The Montessori method

Pre-College Topics High School Life
1

<p>I’ve been hearing about it a lot lately, but I only had a vague idea of what it was before today.</p>

<p>I got pretty curious, so I just read through [the</a> Wikipedia page](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montessori]the”>Montessori education - Wikipedia) and hmmm… very interesting (albeit a bit poorly-written – wonder what kind of school the Wiki page editor[s] went to) stuff.</p>

<p>I’ll reserve my judgment for now and get others’ input.</p>

<p>Montessori schools: questions, thoughts, opinions, experiences?</p>

2

<p>I went to a Montessori school for 1st-2nd grade.</p>

<p>All I remember was that it was great because nobody was held back by the rest of the class - for example, I was way ahead in math so my teachers would also prepare me a separate packet of problems each day.</p>

3

<p>^ Oh wow. That would be very nice.</p>

4

<p>doesnt the kid in some old movie also go to a montessori school. it seems like it would be super fun</p>

5

<p>I went to one for pre-school.</p>

6

<p>I went to a montessori pre-school. My aunt was the teacher and I remember it being really fun. Teachers work with you in areas that you excel in and they are really big on creativity. From what I can remember I loved it and I wish I got to go their for elementary school. They encourage learning for the sake of learning at Montessori schools.</p>

7

<p>So, okay, you remember that it was fun…</p>

<p>When you say,

and

</p>

<p>…Are these things that you actually remember noticing at the time, at the age of 3 or 4, or things that you’ve heard others (like your aunt) say since then?</p>

8

<p>They are pretty common in my country, perhaps 20% of all students attend them. I attended one in first and second grade and the next two years were gradually changing into a regular school, which was good, because the adjustment is quite harsh if it’s sudden.
Montessori is a great concept - BIG on creativity and individuality, and that’s not just psycho babble that you hear and repeat ;-).
I was able to read and write at 3rd grade level when I started school, and was sitting in a class with students with special needs - and it worked, and I was happily learning and doing projects (was the main concept at my school) - I still have the pin-ball machine I constructed in 4th grade- I researched a mechanism (reading), figured out how much wood and paint I’d need (math/calculating) - bought the stuff on my own, built the thing (with help, of course, but it worked), and created a poster for our “family night”, where I presented it. </p>

<p>On the other hand, I often was frustrated in regular school, because many things were taught out of concept and seemed pointless, I didn’t have the intrinsic motivation, and I wasn’t able to work on my own pace… Yes, I did figure out how to work the system and get into the top college of my country, but… I wasn’t happy in school.</p>

<p>Still, Montessori has planted a seed inside of me. For example, in 8th grade I wanted to know how long a sine was… This is quite an advanced piece of math. But it became my pet project, and one day I was able to calculate it… :slight_smile: </p>

<p>And this is not the only project that happened in my life. I wanted to create a web site. I wanted to have a robot, which could sort my sweets (I hated the green ones…). I wanted to know if Shakespeare was gay. (I’m still not convinced he wasn’t. But I read all of his works… and many books about him). I wanted to know how my car really worked. I wanted to create the perfect dessert. I wanted to get a perfect grade in real analysis.
And every time I really desired to know or create something, I sat down, and wrote a plan (and it’s stilled called ‘MY BATTLE PLAN’, in capitals, every time) - and figured out what I needed to do and organize.
You can think up a way to do almost anything, given you have enough motivation and your plan is sound. </p>

<p>Alex
PS: There was something that my first teacher told me, and that has somehow etched itself into my head: You are the artist, the paint and the paper. Make yourself something special…</p>

9

<p>Montessori schools are great. I would have stayed through 8th grade probably had there not been only 4 kids in the entire middle school. Basically it’s like a combination of traditional classroom instruction and unschooling. There are certain minimum requirements you must meet, for example all 14 year olds had to pass the Alg I final with 90% proficiency. </p>

<p>Montessori classrooms are designed so activities are set up all over the room, there are typically computers, tables, a kitchen area, books, and other various things. Since the middle school is extermely small, most instruction was one-on-one. You needed to take a science, english, social science, math, and language every year but it was entirely self-paced. The classes are not the standard US History variety, they are much more creative and might include something like “The Individual Role in Revolutions in History.” Many schools allow you to develop your own course of study as well. Sometimes one other student would work with you if they happened to be working on the same thing as you. Basically, the teacher would have a brief lecture and then the student had time to ask questions which consumed most of the instruction time. This method of teaching is excellent since it is almost entirely self-paced however I assume that most Montessori schools are not as individualized since most are larger than mine. </p>

<p>Grading in Montessori is really interesting as well. At my school, every single test a student had to earn a 90%. If they took the test the first time and earned anything below that, they had to find the correct answers and write explanations (you actually had to do this for every test unless you recieved a 100). A few days later they then retook it following the same process until they earned a 90% or higher. At the end of each marking period, sometimes five page long comment cards are sent to the parents to review focusing on strenghts, weakneses, and improvement. </p>

<p>Montessori has a huge emphasis on practical life as well which is quite unique. Teaching practical life skills is something really important that many schools fail to see as important. The emphasis on human rights also plays a critical role which can get a little weird at sometimes but for the most part seems good. </p>

<p>The methods for montessori I think are great, but the problem is the lack of social stimulation if you attended a school like mine. However, the smallness had it’s academic benefits that couldn’t be attained with a much larger class so I don’t know if you really could find a perfect balance.</p>

10

<p>I was in a Montessori school for year. It was awesome. I wish I could have it all the way through the high school. They stop at the middle school, right?</p>

11

<p>^I think there a few montessori high schools but the majority stop at 8th grade</p>

12

<p>The Montessori method owns. Wish I could have gone to a school like that.</p>

13

<p>I would have gone to the Montessori school here if there had been one closer to my house… I loved them cause they didn’t have to wear uniform, and whilst that doesn’t seem like a big deal for you guys it is for us haha</p>

14

<p>I’m generally in favor of the montessori method because it sound so positive, but in hindsight I realize it was a disaster for S1 who went to a montessori pre-school and kindergarten. He needed much structure and gentle pressure to do what he should. In being allowed to focus primarily on the things that interested him, he never developed a response to things that he had to do.</p>

<p>It was all very subtle, and as a first time parent, it’s really hard to know these things. I think parents, particularly of boys, should study the environment as well as the method very carefully to decide it is it the method best suited to your particular child.</p>

15

<p>My sister went there from Pre-Kindergarton through 3rd grade, she liked it.</p>

16

<p>I’m not sure. I suppose I’d have to see firsthand how it works. I’m very easily distracted, so I don’t know if it would be good for me. Then again, maybe it would be. I don’t know. I do know that I have to tape my laptop shut to do my math homework, or it takes me three times as long. I also know that I get frustrated at school when the teachers don’t go fast enough.</p>

17

<p>I went to a Montessori school for kindergarten. I don’t remember anything.</p>

<p>The method seems good <em>only</em> if you show initiative. I used to know a kid who was enrolled in a Montessori middle school, and he was pretty lazy in certain areas. Like when we’d be making fun of each other, he’d comment on “mainstream education” and say how useless certain things were. He was fond of saying things like “I only do things I like doing.”</p>

<p>Which could be detrimental later in life. He was (is), however, a very curious person, though. He once took apart my phone to see how it worked. My phone.</p>

18

<p>montessori preschool was terrible for me. nobody ever forced me to do anything but screw around. as a result, when i got to a normal kindergarten, i was placed in a group with the least intelligent kids. but as soon as someone forced me to start learning, i excelled, becoming the top student in my first grade class the next year. i also did well in middle school and got a 2040 SAT in 8th grade(and a 2370 SAT as a junior this year). in conclusion, had i gone to a montessori school all the way to 8th grade, I would be a total loser right now. no joke.</p>

19

<p>Hmm. From what I read here, it looks like it’s a better idea to start with a very structured education, gradually progressing to the Montessori method for high school. I think that would be a better way to go. Then students are taught to have the drive to learn, but then they can use those skills to learn about things that interest them. Thoughts?</p>

20

<p>sounds pretentious and unnecessary</p>