How to Know if Montessori is a Good Fit For You

As a Montessori trained Educator I often hear people say that Montessori is for every child but not for every parent. I really couldn't agree more. For best results for children, parents, and teachers, parents need to know what they're getting into with an authentic Montessori program, because it's way different than a traditional program. Montessori is not for every parent and as a result may not be for every child either. (Which is okay, too!)​

• If you prefer standardized testing as a measure of your child's success, you may not be good fit for Montessori.​

This doesn't mean teachers or guides don't test your students knowledge on a subject or curriculum area. It just means it's done in a different way then a standardized test.​

• If you prefer your child to be with a group of children that are the same age as your child, you may not be a good fit for Montessori.

(There is nothing wrong with wanting your child to be in a group of children the same age.)

 However, Montessori ideally blends children in groups of three year parings, (3-6 years old, 6-9 years old, 9-12 years old and so on). Just like in the working world of adults, all adults who work together are not typically the same age. Young adults tend to learn more and gain more experience by learning from their more experienced and mature counterparts, and the more experienced counterparts solidify what they know by mentoring their younger counterparts. A Montessori classroom functions much in the same way. The younger students in the class learn from the students who've already been in the class for a year or two and the older students are able to help teach their younger counterparts the things they've already learned.

• If you prefer the education of your student to be solely guided by the teacher, you may not be a good fit for Montessori.

Montessori is curated to meet the needs of the children in the classroom. Teachers carefully observe the work the students are doing, (or are not doing) and guide them to whatever is next in their sequence of learning. In this sense, student's guide their own learning by working with the materials in the classroom that they are interested in. The teachers uses these observations and works to make sure the student gets a balanced experience throughout all of the curriculum the classroom has to offer over the three year span. (Which is another reason to leave your child in the Montessori class for the entire three years.)

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If you felt inspired, curious, and loved what you learned from this article, you may be a great fit for a Montessori School near you!!!

If you have now have more questions feel free to post them on our open Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/EducationOptimist/ or send us an email, [email protected]

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