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I did Kindergarten. Loved it! I actually remember quite a few details and I adored going to school.

I was a Montessori kid (preschool). Some of my best childhood memories are of my school. I remember being pulled out for KG and hating it. They put me right back in. I went to a different (but similar philosophy) private school after kindergarten.

I think they don't update classical Montessori with the times because all the studies show that classical is most effective.

@citymouse: I think that, given my desire to work/finish my education, I will enroll my child in school. I hope that by preschool age we can afford montessori! After that, I hope that we can afford to live in a good school district. If not, I'm not sure what we'll do. So at this point we're planning on public school. Of course if I feel my son isn't excelling, I would be willing to try and homeschool, if possible. I just don't think I have the patience that is required to be a SAHM AND home educator! My husband is the teacher in our family and he would be a lot better at it

@Colee: I just find it interesting that kids in classical Montessori are still out pacing their colleagues who are getting that more up to date teaching. Why do you think that is? Do you think it's going to flip at some point and the Montessori kids won't show the same benefit? I'm genuinely curious because it seems like you know a lot about the topic.

@Mrs. Jacks: I don't think there have been any conclusive studies that prove Montessori kids out pace their non-Montessori peers. There have been studies that show mixed results or that Montessori kids really don't fare better than traditionally educated kids. There have also been studies that do show Montessori students excel compared their peers. But these studies are usually based on one school's success, not Montessori educated children in general. There has never been a study that shows that one type of education is better than all others, otherwise that's what we would all be doing. Rather, parents need to decide which philosophy they identify with and which fits the needs of their children. Some kids may thrive in a independent, student led Montessori program, while others may need more structure. I think Montessori education is wonderful, but I don't think it is the only way to successfully teach children.

These are just my opinions. I am by no means an expert. I'm only speaking from my own experience. Also understand that I come from a public school background too, which is unfortunately very test and score driven. We have common core standards that we must teach to and the Montessori curriculum alone is unable to meet each of these standards. I have spent the last six years trying to balance a Montessori classroom within a public school district. My coworkers and I have spent hours debating what is best for our kids, pure Montessori or Montessori supplemented with other curriculums. I really don't know the answer!

I do know that Montessori is beneficial to so many children! I love that it is child-centered! I love that my students are incredibally independent, focused, and in charge of their own learning. I love the beautiful environment and materials. And I love that Montessori classroom creates peaceful children. I have observed classrooms in traditional schools within my district and I have noticed how much more calm and caring my students are compared to the other students. There a many positives to Montessori and it easy to see why so many people are so enthusiastic about the philosophy!

@Colee: I agree that there are mixed findings (especially because many of the studies look at non-classical) but my understanding (and maybe I'm off here) was that in meta analyses looking at classical Montessori versus all other kids that differences persist for those kids when controlling for all other factors. I'll have to re-read the papers to make sure, but if I recall, that was what the research showed when we were looking in to different approaches to schooling our girls.

I probably won't pull papers tonight (and im actually starting to doubt my memory here) but I do appreciate your thoughtful feedback (and i very much agree with you about finding the philosophy that will work for your family-- my sister's kids are waldorf kids, and it is so perfect for them!) and hopefully I can re-educate myself in the coming days!

Love this dialog. You give lots of food for thought.

I went to Montessori from age three to age nine. My school was set up in a unique way, it was a K-12 private school, and they offered two options for elementary school: Montessori or more traditional elementary school. In grade five, we were combined (and stayed combined until graduation) into one more traditional school setting. It made it quite interesting, as over the years you could compare the relative success to those students who went to Montessori versus those who didn't. In my year, the Montessori students seemed to outpace the non-Montessori students for a few years, but after that it all kind of evened out.

As for my personal experience, I absolutely loved Montessori and thrived in that setting. However, my teachers described me as the perfect personality for Montessori as I was naturally very independent and curious...so it's kind of a chicken and the egg thing as to whether I excelled because of Montessori or whether I would have regardless of the educational model. My brother, on the other hand, hated Montessori, and my parents eventually switched him over to the more traditional elementary option, which proved to be a better fit for him. We will definitely be exploring Montessori as an option for DD.

Neither of us went to a Montessori, but we plan on sending DS to one. The pricing is comparable or even cheaper than daycare! Once DS becomes of school age, he'll go to public schools and then go to the Montessori for after school care if DH isn't home yet.

@scg00387: During Montessori training, we had to create math "extensions" for skills that weren't addressed in the traditional lesson plans we were taught. I chose the area measurement. I made a simple work, with a ruler and a basket full of varying objects. The child would measure the objects on the tray. Another was a measurement scavenger hunt. I had chart with pictures of common classroom objects. Students would seek out the different objects and then measure and compare them.

For some areas, it was easy to create extensions and new lessons. Other areas require more thought and planning.

@Colee: Did you use a special kind of ruler, measuring tape or just a basic one? I'd love to re-create it for home. I only ask b/c we use special scissors that I never knew were created for little hands (and spring open automatically).

@Colee: Thanks!

@citymouse:

http://www.blog.montessoriforeveryone.com/filling-in-the-gaps-for-elementary-6-9-montessori.html

@Colee: interesting, thanks!