Attachment Parenting

Re: (Untitled)

  • imagefredalina:
    This is true. I haven't personally seen it happen though. The schools in my area with "Montessori" label are, to my knowledge, all AMS or AMI certified with mostly AMS or AMI accredited teachers.



    The cons are:
    1) Imagination is not fostered. Materials are supposed to be used a certain way. The other day Charlotte was sitting in her teacher's lap and pretended to feed the teacher a chocolate. The teacher ignored it. A good school will work around this by still offering art and music options and having at least one good period of free play per day, preferably outside. Charlotte's class goes outside twice a day, and they have some free/imaginative play items to play with outside and teachers don't interfere in kids' play. So it's not like imagination is prohibited, but it really isn't fostered like it would be in a Waldorf or Reggio or even a traditional school.
    2) Some people say it can be hard to adjust to

    Lurking here, but I have some experience to add.   

    AMI and AMS are very different! Just because they're both accredited through some sort of organization does not mean they're either the same, or both official. AMI is the only organization actually founded by Maria Montessori and her descendants and grounded firmly in her theory. AMS does completely different things that are not "Montessorian" at all.

    On the issue of imagination, I think in some ways that's true and in others it isn't. Yes, materials are designed to be used in a certain way, but that does not mean children aren't allowed or encouraged to use them in other ways. Yes, the Pink Tower is supposed to be built in size order to help develop an awareness of difference in dimension, and to build the sense of order, but children are welcome and encouraged to build with the pieces in other ways. Through exploration, they learn even more about the concept of size and dimension. They are not, however, allowed to throw or drop the pieces, bang them into each other, or zoom them around in the air as if they were airplanes. 

    I would argue that creativity is definitely fostered in Montessori, but at the Primary (age 3-6) level, it is true that "imagination" as far is imaginary things go is intentionally avoided. There is a time for fantasy and thinking about things that aren't real and imagining yourself in fantastical situations, and that is encouraged in Montessori - at the elementary age. For children 3-6, Montessori observed and discovered it is an important thing for the children to achieve a strong grounding in reality and a firm understanding of their world. So, for instance, pretending to be a mother or a teacher or a firefighter is fine and encouraged. Pretending that fairies and monsters exist is too abstract for this age. 

    Ultimately, why should the child have to pretend things when they can do real things, though? Kids love to "play" cook and clean and take care of things. In Montessori, rather than "pretend" food or taking care of a stuffed animal, they prepare real food, do real cleaning, and take care of real plants and animals. This serves the same purpose for children, but adds a meaningful element to it that really fosters independence. 

    As far as art and music, I don't know what your school is like, but both the Primary and Elementary Montessori programs are heavily infused with both art and music! It is part of the training of every AMI teacher and is integrated into the classroom just like every other activity. There are both music and art appreciation activities as well as actual opportunities to make music and art. I've never heard of a Montessori school that doesn't incorporate a period of outdoor play at least once per day.  

    Sorry for the novel. I am a Montessori teacher and above all, I know that every school, every classroom, and every teacher is different, so while this is my experience as to the way I was trained, and the way I teach, that doesn't mean that will be what you see in every school (even every AMI school, unfortunately). My suggestion to anyone interested in Montessori is 1: read as much about it as you can, if possible from the source herself - Maria Montessori! 2: visit as many different schools and classrooms as possible and observe carefully until you find something you are comfortable with. Ask questions and familiarize yourself with the philosophy, and become an active participant in your child's education!

     

    #1 7/2013
    #2 3/2015
    #3 3/2017
    #4 10/2019
  • Loading the player...
  • Another thing, just like all schools are different, all teachers are different. I'm a former Montessori teacher, and you can bet i'd pretend to chow on a chocolate if a little one poised in my lap gave it to me. But, I am sure there are some teachers who feel very strongly against taking part in pretend play.

     If you're considering Montessori, really consider what you want for your child. There is *so* much that is beautiful about Montessori, but Waldorf, and Reggio Emilia both offer very different, equally beautiful early childhood environments. Sometimes you can even find a preschool that very successfully offers a blend of several styles.

    I know a former Montessori teacher who went off to start her own school, and she does so much with imagination, nature and art, while still offering the practical life, and other core Montessori curriculum to her students.

      p.s. the Peter Parker girl reminds me of a boy I had last year, in public K. He came from Montessori, and interestingly enough he's going back to Montessori (our school district is in disarray) but I'm 99% certain he thinks he's a superhero, and his parents thoroughly agree.:)

  • Are the hours the same in a Montessori school as in public schools?

    I was homeschooled my whole life, and I see so much of myself in my son. Hes loud, he's rambunctious, he's hyper, he's strong willed, he's passionate and he has VERY big feelings. He's also very kind, and very sensitive. I know I thrived in the home school environment, but of course I'm not sure that I'm up to the challenge of homeschooling!

    Did anyone else look at homeschooling? If so why did you decide against it?
  • imagenfrtny:
    Are the hours the same in a Montessori school as in public schools? I was homeschooled my whole life, and I see so much of myself in my son. Hes loud, he's rambunctious, he's hyper, he's strong willed, he's passionate and he has VERY big feelings. He's also very kind, and very sensitive. I know I thrived in the home school environment, but of course I'm not sure that I'm up to the challenge of homeschooling! Did anyone else look at homeschooling? If so why did you decide against it?

    DH and I were both homeschooled K-12.  He would really like for us to homeschool any children we have, and I'm not against the idea.  We were both part of a really active cover school and did a lot of classes/activities outside of our homes.  But at the moment I work full-time and I just don't see myself leaving the job I love in a few years to homeschool DD.

    There are a couple of private schools in our area that meet 3-4 days a week and encourage parents to work with their children on the materials covered in class and to participate in extracurricular activities on the days off.  We're strongly considering this.  The one we're most strongly considering for K-12 is a classical school, so not very much like Montessori at all.  If I were homeschooling, I'd probably draw a lot from Montessori ideas.

    Married to my best friend 6/5/10
    BFP #1 9/7/10, EDD 5/14/11, Violet born 5/27/11.
    BFP #2 4/9/12, EDD 12/16/12, M/C Rory 4/24/12.
    BFP #3 10/6/12, EDD 6/16/12., Matilda born 6/17/13.
  • I've never even heard of reggio, you guys! Now I have another option to look into. Thanks for the info, and thanks for asking this, OP!
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
  • imageMamasaurus:
    I've never even heard of reggio, you guys! Now I have another option to look into. Thanks for the info, and thanks for asking this, OP!

    My son was in a Reggio school for 2 years and now my daughter is there and we love it, I can not say enough good things about the Reggio philosophy. 

    Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
  • imagenfrtny:
    Did anyone else look at homeschooling? If so why did you decide against it?

    I was home schooled for K-10 and haven't made a final decision about how we will be educating our children. My biggest concern is making sure my children's education is well rounded. My mother did a fantastic job with all 6 of her children and all of us have gone on to be successful in continuing education, but it was because she spent endless hours lesson planning, and educating herself to make sure that she provided us with a quality education. She had no summers, and precious few evenings off. She took books and planners with her on summer vacations. I'm honestly not sure that I could commit that amount of time and energy to my children's education. I'm sure that much of the decision will depend on the public schools in our area, and our financial situation. If we don't feel like we can provide a quality education with external schools, then I will spend the time, effort, and energy to provide it for my children in our home. 

This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"