Runningmom80 Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Ok, this might be a JAWM post, as I'm searching for confirmation bias, but I'm open to dissenters. :lol: I know this is a homeschooling board, but we do seem to have some Montessori parent posters. Our plan with our twins was always to send them to Montessori for the three "chlidren's house" years, and then home school until high school. Well, at the beginning of the year, we started thinking about bringing them home a year early, and starting home school for their K year, and honestly this is mostly to not pay tuition. There are some logistical problems at times, in regards to activities that older DS can't participate in due to time conflicts, but these aren't that huge of a deal, and it's only one more year. I'm having major second thoughts about them not completing the 3 year program. They are the younger kids at home, and I'd love for them to have the experience of being the "big kids" and just solidifying what they have learned thus far. But, home schooling is way cheaper! :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 My older son did Montessori for preschool (ages 3-4), kindergarten, and first grade. So we automatically put the younger one in Montessori at age (almost) 3. He went for three years. The fourth year would have been his kindergarten year, but by that time he was bored out of his mind there (very slow moving and repetitive). So we homeschooled him instead and it was the right decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 Yes, a 4th year would definitely be overkill for mine too. They are currently in their second year, so it would be three years total. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
go_go_gadget Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Aside from the activities in favor of keeping them in, and finances in favor of taking them out, how is it for the kids? Are they thriving? Learning lots and loving it? If they're not, I wouldn't pay for another year of not learning much. That's pretty expensive play time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 My first's final year of primary was a waste of time because her teacher was awful, and we had just moved and she didn't gel with the kids. My second's final year was a great experience for him. He got to be the big kid, he worked really hard, he had good buddies, and his teachers were wonderful. He did 4 years total, but 3 at that school. His 3rd year, he wasn't the oldest. He was the youngest of the "afternoon kids," and did not get the Big Kid experience. He tends toward the quiet and anxious, so he was able to hide in the back of the pack. His final year, he really found his place and it was neat to see his leadership (king of the primary kiddies, lol) style develop. His teacher did not let them get bored. She brought in lower elementary materials for math when they finished all the primary work. The other items are more flexible, but they did grammar and writing and definitely more than just table washing and snacks. He has beautiful handwriting (when he chooses) from that too! He loved being a Big Kid that year. I plan on my two youngest going through three years, especially if they get that teacher! :) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Yes, a 4th year would definitely be overkill for mine too. They are currently in their second year, so it would be three years total. I should mention that the third year was overkill as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyroo Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 What are the majority of their friends going to be doing? If lots of friends are going off to kindergarten next year at the public school, then the end of this year would seems like the natural time to break off. If most of their friends are staying in Montessori for kindergarten and then going to public school for first, then after K might be a better breaking off point. The scenario I would worry about is if many of their friends are going to be in Montessori for elementary as well; your twins might be very resistant to coming home at that point. Wendy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 We're at the same point you're at, runningmama, and mostly paralyzed with indecision. Thank you so much for opening this thread. I will be following with interest. In our case, at least three of DS's little boy friends will be there next year, the school and his wonderful teacher have been effusive in their expression of hope that he returns, and I think that since there is an elementary class at the school as well, it would be possible to stretch him in academic subjects. His teacher has been there for 20+ years, the other primary teacher is a cofounder of the school with 30+ years experience. We are also convicted about the power of homeschooling, as well as waiting to hear from one local lottery-only bilingual immersion elementary. The good news is we have three great choices, so I'm trying to view it as a profusion of blessings. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 . 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 We don't do montessori (there are no schools nearby), but a good friend of mine from college did. She was there as a 16 year old at a highly-competitive university and she had exceptional social skills for someone so bright. She talked about it a little, and basically thought it was fantastic. She never felt pressure academically, all her friends thought school was easy and fun, and when they switched to public schools they were all very advanced, naturally. She seemed to think it was a great way to insure academic excellence without academic pressure. She's now successful in a job she loves at a top tech company and runs marathons in her spare time. If my kids end up half the person she is, I'll be thrilled. And if we had a school near here and it could fit into our budget, I would seriously consider it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 Aside from the activities in favor of keeping them in, and finances in favor of taking them out, how is it for the kids? Are they thriving? Learning lots and loving it? If they're not, I wouldn't pay for another year of not learning much. That's pretty expensive play time. They are thriving. My DD loves it, my DS is content. He would prefer to stay home however, like his big brother. What are the majority of their friends going to be doing? If lots of friends are going off to kindergarten next year at the public school, then the end of this year would seems like the natural time to break off. If most of their friends are staying in Montessori for kindergarten and then going to public school for first, then after K might be a better breaking off point. The scenario I would worry about is if many of their friends are going to be in Montessori for elementary as well; your twins might be very resistant to coming home at that point. Wendy Most, if not all of the other second years will be doing the third year. It's not the norm to leave before that. Most kids go on to private school for first grade, either to parochial or a different Montessori. A minority go to public school, and a slight few, if any, home school. (It's just ages 3-6, so all the children leave after the third year.) We're at the same point you're at, runningmama, and mostly paralyzed with indecision. Thank you so much for opening this thread. I will be following with interest. In our case, at least three of DS's little boy friends will be there next year, the school and his wonderful teacher have been effusive in their expression of hope that he returns, and I think that since there is an elementary class at the school as well, it would be possible to stretch him in academic subjects. His teacher has been there for 20+ years, the other primary teacher is a cofounder of the school with 30+ years experience. We are also convicted about the power of homeschooling, as well as waiting to hear from one local lottery-only bilingual immersion elementary. The good news is we have three great choices, so I'm trying to view it as a profusion of blessings. At least I'm not alone with my inner turmoil! Misery loves company. :lol: Our head teacher has been there for 20+ years as well. She's great, and part of the reason I'm conflicted. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 Some of my kids have especially blossomed in the third year (K). Coming out of shells, more open to challenge academically, having opportunities to show leadership, etc.; it varies depending on the kid (my sixth kiddo is in K right now and I have four other kids in elementary grades there). If it were me, the decision would rest largely on how well the school will meet their academic needs for the K year. If the needs will be met for the most part, and there are a bunch of other benefits, then it may be worth the cost. If the academic side is problematic, then it would probably not be worth the dollars and the opportunity cost of the full day. A lot depends on your kids' academic levels and teacher attitudes about higher level materials, to the extent they'd be appropriate. At my kids' school, the primary teachers tend to be the most open about that, though we have had some issues with a couple of elementary teachers. For example, look at where your students are for math and whether they would have access to things like checkerboard, multiplication bead frame, etc. (There should already be the stamp game in the current classroom - IIRC, like many works, it can be adapted to higher levels.) Even my most advanced math kiddos did not need the test tubes (long division) in K and they are plenty far ahead - in other words, there are only so many higher works that would be needed. I'd want to talk all this over with the actual teacher. It can be difficult to predict what sorts of jumps and plateaus lay ahead for a particular student. Academically, I think they would be fine, but this is excellent advice, and we actually have a teacher conference coming up in which we can delve into this. My DS is very mathy, so that is a valid concern. I will definitely find out more. Both are reading easy readers, as most second years seem to be doing, so I don't doubt that next year they will be able to meet their needs. I will say that my older DS only went to the school for a year, because it was not a good fit due to his academic needs. He is very different from his siblings, but I should keep that in mind. Thank you for the reminder. We don't do montessori (there are no schools nearby), but a good friend of mine from college did. She was there as a 16 year old at a highly-competitive university and she had exceptional social skills for someone so bright. She talked about it a little, and basically thought it was fantastic. She never felt pressure academically, all her friends thought school was easy and fun, and when they switched to public schools they were all very advanced, naturally. She seemed to think it was a great way to insure academic excellence without academic pressure. She's now successful in a job she loves at a top tech company and runs marathons in her spare time. If my kids end up half the person she is, I'll be thrilled. And if we had a school near here and it could fit into our budget, I would seriously consider it. Thank you for that. :) I really gravitate towards Montessori in general, and if finances allowed it, we would consider Montessori all the way through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 . 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 *sigh* well you know I love Montessori math at the primary level. I continue to be very happy with the foundation it provided for my mathy ones. If you really like the teacher and feel that the teacher is good at intuitively perceiving what your kids need, that would be ideal. (e.g., I have been amazed by some of the teachers my kids have had, especially the "old" one who then promptly retired before my next kiddo was starting :tongue_smilie:. That's the one who called me to say that my ds was underachieving at 4, LOL - she understood his potential very intuitively - she really got him, even his efforts to avoid challenge - and she adapted the situation to meet those needs.) Good luck deciding. If it's expensive, that's a tough call. It's actually the cheapest Montessori around, but the whole "two at once" thing bites us sometimes. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 This decision is hard because they will be fine either way. Some of us have had kids in montessori preschool 1, 2 or 3 years. You know the drill and can offer similar teaching at home if you would like. Once you make the decision go with it, don't waiver. Tell the kids in a positive way and they will make the change. Your friendships will shift once everyone is in school either way. Good luck. I hate win win decisions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 This decision is hard because they will be fine either way. Some of us have had kids in montessori preschool 1, 2 or 3 years. You know the drill and can offer similar teaching at home if you would like. Once you make the decision go with it, don't waiver. Tell the kids in a positive way and they will make the change. Your friendships will shift once everyone is in school either way. Good luck. I hate win win decisions. I need to re watch the TED talk on making decisions, and how it's usually ok no matter what you choose. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Hard decision. Maybe think hard about what you truly value about the Montessori experience. The environment? The materials? The "tone" of the room? The learning from other kids? Maybe see what you can replicate (to some degree) and what you can't, and decide from there. For ex, if it's the materials, with half the $$ you are spending on tuition, you could probably get quite a few of the materials, and with some research, you could see how to present them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 If what you value most is the unique social skills learned in that sort of environment, are there other ways they could achieve those skills? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted March 4, 2015 Author Share Posted March 4, 2015 Hard decision. Maybe think hard about what you truly value about the Montessori experience. The environment? The materials? The "tone" of the room? The learning from other kids? Maybe see what you can replicate (to some degree) and what you can't, and decide from there. For ex, if it's the materials, with half the $$ you are spending on tuition, you could probably get quite a few of the materials, and with some research, you could see how to present them. The tone of the room is great, and it's a nice little community. I have yet to find a homeschooling community that we connect with. I honestly can try harder on that part. I mean, I try, but I have been discouraged lately. My older DS is a bit quirky, so that makes it a little difficult. If what you value most is the unique social skills learned in that sort of environment, are there other ways they could achieve those skills? I'm not sure. That's a great question. I guess it would just be giving them the opportunities to be around kids their own age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tm919 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 We went through this a few months ago, except it will be my daughter's fourth year since she started at exactly 2 years 9 months. We decided to have her continue in Montessori for K despite the expense, for a few reasons. (1) She has academic peers who will be continuing. (2) The teachers have been great about bringing out work especially for her. They've been teaching together for 20-30 years and they have a large stockpile of materials. (3) Probably the most important is just that I am not good at teaching what I value about Montessori. I can teach academic subjects, but I am no good at teaching the independence part. She can do things at school, like write full stories, or carefully work out a book report, that I doubt I could have taught her at this age -- maybe because she always looks to me for "what's next" if I'm there. It also might give you another year of slightly less chaos with your 8 year old! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted March 4, 2015 Author Share Posted March 4, 2015 We went through this a few months ago, except it will be my daughter's fourth year since she started at exactly 2 years 9 months. We decided to have her continue in Montessori for K despite the expense, for a few reasons. (1) She has academic peers who will be continuing. (2) The teachers have been great about bringing out work especially for her. They've been teaching together for 20-30 years and they have a large stockpile of materials. (3) Probably the most important is just that I am not good at teaching what I value about Montessori. I can teach academic subjects, but I am no good at teaching the independence part. She can do things at school, like write full stories, or carefully work out a book report, that I doubt I could have taught her at this age -- maybe because she always looks to me for "what's next" if I'm there. It also might give you another year of slightly less chaos with your 8 year old! Thank you for sharing! Can I ask, do you plan to bring her home for first grade, or will she continue on in Montessori? I should mention, this program isn't 5 full days. It's 3 half days and 2 full. So we would have 3 afternoons to do a little home school. It's really the money that throwing me. I just think about how nice it would be to not spend it. Haha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tm919 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Thank you for sharing! Can I ask, do you plan to bring her home for first grade, or will she continue on in Montessori? She will probably go to public school for first grade. She'll go to the public school part-time during her K year (her Montessori is half day) so I can get a sense of whether it will be a disaster. Good luck with this decision! What made it a hard decision for us is that we had no place to cut in our budget this year that didn't affect the children directly -- If we hadn't decided to pay an extra year of tuition, we would have put the money toward her college fund. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted March 4, 2015 Author Share Posted March 4, 2015 She will probably go to public school for first grade. She'll go to the public school part-time during her K year (her Montessori is half day) so I can get a sense of whether it will be a disaster. Good luck with this decision! What made it a hard decision for us is that we had no place to cut in our budget this year that didn't affect the children directly -- If we hadn't decided to pay an extra year of tuition, we would have put the money toward her college fund. This would be our home renovations and vacation funds. (We are house hunting now, so it's completely reasonable to wait a year for those things anyways.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted March 5, 2015 Author Share Posted March 5, 2015 I just wanted to update, we decided to send them next year. They are in a good place and the more I thought about it, the more convinced I was that the third year will be an asset to their education. Saving money is totally overrated, right? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Totally overrated. :) honestly, there is no better investment that excellent early education. We're leaning toward year three as well. Still waiting to hear from the public school but kiddo is thriving and I like the dictum "Never try to make a happy baby happier." :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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