Is it possible Montessori isn't right for my 4 year old?

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I'm not impressed with Montessori schools. Besides the fact that a lot of schools interpret it differently than other schools, I've found that most of the Montessori schools I have dealt with use the title just to get parents to let the kids go there, sort of like someone putting that they're a specialist or something even though they don't do anything differently than the layman. "Oh, our school is set up with this philosophy..." but then they don't follow that philosophy hardly at all. Basically, not all Montessori schools are alike.

Montessori or not, a crying child is disruptive to other students and should be responded to. Ignoring bad behavior does work, but not like that. You have to be very attentive and the moment they are willing to respond then you encourage the response, so if a child is crying then you should be doing something close by but attentive and the moment they glance up ask if they would like to do something now, which encourages the non-crying behavior. Though I'm not convinced crying is 'bad behavior' as it's one of the methods of expressing your feelings. Also you don't want children to think that they are only going to get attention if they seek it out, what about the shrinking violets who are shy and unsure about asking for help or attention? Should they be left to wilt? Certainly not. A good educator will bring the child reading books by themselves under the desk out through encouragement, not just ignoring them and expecting them to come around on their own. Expecting a 4 year old to sit still for long periods of time, especially a little boy, is completely ignoring childhood development. There's so much to be said for play and physical achievement.

Montessori right now is very 'in'. The result is there's a lot of schools who don't even follow it except very basically just to get parents to put their kids in the school. If your son isn't doing well in that school I wouldn't necessarily chalk it up to the philosophy they say they follow, it's the school, and find him another....Show more

If you want structure, I think Montessori is not the way to go for your son. Montessori schools can be great for some children, but no, they are not right for all children. I personally do like some of the ideas behind Montessori programs, but I know that such a situation would not be right for my daughter, and I will not be enrolling her in a Montessori school. She needs more adult interaction among other things....Show more

That is the way Montessori is, child led learning and minimal adult input. Crying is not a disease and if the child wanted comfort they would have gone to an adult or other child and gotten it.

Montessori is not for every child, children who need rigid structure should not be in this school. Perhaps a Waldorf school would suit better....Show more

Of course it is possible. There's no such thing as an education system which is right for everyone.

I decided not to put my kid into the local Montessori nursery based on their strong philosophy of "one toy at a time." He loved building ramps and bridges for his toy cars using blocks....Show more