Montessori world...:) I do miss it now...though...

She is back to being a people pleaser, worried about losing a pencil and getting a mark on her card...she is worried about not being at the top of the class, worried about selling the most magazines and worried about what she wears...There has to be a happy balance somewhere! But for pre-school! I would say - Best Thing I EVER DID FOR MY KIDS!