Montessori or not Montessori? Help!

[Sophie0205]

I am a Dulwich girl now living in Catford and have just put my 2 yr old sons name down for Lillingtons Montessori in Ladywell, to start next September. Does anyone have any views on the whole State Nursery vs Montessori matter? Of course I want whats best for my son and have had the "M" word pushed my way on a few occasions so assumed it's they way to go. I have visited the nursery a few times now and am extremely happy with the staff, area etc. Any thoughts/experience would be gratefully received!

[redjam]

I think you have to judge on the individual nursery. My kids have been in two Montessori nurseries - one extremely good, the other, well... Montessoris seem to use a different range of teaching materials (lots of very tactile wooden and textured objects, raised letters, beads for counting etc), they tend to be smaller, and they emphasize following the child's interests and letting them set the pace (though mind you a lot of 'normal' nurseries seem to do that too). I'd go with your instincts and choose a nursery where you like the staff rather than the individual teaching method - in the end, all nurseries are far more about messy painting, reading stories and interacting with other kids and that's the thing that counts, so as long as you think the staff are good and caring that's the most important thing, in my humble opinion! Good luck...

[Mick Mac]

I'd agree with that redjam - nursery should be about children being happy and well looked after.

[chelle184]

Hi there.

I completely agree with the above comments! I am a Montessori teacher worked in a fantastic nursery for 7 years! So I am obviously very pro Montessori! But unfortunately there are alot of Montessori nursery which are not 'proper montessori' nurseries! I found this out when I started to look for a new position due to moving!

I really do feel its important that you have a feeling about the nursery! Are the staff going to comfort your child when needed, are they warm, genuine and are they going to give you feedback. Good communication is key!

Good luck

[lorraineliyanage]

I was very keen to send my daughter to a Montessori nursery as I am a teacher and I like the structured approach of the Montessori day. However, I found the price of Montessori nurseries in Dulwich prohibitive, so have sent her to a non-Montessori nursery which she loves. I don't mind spending lots of time at home with her doing Montessori-style activities. You can find lots of information about the teaching methods online.

[andyxlandells]

my son went into reverse in a montisorri in dulwich ( from a happy singing child to mini sullen teenager) and never turned that round till he went to dulwich wood

but i think that was the nusrey not the system

good nurserys good systems of learning and good people will be good

if one of those is lacking then they will be not as good to downright shocking

[fearnpw1]

My 3 year old daughter goes to a Montessori school and is positively flourishing - she loves the 'work'. They have a holiday club over summer and she couldn't wait to get back to the Montessori activities. She attended a normal workplace nursery when she was a baby which was amazing. That closed, she went to a non-montessori nursery which was a disaster. I'm delighted I found this place and although I didn't choose it for the montessori method at all it has suited my little girl. It may not be for every child though. Good luck!

[sillywoman]

Is it true that girls tend to do better in a Montessori environment than boys?

[anapau]

sillywoman Wrote:

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> Is it true that girls tend to do better in a

> Montessori environment than boys?

I've been helping out at my mum's Montessori school for ages and don't think I've ever seen any evidence of that.

[lolisa137]

The Montessori method of teaching is a modern educational movement that encourages teachers to view children and classroom education differently than the common teacher-student relationship. Read more about Montessori method here: http://motherhow.com/montessori/