My experience with Montessori was both good and bad. I was pretty clear about my DD's (then 3) level in most everything when we enrolled her in Primary. I found out later what I had said in my initial interview was not taken at face value. However I did find it helpful to observe the classroom and see what works seemed to be challenging. Also I asked a lot of questions about what DD was working on in language arts and what the teacher hoped would be gained from any particular lesson. For example, readers were coming home that were way below her reading level, but DD was excited about them because she was reading the "!" and doing it with correct intonation. Asking questions helped me understand what came next and what needed to be accomplished in order for a work to be considered mastered.
I didn't find specific examples of what home life was like were particularly helpful. Often they were brushed off so I stopped sharing.
FWIW we are no longer in a Montessori program. While I love the idea of Montessori, I found my particular school was not as flexible as I would have hoped. I also think LOG and personality play a huge role in the success, or failure, of the Montessori method in educating a child.
