Trinity,
Thanks for your thoughtful remarks. The concern about the academic shortchanging the social comes from my perception that Montessori education emphasizes independent learning. Perhaps I am mistakenly equating independence with isolation. We just don't want our son to grow up in an "ivory tower". Also, he is averse to structured group activities involving other children, and We'd like to see that change. In any case, the concern doesn't stem from a belief that he will get worn out from the intellectual stimulation.
Our intuition tells us that the multi-age setting would indeed be best for our son. But I think we are both concerned about his adaptability to the 5-day program when his current and only scholastic experience is a 1-day/week parent/child class. I will look into doing a one-week trial as you suggest. It would be nice if it were possible to do it now before the next school year due to enrollment logistics.
Your point about the relevance of the individual teacher is well-taken. In some sense, that seems even more important than the school or the pedagogical paradigm.
While I agree that locking all children into an age-based developmental path is misguided, I do feel that some guidance is appropriate with respect to permitting a child to pursue knowledge for which they may be intellectually ready, but perhaps not emotionally ready. So if I have understood you correctly, we may differ on this point. Nonetheless, your overarching point of making sure we have an understanding of the teacher's perspectives on these issues is much appreciated.
We certainly have no interest in pushing our son. If anything, we want to provide the environment that will ultimately make him happy and well-adjusted, which is a far greater concern to us than his academic development. Hopefully, this will come across to the personnel in the various schools so that they do not mistake us for "fearful parents who push their child".
Thanks again for your support.
