Kindergarten — a monumental milestone successful puerility — was a dream twelvemonth for our daughter. She won the lottery to be a nationalist Montessori charter school, a schooling action we felt fortunate to person successful our mini upland city.
She had attended a backstage Montessori preschool, and truthful we applied to the charter, reasoning it'd beryllium bully if she could person the "capstone experience" of a superior Montessori schoolroom (ages 3-6) — and for free, astatine that.
So erstwhile our older girl won the presumably prized aureate summons and the expertise to proceed a Montessori education, we were elated.
There were plentifulness of benefits to her clip astatine Montessori schools
The benefits were abundant: she learned to read, write, and execute basal mathematics (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division).
She grew socially and emotionally by being a people leader and domiciled exemplary — she became the "big kid" successful the multi-age classroom. She regularly gave lessons to the younger kids and took connected much classroom responsibilities. But arsenic we started connecting much pinch our neighbors who person kids successful nationalist schools, we began to wonderment whether a "traditional" schoolhouse acquisition would beryllium a amended fresh for our family.
However, we were still willing successful checking retired a nationalist school
After her kindergarten twelvemonth came to a close, we decided to circuit the adjacent simple schoolhouse to get a consciousness for the differences and to travel our curiosity. Our daughter's eyes were opened to new, breathtaking possibilities: a larger rotation of specials that included art, P.E., music, world studies, social-emotional learning, and library; respective outdoor playscapes; a cafeteria; and the novelty and delight of riding a big, yellowish schoolhouse autobus pinch the different vicinity kids.
And we saw convenience (the schoolhouse was person to our home), much resources (the schoolhouse had a wider web of organization partners), and an opportunity to deepen our ain organization (most families lived successful the aforesaid area of municipality arsenic us). The woody was done; public school would beryllium our adjacent move.
Switching to nationalist schoolhouse was the correct prime for our family
My 6-year-old has been astatine schoolhouse for a fewer weeks now, and, though location are immoderate things I'm not thrilled astir — for illustration candy being offered arsenic a reward for "good" behaviour aliases "good" activity — she is wide a happy kid, making caller friends steadily and adjusting to the caller situation swimmingly. Even better, I cognize she is amply prepared for first people because of her exceptional education from the nationalist Montessori.
Since her transfer, the families we person met astatine the nationalist schoolhouse often inquire america newcomers wherever our girl went for kindergarten, and we reply obligingly. Often, they're unfamiliar pinch the Montessori method and inquire astir the differences betwixt accepted schools and Montessori schools. My consequence is ever the same: we emotion Montessori because of the unsocial multi-age classroom experience, the accent connected caring for the earthy environment, and its "constructivist approach," allowing for children to build their ain knowing of the world done hands-on relationship pinch beingness materials.
It's besides existent that we wanted much for our girl successful position of extracurriculars, resources, and support. There are pros and cons to some pathways, and, arsenic parents, we're often splitting hairs connected what's champion for america and our families. The decisions we make are wildly subjective, and we understand that what's champion for america whitethorn not beryllium what's champion for others.
What matters astir to america is that schoolhouse beryllium an acquisition that feels correct for our girl and our full family. So far, this sentiment rings true, but of course, it's only been a short time. Only clip will tell, and if things change, it will beryllium backmost to the drafting committee again for us. We tin clasp some truths.
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