How Do I Choose a Montessori School?

I had my first official blog email question, and by someone other than one of my seven official followers! This must be why I am doing this. :)

Question: "I heard that any school can call itself Montessori. Is that true? How do I know it's a good school?"
Answer: Yes! It's true! Any school can call themselves Montessori. Scary! You can evaluate a school pretty effectively through observation and discussion with the director and other parents.


OBSERVATION
You MUST observe in the classroom while students are present. If you are not allowed to observe, be concerned. What are they trying to hide? You should be expected to sit quietly and inconspicuously and not talk to the students or teacher unless approached. Look for teaching style, student behavior, and classroom layout/materials.

Movement: You should see the teacher moving around the room meeting with small groups or individuals. You should see students helping each other and helping themselves to work on the shelves and supplies. There will be work and students on the floor. It may look chaotic and messy, so try to focus your attention on one or two students at first to see what they are doing. Everyone will be working on something different.

Range of Ages: There will be a range of ages present in the classroom: 0-3, 3-6, 6-9, etc. If there is only one age present, be concerned. A range of ages provides leadership for older students and community for all. It also lends itself to the division of the planes of development. I could keep going, but that's another post.

Inviting Decor: The classroom should look inviting and the furniture arranged so it is easy for children to work in small groups or alone. Materials are organized neatly by subject and by level on the shelves. Artwork is hung at the child's eye level. You should not see several rows of desks facing the front of the classroom or lots of brightly colored "educational" crap on the walls (a little is okay, but the classroom should ideally look like as inviting as someone's house).

Behavior: Do the children know what to do? They should be self-directed. They should know where things are and what to do with them. They will look to the teacher and each other for support at times, but they should not be relying on the teacher for constant direction. Older students will definitely have their own work plan or schedule to guide them (self-made is even better!).


DISCUSSION
Membership: Find out if the teachers are AMS or AMI trained (or something else), and if their training center is recognized by the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE). MACTE spans all of the ways you can become a Montessori teacher including AMS and AMI (and even stranger, smaller independent means of training). You can ask where the teachers were trained and look it up easily on the MACTE website. MACTE has standards, and your school should too!
Further, is the school a member of some sort of Montessori organization such as AMS? If not, why not? My local Montessori is not concerned with affiliation or accreditation due to the high cost and the lack of interest of parents which leads me to my next point...

Teacher and Parent Education: What opportunities are available for continuing teacher education? Do they attend conferences or have opportunities for additional training? Do they have degrees in something education- or child-development-related? Is there a parent's association of sorts and is there a piece within that that seeks to educate parents and families about the Montessori method? Do administrators and teachers regularly communicate with parents? Do the seek community involvement? And lastly, do they want your help? I hope the answer to all of these questions is yes! If no, something may be lacking.

What Parents Are Saying: I leave this a bit open-ended because parents can give you details about how bullying is handled to which bar your child's teacher frequents. At my daughter's Montessori preschool, I heard from two separate sources beforehand that it wasn't "real Montessori" and now I am left wondering... what is "real Montessori?"

Is it real Montessori?
Montessori can only be as authentic as is desired-- by the school, the families who have children there, and the community. This may be a good question to bring up-- what parts of the program are they most proud? What adjustments have they had to make to the Montessori model to fit the needs of the current student population? And (you knew this was coming): What can you do to help?

It's your job to be involved in your child's education, so be a critic and a supporter. They can do it without you, but it will work much better with your help! It's really hard to pinpoint what makes a good school. If you're committed to Montessori, you know that test scores is not necessarily an indicator of learning. In the end, go with your gut and don't be afraid to change your decision if it doesn't work. Montessori isn't the only answer to a good education, but I believe it's the best way we have.

I bet I missed something. What else?

How to Speak to Children

Children are perceptive.

There is a vast difference between communicating with respect and treating the child like an idiot. Even "idiots" deserve to be treated with respect (just ask Maria Montessori). They are all perceptive.

I witnessed the way two different people talked to my three-and-a-half year old daughter this week. The first was a brilliant experience. The adult in question greeted her and told her name. Then she asked my daughter's name by bending over really far and speaking directly to her. She asked a few other questions to get the conversation going such as, "How old are you?" and "What is your favorite color?" Then we began our meeting, which was all about her.

When the adult wanted her to pay attention, she said, "Watch" and then pointed to where she wanted her eyes. She made good eye contact. She did everything deliberately and slowly to make sure she understood, since this was her first time there. The adult showed her first, then let her try. Even when she messed up, the adult waited until she was finished, then said, "Watch" and showed her again. We had all the time in the world.

The second adult in question never introduced herself. She asked me what my daughter's name is and I turned to my daughter and asked her to tell the woman her name. She hid behind my leg. The adult shouted directions and became louder and more frustrated and shouted faster as my daughter became confused. This adult had no concept of processing speed. I tried to slow it down and reassure her that she was doing the right thing, but it was a frustrating experience.

Kids know when you aren't acting from a place of love. "Of all things love is the most potent," said Maria Montessori in The Absorbent Mind. It was clear that the first adult loves children. She showed an incredible respect for my daughter's process of learning. The second adult was trying to get the job done as fast as possible without regard to the child. Both adults had the opportunity to teach something and help my daughter build confidence in herself.

Luckily, I was able to witness both of these situations and I have the opportunity to choose the first adult as someone who will interact with my daughter regularly. I am thrilled that there is an adult who will treat her with patience and respect and above all, act from a place of love.