Zefram: Do children who start in Montessori schools have a hard time adapting to public schools?
Montessori schools usually go from preschool through elementary. Once the child transfers to a public middle school, do they have problems with the new environment, especially in light of the no-child-left-behind methodology which assumes all children should develop at the same rate within ridgid scholastic structures?
Answers and Views:
Answer by techteach03
it really depends on the child and the parents…most of the students i have had experience with who have come from Montessori are generally well adjusted and emotionally more mature than other students their age…it may be a factor of their parents, children who go to Montessori on average have parents that are more involved and engaged in their child’s schooling and overall education…they may also have parents that are well educated themselves…most Montessori students are well ahead of the average school student in terms of what they have already learned…therefore they do not have to worry about adjusting to the academic and social changes of a new school…in most cases Montessori students will be bored with a traditional school setting and may need to engage in more out of school or after school activities…generally things level out about the time they get to high school…as with most things educational there is no blanket answer, it really depends on the individual student and the situation they are in…
Whenever I hear this question I think about a scene in the movie Mean Girls. Kady, the movie’s protagonist has been homeschooled in Africa by her anthropologist parents. Her first “real” school is a public high school.
At first she is shocked and confused by the rules of the school. As she says in a voice over,”Never before had I lived in a world where adults didn’t trust me. I got in trouble for the most random things.” Then she is seen getting up to sharpen her pencil or to go to the bathroom and teachers being dismayed with her.
This is the kind of “transition” problem Montessori children have. They have been taught to be responsible and to think for themselves and now they are placed in a situation where they aren’t usually allowed to.
Being a Montessori teacher in a traditional school, I can tell you that these are the things that teachers get upset with. My program only goes to 3rd grade, so I get to hear it from the 4th grade teachers everyday. I’m not going to lie to you, they complain. I think it is human nature to be skeptical of things that are different and to try and find fault with them. But over the years I’ve tried to push past the complaints and actually look at the “problems” that my students have when transitioning.
First are the MANAGMENT problems. Asking permission for everything. Montessori students are used going to the bathroom when they need to go, they sharpen their pencils when they need to, they get up and get something that they need to complete their work with, they put on chapstick…. The only time I make them ask for permission is during a lesson or if they have been abusing the privilege, so a classroom where they have to ask permission, or just aren’t allowed to do such things during class time takes a little time to get use to.
SOCIAL- Montessori students are used to working together and helping their peers. They are used to using conflict resolution skills to work through their problems, they are used to the teacher not only respecting their input and opinions, but encouraging them, and they are use to respecting other children’s needs and having their needs respected. This can cause a problem when children are now in a situation where they are constantly given ultimatums and they aren’t allowed to come up with solutions on their own.
ACADEMIC- Montessori children are use to being able to move on to new material when they are ready for that information, not when the scripted program and district benchmark says that they should. They are also used to saying to the teacher, “I’m having a lot of problems understanding this concept, could you show it to me in another way?” Additionally, they are use to having a hand in their education. A common question is “May I study …. a write a report on it for science this week?” Obviously, in a classroom where the teacher follows a script and teaches only what they are scripted to teach, will take some time getting used to.
So yes, there are adaptation problems. But you know what? Montessori children are unusually adaptable. They know how to work independently and in groups. They are problem solvers who can make choices and manage their time well. So in general, after an initial adjustment period, they can do adapt quite well. And, at least in my eyes, the skills that they have learned from being in Montessori classroom completely outweigh the problems that they encounter when they first make the transition to a traditional school.
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