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Back to School


Maddy started Pre-K at a Montessori school on August 26th. That was back to school for all of us since DBU started classes the same day. This school has uniforms. Maddy was supposed to have a jumper but the order didn't come in on time so she ended up wearing one of her uniform shirts with some khaki pants. This picture does full justice to how cute she looked for her first day at school.
A lot of people have heard of Montessori schools, but don't really know what they do. Some misconceptions about Montessori are that the teachers never tell the kids no, the kids do whatever they want all the time, there is no structure, etc. This couldn't be farther from the truth about well-run, certified Montessori schools.
 Because Montessori schools aren't regulated by one governing body, anyone can claim to be a Montessori pretty much. So if you do choose a Montessori school, it's important to closely check where the teachers get their certifications, credentials and training as well as closely look at the methods and rules the Montessori uses for governing it's particular school.
Montessori theory believes that kids are best at teaching and learning from each other and from concrete, practical, hands-on materials. So Montessoris don't begin with any abstract concepts. If a child does a math lesson, they will have beads, blocks, or some kind of object that represents the numbers rather than work with abstract figures on a piece of paper. The same goes for language, geography, and other types of lessons. This makes so much sense because most kids learn by doing, not by sitting an listening. The teacher evaluates where the child's skill level is for all the different subjects and then starts them with a lesson that is at their skill level. The child will not move on to the next lesson in that subject until they have mastered the first lesson. This makes so much sense too. Why push a kid through to a certain level just because he is supposed to be in the next grade by age if he is not getting a concept in a subject area. Montessori can do this because the classes are not divided to one age. Maddy's class has 3-6 year olds all in the same room. All of the kids can learn from one another and help each other. Maddy is at a great age because she will have a couple of years where she can help the younger kids being mentored by the older kids.
Montessori also values self-respect, respect for others, and improving social skills and interaction. All of Maddy's therapists and teachers in the past have made the comment, "She is very strong willed." I never know whether to take that for a compliment or not. Maddy's teacher's at Montessori tell me that she is "independent" and they beam when they say it. This doesn't mean that Maddy can't be a stubborn toot sometimes, but I love that they see her desire to do things for herself and have her own opinions and her own way of doing things in a positive light. However, don't let this lead you to believe that there is no discipline. Maddy's class is one of the best behaved classes I have ever seen. Montessori is structured so that it respects the child's choice to refuse to do something, but allows consequences for that choice to come into play and discipline the behavior rather than relying on a punishment/reward system.
I'm not going to pretend I'm an expert on Montessori. All I know is that Maddy has learn more in 3 weeks than she did in her program all last year. She came home talking about the 5 oceans the other day. I was very confused as I only remembered there being 4 oceans. I looked it up and sure enough, in 2000 some hydrological association designated a 5th ocean, the Southern Ocean by Antarctica. So I'm learning new things as well. I also see her understanding consequences for her bad choices much better. Not that we haven't worked on that at home, but it has really been nice to have it reinforced from school as well.
Maddy made a little friend this week who loves all the same Disney princesses as she does and she is begging to take dance class. We'll have to check into it. It has only been three weeks so the verdict about her school is not completely in but so far I'm giving it a thumbs up.


Comments

bee said…
Thanks for a clearer idea of what type of school Maddy is attending. Sounds really good to me.
September 16, 2013 at 9:31 PM
Anonymous said…
I can't wait to hear how she progresses and what it's like for her development. Fascinating stuff.
-brittany
September 17, 2013 at 1:24 PM
Chrissy Cross said…
Montessori schools are fantastic, so glad Maddy can do this!
September 20, 2013 at 2:17 PM
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