montessori education

[redgus]

hello,
i am somewhat new to this subject. i am considering sending my dd to a montessori preschool. i have talked about this with people at work and have heard both rave reviews and negative comments. does anyone have children in montessori? i would appreciate all suggestions/comments/ideas. thank you.
diana

[egoldber]

I have also looked into this as there is a Montessori pre-school literally around the corner from us. From what I am able to gather, the quality of Montessori programs varies dramatically from program to program and it is a MUST to visit your school and observe.

I found several books at my local library about Montessori education which I found helpful, including these two:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0827345178/qid=1062459781/sr=1-6/ref=sr_1_6/102-8263914-7942550?v=glance&s=books


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0452277965/qid=1062459822/sr=1-24/ref=sr_1_24/102-8263914-7942550?v=glance&s=books

Personally, I find the Montessori theory to be very attractive. I have decided at this point not to place my DD in that preschool at this point (for several reasons), but I would re-consider in the future.

Good luck!

[Karenn]

I love the Montessori method! I was a product of Montessori Kindergarten and then taught at a Montessori school for several years. (I did not actually teach Montessori in my grade, but my co-workers in the preschool were Montessori certified.)

I agree with Beth that the quality of a Montessori program varies from place to place. The requirements for calling yourself a "montessori school" aren't as strict as they could be, so you'll find that many schools are "Montessori-esque" rather than "classic Montessori." That's not to say that Montessori-esque is bad- I think some of the best Montessori schools in my area are Montessori-esque. You just have to know what you're getting.

Asking around is probably the best way to find out the quality of a pre-school. Also, if you know any local Kindergarten teachers, they might be good resources too. They are the ones who receive the "products" of preschools and often see patterns, i.e. Kids who come from school 'A' are often reading when they arrive, Kids who come from school 'B' tend to be a little on the wild side, etc.

Good luck in your school search!