Decatur Mom reader, Jennifer, wrote in last month to ask about a topic in which we both have a lot of interest; How do parents find the transition from Montessori school to public school? I recently had a chance to spend some time with my aunt who was a public school teacher for many, many years until she opened her own school. And her opinion was that it varies greatly by child, of course. But she said that she has seen the transition work more smoothly when a child moves from Montessori into a Kindergarten classroom.
She went on to add that in Kindergarten children still work at their own pace and are not usually seated at assigned desks. Therefore, they have the freedom of movement and choice that is familiar enough to a Montessori setting that the children usually do just fine. Public first grade, however, is a different story because the environment is quite a bit different from Montessori. She did not say that children cannot do well when they transition at the start of their first grade year, in fact many of them do. However, her recommendation to me was to keep going with Montessori through elementary or middle, or transition in Kindergarten.
I would be interested in hearing from more parents about their experiences with transitioning from Montessori, whether you transitioned for Kindergarten, first grade, middle or high school. Sharing experiences with transitioning from Montessori to Decatur public schools would be especially helpful. I am quite excited about Decatur public schools and the move to a charter school system, and I look forward to moving my children to Decatur public schools in the future.
Thanks Jennifer, for kicking off this discussion!
Hi,
I’m new to your website and have really been enjoying it so far. I had to chime in on this one being an Elementary (AMI) Montessori teacher and the parent of a Montessori primary child in her second year of school. I think the reasons stated for going to kindergarten are valid (not sitting at desks, etc.) but knowing what children do in public kindergarten versus what a child who has completed the 3 year cycle of Montessori primary will be capable of, I would worry that they would be very bored and or frustrated. I hope to be able to send my daughter all the way through elementary and transition to public school for 7th grade. If that is not possible and she has to leave (for financial reasons) after primary, I will strongly advocate for her to go to first grade. I saw students leave after lower elementary (at age 9) and go to 4th grade and that transition went well for the majority of them. Just my thoughts on the topic and I’ll be interested to hear what others have to say.
Thank you for your response, Leah. I am glad that you have been enjoying the site. I too, want to see my children go through all 3 years of primary Montessori. In a recent parent/teacher meeting at our Montessori school the primary teacher said that as students leave after their second year in primary to go to Kindergarten it creates a real problem for both the students who leave and the children who stay. The students who leave in the third year do not get a chance to grab that carrot that has been dangling in front of them for two years, to be the leader in the class, to do the more challenging lessons, etc. It is also in the third year that some students start to read, and if you don’t have any readers in the classroom then the younger students miss out on the opportunity to listen and learn from their peers. Apparently, younger students are fascinated by students who can read. And therefore it is most optimal to have a mixture of readers and learners in the classroom. But of course if a parent plans to exit Montessori, having the option to send their child to a good Kindergarten program is one of the most likely reasons. And that decision throws the age range in the in the primary Montessori classroom out of balance.
I am a guide in the DCSS public Montessori program. Anyone who lives in DeKalb County (Sorry, not including City Schools of Decatur) can attend. When a child completes Primary or Casa Montessori, he or she can enroll in an elementary calss. It goes up to grade 5 b/c of the way the school system is set up. To attend at a younger age, 4 year olds come in through the Georgia PK Lottery (:-( …. or in kindergarten if space is available. Of course the kids who live in one of the school districts that offers Montessori get 1st choice. That would be Huntley Hills, Briar Vista, and Midway Elementary Schools. I know we would love to have some elementary kids come into the lower and upper elementary classes at Midway. Some folks may not approve, but Maria Montessori didnot begin with private schools. Sure, we have to to teach the GPS, but Montessori goes way beyond that! Come visit.
HI,
This is my first time reading this blog and what a great find! I have been in Decatur for 9 years now and love it. I have a 10 year old boy and 3 year old boy. The 10 year old went to montessori from 13 months old – 1st grade. After first grade, he went to City of Decatur schools for 2nd grade. The reason was he was diagnosed with dyslexia and the child psychologist we hired to do a full evaluation on him recommended a more structured environment for him. This was difficult b/c we had just got into this Montessori school that went through 8th grade and thought that is where we would be. He did great at Clairemont Elementary. He had a great teacher and the school made all the accomodations we needed for him. Luckily he got into a school for dyslexics that he has attended the past two years and has helped him even more and we are looking for him to come back to City of Decatur for 5th grade. The younger one who is age 3 has been in montessori since he was 12 weeks old. We will keep him there through the end which is age 6 at this school and he will do 1st grade at Clairmont. I will say that the montessori school was key in diagnosing our first child with dyslexia at a young age which is so important and for this reason as well as what the poster said before (staying for the full cycle in montessori) is why we will keep our younger one there to complete it all. I do think that for boys especially, sometimes they need more structure then montessori offers and we felt that once 1st grade hit, we needed that b/c he changed. Montessori worked so well for our older one for so long and then one day it didn’t. We now take on each school year as another chance to re-evaluate where the kids are at school. We have learned we can’t plan ahead b/c curve balls come and what works one year might not the next. Hope that helps
LS
I don’t live in Decatur, but I have transitioned 2 of my 3 children from Montessori to public school, while the youngest is 3 years old and currently completing her second year at New Gate Scool in Sarasota, FL. I would like to share my story.
My first teaching experience was in a Montessori school, where I was one of two assistant teachers in a toddler and primary classroom. I eventually became a high school teacher in a public school, and I’m getting close to 2 decades of teaching foreign languages to students ages 14-18. I have incorporated many Montessori aspects into my public school classroom and I am very happy with the results (public high school teachers can learn how to do this at my website: http://www.thejoyfulteacher.com)
My oldest child stayed in Montessori through the end of “1st grade”. He has now completed 2nd and half of 3rd grade in public school. He made the transition into public school better than I did (I feel very sad that we couldn’t afford to keep him in his Montessori class). But I’m not surprised by this. Afterall, his Montessori experience gave him all the tools he needs to get along in any environment with any type of people. And he certainly learned how to be respectful with teachers and classmates. My, then Kindergartener, also transitioned well into his public school Kindergarten class.
Although my children’s elementary school is the number 2 in the district, it is not a better place for my eldest child in academic terms. I have not seen him do any challenging work and I have not noticed that his skills in anything have improved. I don’t blame his kind and thoughtful teachers. He is simply a very intelligent child, stuck in a one-size-fits-all public educational system. He was not allowed to skip a grade or two or three, because of potential self-esteem and social disadvantages (he wouldn’t have his driver’s license when his peers got theirs). He is in a gifted class, but they don’t cover more ground. Instead, they “go deeper.” I’ve given up hoping public school will challenge my child’s mind, but it’s also OK to see this child much more relaxed about achieving. In his Montessori class, he was extremely concerned with not getting everything on his weekly workplan finished on time. The one thing I think is better for him in public school is the exposure to more children, and different children each school year. Although he still has never had a friend in his entire life (partialy because there’s just no common ground with children at his grade level), he has learned how to integrate into and support the forced cooperative/team mentality so popular in his school (Montessori is much more focused on students working independently and with partners when both agree they want to work together).
As for my second child, he is doing better in public school than in his Montessori classroom. Why? I think because he is socially, not academically oriented. He is thrilled at all the playtime and so many friends to fool around with in his new school. Academically, public school has been better for him because he’s forced to do what everyone else is doing. In his Montessori classroom, he was allowed to work at his very own super slow pace and therefore was not accomplishing many of the milestones of his peers in public pre-school. After a year and a half of his public school teachers prodding and prodding him to “hurry up and finish”, he can now get all his work done at the same time as everyone else (so very unMontessori!).
The other big difference that made the transition difficult at first for my eldest son when he arrived in 2nd grade at his new public school was the total lack of freedom and limited responsibility given to him. The rules and procedures in public school are written in stone and no one may do anything that hasn’t been done before. In Montessori the children go to the bathroom when they need to without asking. In public school, not only must they make a public request, but sometimes (like at lunch) they are not allowed to go to the bathroom once they have arrived in the loud, smelly cafeteria (by the way, no adults eat with the children so there are no role models and as a result of 2 years of this experience, my once perfectly mannered 3rd grader now may be seen chewing with his mouth open, using his fingers to eat; while the napkin lays unopened next to his plate. Ugh!). My child had adult-like responsibilities and priveledges in his Montessori school. Not so in public school. Everyone is treated as an immature child with very limited opportunities to step out of sync with the rest of their peers. He gets lots of “no” responses to the requests he makes in public school whereas he would have not even have had to have made the request in the first place in his Montessori school. Eventuall he got used to all these no’s and just doesn’t try to make any of his own decisions anymore. He has learned to follow the crowd
Before I get too sad about all of this, I want to remind you and myself that public school is not necessarily better or worse than Montessori, it’s just different. Public school is free and it’s meant to move the masses of young people through an educational system using a factory-like model. Montessori is expensive and offers a small, sheltered environment that promotes independance, because it can.
The bottom line is that our Montessori children are able to make smooth transitions in any situation because of their wonderful Montessori teachers and the great educational philosophy they were blessed to be immersed in during the most formative years of their lives. This kernel will stay with them forever.
For that we can feel very proud and successful.
Wow. And you live where there is a public – free – Montessoei Charter School: Island Village. After observing there and seeing how hard y daughter works and the level of dedication, I certainly would give it a try. Yes, there are differences. Your child gets in if there is a space. There are challenges, but life is that way.
I am faced with the same problem you are
How is your daughter doing in public K and are you happy with your decicion Why
Thanks
I am the mother or a Montessori child who has attended from age 2 1/2 and will be completing Kindergarten this year. The school currently goes through age 8 (second grade equivalent) and is adding the next grade level in hopes to educate through 5th grade so students can transition to middle school.
I primarily moved my son because of the social aspects. We are in a small town and not natives. We are socially isolated ourselves and have little opportunity to socialize our sons. There will only be one other boy his age there next school year and when our younger child transitions in, we will probably not be able to afford to send both.
We had to choose; should he transition as a new first grader or new second grader. We figured first would be easier. We are very torn about this decision and absolutely love the Montessori school. I am comforted by the knowledge that our boy was able to spend 4 years in that wonderful and unique environment. We want to do the same for our younger child as well.
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there are public Montessori schools in Decatur
I’m struggling with keeping my son in Montessori or take him to public Kindergarten.
He has been in the same Montessori school since 3 mos.
My issue is that every time I ask the teacher how my son is doing, her reply is usually negative. She says he disrupts her class by not following directions, not completing his work, and rolls around during line time. She has commented that he seems to never pay attention but when she asks him a question on the material a month later, he knows the answer. He’s reading, does math and quite a smart kid as his teacher will point out. He’s a sweet kid but just has trouble focusing. Of course he could be ADHD. I can’t communicate with his teacher; I have tried since he was 3. I didn’t move him before b/c he loves his friends and his teacher and begs for me not to move him.
I don’t know if I should request for another teacher at his 3rd year, go to public K which is a good school, but not excellent, or just put up with his current teacher (I just wish she was more kind and understanding).
This entire issue is making both my husband and me ill.
Rachel,
Thank you for your comments. I think that you have every right as a parent to move your son into a more positive situation, whether it’s another classroom in his current school, another Montessori school or even public school. Despite your son’s feeling about wanting to be with his friends, you know what’s best for him. And he will ultimately be happier in a classroom where you, your husband and his teacher can work together as a team to provide him with the education and nurture that he needs.
I would even go so far as to say that if you cannot build that team with your son’s current teacher, then your family would be better off by putting your son into a different educational environment where you can have open communication, trust and reassurance that your child will get every opportunity to reach his full potential without the threat of labels; disruptive, ADHD, etc.
I wish you all the best of luck. Please keep us updated.
My 9-year-old daughter has been in a Montessori school since she was 3. When she was in first grade the school changed owners, and it was not nearly as good as it had been. I still kept her in there for first, second and third grade. There were many teacher changes during this time period. During the last semester of third grade (last year), I really felt that the teacher was more like a babysitter, and that there was not very much teaching/learning going on. Because of this, I could not continue her in this school. I also knew that she was behind in math, but was not quite sure how far behind she was. Since we have “excellent” public schools in our area, I put her in our local school for 4th grade; she started in August. I tried many times to talk with the principal and teacher over the summer to see if we could get a plan to help transition her to a “regular” class, and to let them know that she needed extra help in math…no one returned my calls. The first day of school arrived, and let me tell you – she could not have had a WORSE teacher for a former Montessori student…very strict and very authoritative. My daughter was afraid of her, and in my daughter’s mind the teacher yelled “all the time”. It’s no wonder that in the last 7 weeks of school she has slide down that slippery slope and is now failing math! I talked to her teacher 5 weeks ago to alert her to the fact that my kid was having allot of trouble with math. Teacher told me to work her multiplications with her, just wait, and all would be fine. It was not. 3 weeks ago I talked with the principal re: the same, and she told me to wait, that she had not been “alerted” by the teacher that my daughter was “needing an intervention” or “remedial”. She also asked me if I was thinking of retaining her!! WHAT?? My kid is doing 90+% in everything but math and you ask me if I want to retain her?? There were no services available from the school or the school district to help with her math. I started her with a tutor last week, but not in time: Teacher called me last week to tell me “you daughter is FAILING math!! do YOU want to tell her, or do you want ME to tell her?”!! I’ve had it with the public school system…or at least this “distinguished school” recipient. This elementary school is ranked #2 in our district, and I guess they thought I was a “hysterical mom” when I reached out to ask for help & a plan. I have found another Montessori and she has spent the last 2 days there…it looks like she will be transferring over there ASAP. BTW – once the principal heard my kid was possibly leaving the school, she now claims that – since my daughter excels in language arts – it was difficult to believe that she would have so much trouble in math, so yeah, I guess they didn’t believe me. I know once my daughter has a caring and KIND teacher again that she will start to work hard to please herself and the teacher. But this foray into public school has been a JOKE! They seem to just move the kids in & out on a conveyor belt…never paying attention to see if there’s a problem (even when mom tries to solicite help). The new Montessori goes through Junior High, so I guess that’s the new plan. However, I blame much of this failed transition directly on the teacher…my daughter should NEVER have been placed in her class, and if any administrator at the school realized the concepts of a Montessori classroom perhaps this would not have happened.
I need some help and guidance regarding this issue. I am considering the Montessori education but I am unsure of how my son will adjust, he is 7. My daughter is 5 and entering Kindergarten. We have an excellent school that my son has attended but I want more for them. I am just afraid if the Montessori doesnt work out will my son be behind? If it does work, will they transition well to the public school system when they are older (12-15)?
Our family is likely moving to Decatur for next school year. My children 3 and 5 are currently in a Montessori school (not Kindergarten yet). What is the run down of Montessori schools in the vicinity? Any suggestions on where or how to begin my researching the schools? We are very interested in staying with Montessori but also need to think about eventually transitioning to public school. Is there a section of town to live in with more options? Is there a public Montessori school in Decatur?