Need Advice On Choosing A Montessori School

[Godless Capitalist]

I'm in the process of choosing a Montessori school for my son for next fall. I've read a lot about the Montessori method and definitely like it. The problem is that anybody can call themselves a "Montessori school." The main one I am considering only allows 15 minutes of classroom observation so I will not have much chance to judge how well they follow the Montessori method.

Any advice on what to look for and what questions to ask to see if a particular school is really following the Montessori method properly?

thanks in advance!

[jfortun]

My wife is a trained AMI Montessori directress and here is what she has to say on the subject:

There are two institutions that train Montessori teachers and accredit schools:  AMI (Association Montessori Internationale - which is the kind of training I have) and AMS (The American Montessori Society).  There are good and poor teachers with both types of training, of course, but in my experience the AMI training is much more comprehensive.  The name "Montessori" is not copyrighted, so anybody can open a school and call it a Montessori school - make sure that ALL the teachers are trained through either AMI or AMS.  Schools may be accredited by either AMI or AMS, which means that they have to follow certain standards - in the case of AMI, those standards are very high.  If you come across a school that has teachers who do not hold diplomas from AMI or AMS – even if they are being “supervised” by another teacher – I would avoid it.  Also avoid teachers who hold a Montessori diploma through any organization other than AMI or AMS.  (There are some mail-order diplomas available).

...

Both AMI and AMS have school listings on their websites.

AMI:  http://www.montessori-ami.org/ami.htm  (The site is completely impossible to navigate; you have to click on “AMI/USA”, then on “Schools”, then on “Listings”

AMS:  http://www.amshq.org/

Remember that a school can be great and still not be accredited through either AMI or AMS for some reason or another.  Most schools will be listed in the yellow pages; the important thing is to make sure that ALL the teachers (or “head teachers”) are trained through AMI or AMS.

I'm sure she'd be happy to answer any questions you have.

[PirateF]

My wife is a trained AMI Montessori directress and here is what she has to say on the subject:

I'm sure she'd be happy to answer any questions you have.

Hi, I'm the wife mentioned above. I'm trained for 2 1/2 - 6 year olds - if you are looking for an Elementary program I may not be of as much help but I will try.

During your observation, look for some key things:

Environment - all the activities should be neat, clean, orderly and attractive. Especially in the Practical Life area, there should be lots of glass and china items and very little plastic. Everything should be organized on shelves. The pink tower (instantly recognizable!) should be stacked in order in a prominent place. I've actually been to a school where they kept the pink tower cubes in a bucket. A BUCKET! Easy rule of thumb: If the pink tower is in a bucket, RUN! Also check the wooden materials to see how worn they are. They should be touch-up painted and later replaced before they are so worn that the cubes have rounded corners.

Adults - Watch how they move in the environment. Are they kneeling so that they are at the child's eye level when they speak to them? Is there a general atmosphere of respect toward the children? Toward each other? How MANY adults are there? (in a true AMI environment, the fewer adults the better so that the children are helping each other).

Children - are they HAPPY? Do they seem to have been given the tools to speak with each other in postive ways? There should be a busy hum of activity in the room. You should be able to spot several instances of children helping each other.

After your observation, obviously ask for clarification on anything you observed that you are not sure about. Also, ask how the classrooms are organized. In a true Montessori school children 2 1/2 ( or 3) to 6 years of age MUST be together in one classroom. (The younger ones might go home at lunchtime or not depending on the type of program). This mix of ages is essential to Montessori.

Keep in mind, the school year has just started and there will have just been an influx of brand new 3-year olds, so things may not be as orderly as you might be expecting. It usually takes 6-8 weeks before a class will settle in and children begin to "normalize".

I'm more than happy to help...let me know if you have more specific questions! Depending on the area you live in, I might even have some specific school suggestions.

Good luck!

[PirateF]

I just noticed that you are from the DC area. You might try contacting the AMI training center there for a recommendation of schools in your area.

Washington Montessori Institute

at Loyola College in Maryland

8890 McGaw Road

Columbia MD 21045

(1) (410) 617-7770

The Director of Training is Janet McDonell: [email protected]

[Godless Capitalist]

Thanks so much for all the useful information!

What exactly is the pink tower and why is it so important?

[PirateF]

OK, having trouble posting an image. Here's a link instead: Pink Tower

The pink tower gives the young child (around 3) a sensorial experience with cubic dimensions. The largest cube is 10 cm squared and they decrease in size to the smallest cube which is 1 cm squared. The child develops the ability to discriminate between cubes which are quite close in size in order to stack the tower correctly from bottom to top. Later, he might play a game in which an adult or another child removes one of the cubes from the tower and he must indicate where a cube is missing. The cubes are also used, after much sensorial exploration, for a language lesson: "Big" "Bigger" "Biggest" (or "small"...) There isn't a developmental reason for it to be pink, other than the fact that there are specific characteristics assigned to other colors in the environment (red, blue, green) so I suppose Dr. Montessori chose pink to differentiate from some of the other activities.

I used it as an example because many people recognize it as one of the quintessential Montessori materials, and because it's a good litmus test for how well the classroom meets Montessori's own standards.

It is important for the pink tower to be kept stacked as you see in the picture so that each time a child passes it, he takes in an impression of it in its correct form. If it is allowed to become damaged, or worn, the exact dimensions won't be correct. It should not be displayed with cubes missing or out of order (obviously sometimes a child will put it away out of order and it might take a while for the teacher to get over there and fix it - but usually an older child will notice it and fix it!)

Anyway, my point is - notice how the pink tower is kept and you will have a good sense of the overall care and attention paid to the materials as a whole.

[Godless Capitalist]

In a true Montessori school children 2 1/2 ( or 3) to 6 years of age MUST be together in one classroom.  (The younger ones might go home at lunchtime or not depending on the type of program).  This mix of ages is essential to Montessori. 

Why I this so important? I'm pretty sure the school I am considering divides kids by age into at least 2 groups (eg 3-4, 5-6). I think that is pretty typical.

[jfortun]

Just to pile on with the pink tower:

The only way in which the blocks of the tower differ is in size. They are the same color and the same shape- it is a concrete demonstration of the concept of size, in that the aspect of size is isolated and easily observed by the child..

Likewise there are other sensorial materials that do the same for other aspects, i.e. the red rods isloate the concept of length, the color tablets isolate color, and so on.

It ties in very nicely with Objectivist epistemology.

[PirateF]

I'm pretty sure the school I am considering divides kids by age into at least 2 groups (eg 3-4, 5-6). I think that is pretty typical.

It is fairly typical, sadly. If the ages are grouped as you say, then I can tell you right now, the school you are looking at is not accredited through AMI. It still might be a nice place, and your child might get a lot out of it, but if you are seeking a true Montessori experience, I'm afraid that is not going to be the place for you.

Now, some AMI schools do have toddler programs which would be ages 15 months to 3 years. Then the primary class is 3-6.

The Montessori primary (3-6) class is designed to be a 3-year cycle. New children enter at age 3 and stay with the same teacher and the same community of children through Kindergarten. Each year, the 6-year olds graduate, the 5-year olds become the leaders of the class, and new 3-year olds enter. The youngest children have built-in role models in the older children. They look forward to their turn to become the leaders of the class. The older children get an amazing opportunity to be leaders, instead of starting over as the "little kids" in a new class. The 2-3 year olds benefit immensely from being included with the older children in terms of the language and behavior that they will absorb. The older children benefit from having the younger ones included because the little guys provide countless opportunities for the older ones to practice what they have learned. A four year old who is learning to tie shoes, for example, doesn't have to look far for a chance to try out his new skills.

Traditional preschools/day care centers are licensed through DCFS (or whatever your local agency is) or the Dept of Ed and both institutions seem to have a huge problem with children who are not toilet trained being in the same room as those who are. That's why you see 2-3 year olds separated from 4-5 year olds in most traditional early childhood programs. Then, you often have parents who can't accept the concept of kindergarteners not having their own special room, so you see a lot of programs that take kids 5 1/2 and up and put them in their own space. Unfortunately, many Montessori programs end up bowing to pressure from the licensing agencies or from parents and rationalizing their choice to do so. There are ways for schools to work around these requirements, and both of the schools I have worked in - both AMI accredited - have done so. I'm sure you will agree that it is more important to follow the developmental needs of the child than to appease some government agency's arbitrary guidelines. There is no health risk posed by having children who are still learning to use the toilet included with older kids, not when all of them are taught from day one about the importance of handwashing, and when they are provided with role models who do not encourage the type of behavior that is typical in most "traditional" programs.

I'm going to encourage you to read more about Montessori before you make a decision. Montessori: A Modern Approach by Paula Polk Lillard is a good place to start. If you want to read Dr. Montessori's own words, try The Secret of Childhood

Good luck!

[coirecfox]

Just a quick question: How long has Montessori education been around? Is there anywhere I can find out the principles of the teaching philosophy? I actually went through a Montessori school when I was younger, however, I don't remember much of it. I do vaguely remember the pink tower though! I want to compare my Montessori education and subsequent adoption of Objectivism with the education that some of my friends and relatives have received and their adoption of mysticism.

[Godless Capitalist]

Thanks, jfortun and PirateF. I have a bunch of Montessori books, but have not read them in years. I'll read The Secret of Childhood again.

To answer the question above, Maria Montessori opened her first school in 1907. The movement had a boom until about 1920, slowed down, then picked up again in the '60s. The best brief introduction is the pamphlet "The Montessori Method," by Beatrice Hessen and originally published in The Objectivist in 1970. I bought my copy years ago; I'm not sure where to get it now.

[coirecfox]

“Normalization” is a Montessori term that describes the process that takes place in Montessori classrooms around the world, in which young children, who typically have a short attention span, learn to focus their intelligence, concentrate their energies for long periods of time, and take tremendous satisfaction from their work.

In his book, Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work, E.M. Standing described the following characteristics of normalization in the child between the age of three and six:

A love of order

A love of work

Profound spontaneous concentration

Attachment to reality

Love of silence and of working alone

Sublimation of the possessive instinct

Obedience [emphasis added]

Independence and initiative

Spontaneous self-discipline

Joy; and

The power to act from real choice and not just from idle curiosity.

What do they mean by those? Did Rand herself ever write about Montessori schooling?

[Godless Capitalist]

coirecfox: I have the Standing book; I'll have a look through it later and try to see what he means.

This page: http://www.aynrand.org/site/News2?page=New...ws_iv_ctrl=1069 has a brief comment by Ayn Rand on Montessori:

"The middle class has created an antidote which is perhaps the most helpful movement of recent years: the spontaneous, unorganized, grass -- roots revival of the Montessori system of education -- a system aimed at the development of a child's cognitive, i.e., rational, faculty." ("Don't Let It Go," Philosophy: Who Needs It, 261; pb 214.)

Now, some AMI schools do have toddler programs which would be ages 15 months to 3 years. 

What do they do in these programs? Is it worth looking into or mostly premature to try to do Montessori that early?

On a related note, are there any specific toys or materials you recommend for a 15-month-old for home use? We have been trying to buy more conceptually-oriented toys that teach spatial relationships rather than ones that just have a bunch of sounds and flashing lights (all too common). And of course we read to him a lot.

[jfortun]

What do they mean by those?  Did Rand herself ever write about Montessori schooling?

A few things to keep in mind about Montessori:

1) Dr. Montessori was deeply religious and in some ways portions of her method are tied to religious beliefs. For this reason you still find Montessori schools with official affiliations with churches. BTW, EM Standing is also quite religious (born a Quaker and converted to Catholicism) so his work is colored by this as well.

2) It is very easy to take Montessori out of context. I chalk this up to the use of unclear terminology. It is important to go beyond a sentence or two before you can really understand what was meant.

3) As a method, Montessori attracts a bizarre combination of ideologies: both the highly rational and the highly emotional. Choosing the right school and the right teacher is very very important.

All that said, the two points you highlighted, the Sublimation of the possessive instinct" and Obedience require a bit more explanation. Here is what Dr. Montessori said about the first point:

In normalized children the active possibility of interesting themselves in any object leads them to a stage where it is no longer the object but the knowledge of it which fixes the attention.  So we can say that this possessiveness, because of an intellectual interest, is raised to a superior level.  Instead of the instinct of possession we now see on this higher level three things: to know, to love and to serve.  Possession is transformed into love; and when this has come about there is not only the desire to conserve the object but also to serve it.  The same children who once tore plants out of the garden, now watch for the plant’s growth, count its leaves and measure its sides.  It is no longer my plant; it is the plant.

Now there are still some ideas in the above that don’t sit right with me, but the main point Dr. Montessori is making is that through the method, a child changes his approach to things in the world: they don’t seek only to posses a new object with the scream of “MINE!”, they seek to understand it. This is specifically about a child’s approach to the things around them and not a polemic against private ownership. In the AMI schools I have had involvement with, the materials in the classroom are there for every child to work with but once a child has chosen their work it is theirs and they do not have to share unless they choose to do so.

As for Obedience, in the context of Montessori this word has a different meaning than the one we associate with it. Obedience refers to the development of the child’s will and his new found ability to exercise his own will and choose to obey. Mr. Standing goes on to say that this obedience “has nothing in common with the blind obedience of suggestion, nor the ineluctable submission of the weaker to the strong will.”

These attributes fit in quite well with the other attributes that we can recognize as highly valuable and consistent with Objectivism: a love of order, a love of work, profound spontaneous concentration, attachment to reality, love of silence and of working alone, Independence and initiative, spontaneous self-discipline, joy and the power to act from real choice and not just from idle curiosity. These are powerful ideas you don't find in most educational philosophies and methods.

[jfortun]

On a related note, are there any specific toys or materials you recommend for a 15-month-old for home use? We have been trying to buy more conceptually-oriented toys that teach spatial relationships rather than ones that just have a bunch of sounds and flashing lights (all too common). And of course we read to him a lot.

Check out http://www.michaelolaf.net/1JChome.html. They give very specific recommendations and each toy is described from a developmental point of view. The downside is that you have to order the catalog to see the full compliment of products they offer.

[PirateF]

Re: Montessori for toddlers

My personal view is that a primary Montessori experience (3-6) is something I would consider extremely valuable for all children. So if it becomes an issue of affording one or the other, I would definitely save your $$ to put him in a good primary program. If we had an AMI accredited toddler program available to us, we would have taken advantage of it, but since we don't, I feel that the home environment is preferable to anything else.

The "work" of a toddler at that age is to perfect his coordination of movement, to gather information through the senses, and to acquire language. The home is the perfect environment for these tasks. Make the environment safe so that he can explore as much as possible. Don't limit him because he will get dirty. Go outside even when - especially when - it's raining or muddy. And constantly give language for the things he's experiencing. Try to give the correct name whenever possible. "That's an oak leaf."

As for toys, you sound like you are on the right track. Absolutely order the Michael Olaf catalog (the one for 0-3 year olds is called "The Joyful Child") because not only do they carry many developmentally appropriate toys, but the catalog is also full of valuable information on child development.

[Godless Capitalist]

Thanks again for all the advice. We have started doing more intensive research and found what may be the only AMI school in the area.

  Go outside even when - especially when - it's raining or muddy. 

We already do this (once we got over our initial fear that getting a little wet would hurt Max). My wife and I love canoeing and hiking so we get out as much as we can and give him plenty of chances to crawl around on the ground and explore. He has a nice rainsuit and fleece clothes so now he can go pretty much anywhere. We even took him on week-long canoe trips not just this year at 14 months but also last year at 2 months.

[PirateF]

That's great! I love boys at Max's age. Good luck with your school search...at least you are starting early! I meet so many parents who don't discover Montessori until their children have already had several bad experiences at traditional preschools and by then, while not "too late", they certainly have missed out on so much by not starting in Montessori by the age of 3. Let me know if I can be of further help!

[ex_banana-eater]

There is a Montessori book for sale in the clearance section of the Ayn Rand Book Store that I thought I'd point out:

"Teaching Montessori in the Home: Pre-School Years by Elizabeth G. Hainstock

"Learning to learn is an acquired skill which must be taught when the child is young if he is to become a thinking, intelligent individual," says the author.

Item # KH01B (117 pages; Softcover)

List $11.95 Our Price: $5.95"

This should help you find what you're looking for in a school, and offer suggestions on what you should do at home.

[Godless Capitalist]

Thanks! I'm going to order that and the softcover OPAR as well.

PS I like the "package-deal" section; I wonder how many casual browsers get the joke.

I also found out that the local Montessori school I was considering does have the 3-6 yr olds all in one class; it's only the 2-yr-olds they partly separate. So if we sent Max next fall at 2 he will not actually be in the full Montessori program until the following year. Might still be worthwhile though ...

[deedlebee]

This is slightly off topic :>

I had the privilege of attending a Montessori school through grade 5 and I loved every minute of it. Our school had a 6th and 7th grade, but I due to special circumstances*, I was unable to continue the program. I remember the 6th graders were reading Lord of the Flies, and it struck me as sad, and funny, that the public school kids read that same book only in 10th grade GT (gifted and talented) English.

The Montessori program was fantastic. I was doing Algebra, and critical analysis of stories by 3rd grade, and creative writing in 4th grade. (I don't consider this to be extremely advanced, but while in public school, I found I was always well ahead of my peers.) I was fascinated by everything I could get my hands on, and I have retained that love of learning to this day. Even through the trials of horridly boring high school lectures where science teachers are football coaches and can't do more than read from a book, I was still interested. It seemed as if everyone else who had suffered through public education was like a zombie to me. They had no passion for knowledge... they just hated life, hated school, and hated information.

There is now a very small percentage of schools that are attempting to use the Montessori method for middle school and high school aged students. Here in Houston, we have the first accredited high school (School of the Woods) of this kind. At any rate, I highly recommend the Montessori alternative to religious private schools (provided they are, as PirateF stated, accredited with one of the two organizations). It definitely had a lasting impact on my life. In the future, I hope to work in a Montessori school as well

*(special circumstances: my mother was the head of school for a few years before moving on to finish her masters. When she left the job, I had to go too.... even though I begged to stay )

[Scott_Connery]

I'm surprised that no one's mentioned Ayn Rand's essay on Montessori found in the The New Left: The Anti-Industrial Revolution (Or Return of the Primitive). It's her essay entitled, "The Comprachicos". Ayn Rand was a big fan of Montessori and I know quite a few Objectivists have devoted their lives to Montessori careers (me and my spouse included). There's simply no better rational education out there.