montessori

Monica,
My son is at a Montessori school. This is his first year. I think it is a pretty good environment for him. He has Aspergers and SI issues. ADHD is present too but we have not put him on medication yet. He seems to like the environment. It is structured but he can work independently at his own pace. He is free to move around too which is far better than being stuck at a desk. He would be falling in and out of his seat if they made him sit at a desk. Also, having older kids in the class is good too (we have grades 1,2,3 combined). As he gets older, I think he will do even better as the younger kids come in. I think it is a good place as there are many different ways to learn there, auditory, visual, tactile. That is my feeling. We are hoping he can succeed there but they will not provide the extra therapies that he needs. Public schools are better in that area. We are forced to piece that together.
Laura

We started sending my kids to Montessori, 3 years ago. My oldest LD son was 8 at the time, beginning 3rd grade. It was alittle difficult for him. He was in a 1,2,3 grades combined class and at least at this school, it’s a 3-year program, where they like the kids to start in 1st grade and continue through the 3rd grade. So he did not have prior Montessori experience. He was playing catch-up and getting used to the new environment during the 3rd grade. I wish I had started him in the pre-k years.

I like the class and the fact that he was getting a more individual attention with his problem (he is now in 5th grade), (mainly very slow reading). I am able to work with the teachers more closely by attending this school, but this could happen at any private school, I think. The Montessori approach is working out for us, so far, but I think it is giving my 2nd grade son(non LD) alittle too much freedom. He may need a more structured environment.

Good luck—transitioning is always so hard and you have so many questions.
gk

My older NLD son was in Montessori classrooms from preschool through 4th grade. ( the Montessori program in our school stops at 4th grade) My younger NT (or at least not identified ;-) son is still in a 6-9 year old classroom, and has also been in Montessori classrooms since he started school.

I think the MOST important factor for the success of any program is the teacher. You can have a horrible experience with a bad teacher in a Montessori classroom, but that is equally true in a traditional classroom.

Montessori at its best, with good teaching staff, has a lot to offer LD children. For an NLD child, the freedom to make work choices can be overwhelming, so you need to have a teacher that will go a little beyond “traditional” Montessori teaching, and help the child along with these decisions. OTOH, many NLD children have a TERRIBLE time with transitions, and our sons have definitely benefited from the ability to stay with the same teachers, in the same classroom, with the same classmates for 3 years at a time.

Because the children only have a very few same age, same gender children in their class, they tend to form close friendships, and be more tolerant of each other’s differences. In many ways, they are more like a group of brothers and sisters than just “classmates”. I am convinced that this protected my older son from a lot of the social problems that NLD children often experience.

The multi-sensory approach to learning, and the freedom for children to advance at their own pace are key components of the Montessori method. After all, Maria Montessori developed her teaching methods on “LD” children. Some of this experiential learning style can be difficult for NLD children because they are strongly auditory learners. OTOH, even though it might not have been as “easy” for my son as traditional methods, I think that because he had good, caring, supportive teachers, he learned to stretch his brain in ways he might not have in a different environment. For children whose LD is more language based, the Montessori environment lets them take advantage of all their other senses in learning in all areas.

Finally, since all teaching in the Montessori classroom is one-on-one or small groups, a child who receives extra help from an aide or SPED teacher in the classroom isn’t even noticed… that’s how all lessons are given to all the children. My LD son never realized until this year, in a 5th grade traditional classroom, that his education differed in any way from any of the other children.

As you might have guessed, I am very pleased with the education my children have received in Montessori classrooms. My only regret is that they weren’t around when I was going to school!

Karen

I am a Montessori teacher trained at the elementary level. I’d be happy to answer any questions you have. I think that Laura, gk and Karen Randall have all accurately described Montessori to you. Karen’s very detailed description of her child’s experience closely parallels what I know of Montessori. I’m especially lucky because the school I’m associated with has adopted Lindamood-Bell as their reading program. We feel it most closely follows the Montessori philosophy and integrates well into the classroom.

I’ve been associated with three schools over the years and know that not all Montessori schools are the same. As with anything else in life, there’s good and bad schools and good and bad teachers. It isn’t full-proof. Before enrolling my child in Montessori, I’d make sure that they have a complete reading program. There are Montessori schools who still believe in whole language reading as the means by which children learn reading best. Of course we now know that’s true for only a segment of the population. My son, unfortunately, attended one of these schools first. He didn’t learn to read till he was 9 and it was with much heartache. Once I moved him to a better Montessori school when he was 12 years old, his reading improved tremendously. I regret I didn’t do it sooner.

Feel free to email me. Depending on where you live, I might even know some good schools. The Montessori world tends to be a small one, with everyone knowing everyone.