I love Montessori. I really do. It has been wonderful to spend Bear's preschool years working through the sequence in the albums. I am looking forward to doing so with J-jo. Our home is definitely Montessori inspired and we have followed and still follow the philosophy of "follow the child" and "teach me to do it myself."
However, I find Montessori exhausting. Setting up trays and works takes a lot of time, as does printing, cutting, and laminating three part cards and nomenclature cards. Often the trays are used once and then never again. This is discouraging to me. My children are not drawn to three part cards. Bear likes making nomenclature booklets, but will not choose the work once the booklet has been made once.
I am not trained in either 3-6 or 6-9 Montessori. I took Karen Tyler's 3-6 Montessori course two years ago and feel much more comfortable now teaching that Montessori sequence. The only things I know about Montessori elementary is what I have read on my own on blogs; consequently, I don't feel comfortable trying to attempt that on my own. I think we have set down very good roots with our Montessori preschool at home and that now it is time to continue on with the Classical Model of education.
I need Bear's things to be more open and go right now so I can focus on J-jo's early education. Bear is off to an excellent start, far ahead of where she even needs to be, and is now capable of working more independently in workbooks, reading directions on her own. J-jo isn't behind by any means, but I feel that he always gets the short end of the stick. I can give Bear a math book and she can complete the assignment and I know that the particular curriculum we have chosen (Singapore) is rigorous and covers everything a child needs to know for a great math education. That's not to say Montessori doesn't, but with Montessori at home, Bear wouldn't necessarily choose the works to practice the math frequently enough. She would frequently choose the works she had already mastered and not push herself to choose the new work that needed practice. With the math book, it all gets done and practiced so I have peace of mind. I also love that Singapore is teaching her mental math strategies that we were not learning following the Montessori sequence. If you want insight into the Singapore method, I recommend reading Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics
by Liping Ma. That book shows the depth of what we think is just basic elementary math. She describes how important it is to teach conceptual math, not just procedural math. The book is expensive so try your library or an interlibrary loan.
For other subjects, such as grammar and writing, we love First Language Lessons
and Writing with Ease
. She also writes stories and does free writing throughout the week. Again, those two programs are open and go and take 15 minutes a piece, if that. Montessori grammar is fun and we have done all the primary presentations for it. However, I have just spent an hour trying to plan a few Montessori grammar presentations for Bear and I am nowhere near done. The time it has taken me to read up on some word study and sentence analysis presentations in my language album, plus finding the sentences I need and printing them and cutting them, could have been spent snuggled up on the couch with my husband watching a movie. If I had many children reusing the materials perhaps I would feel it were more worth it. (Bear did ask today for some Montessori grammar presentations; hence my renewed efforts.)For Spelling, we love All About Spelling (affiliate link is in the sidebar), and even though we will have spent an enormous amount of money on spelling by the time we finish all the books, I feel it is worth it. Bear is retaining the rules and applying them to her personal writing. The program itself is very hands-on and reminds me so much of the Montessori moveable alphabet - it's one of the many reasons I chose it.
We will continue to insert Montessori work into the day, and when Bear finishes her daily contract, she has freedom to choose anything in the classroom to work on, in the true Montessori spirit. It has been hard for me to let go of Montessori elementary for Bear, but I am now at peace with it, knowing that what we are doing now works better for all of us.
I completely understand and respect your choices. I love Montessori too but having only one child, it was hard for me to justify the time I spent making all the materials. She also does things once and never touches it again.
ReplyDeleteI want to continue following the child but also meet my needs of wanting to complete something. I know in my mind that children learn best when they follow their interests. But for my own sanity, I want to have something scheduled, at least for the mornings. The rest of the afternoon would be used for outdoor play and following whatever interests her. Perhaps, you can leave Montessori materials for her free time and make materials occasionally if you find something good. I try to incorporate it if I think it will enhance the learning. I love the Montessori grammar, for example. I adapted it to meet our needs and used the ideas behind it...the use of objects to symbolize abstract ideas.
I love your choices for spelling and language lessons. I wanted to try it but haven't gotten around to it. Instead, we are looking into introducing Latin. I would love to know more about the language lessons and the spelling so many we can incorporate it next year. K seems to be teaching herself spelling just from free writing so I want to see how far she can go with this.
As for math, we began Dreambox and that has been working well in terms of helping K get the repetition for basic skills which she was lacking. She seems to get the concepts easier than the rote stuff. I agree with you that teaching concepts before procedure is very important! We've been doing Life of Fred and love that as well. We're probably going to move onto a problem solving approach down the line.
It's good to read about your reasons. The most important thing to do is what works for your family. I know that you put lots of time, thought and love into all that you do to educate your children... and it works!!
ReplyDeleteI've planned to do my best to give Robbie a classical education even since before he was born, so it's nice to read about what you think of the materials we may use.
I, too, enjoy some aspects of the Montessori method, but found it too teacher heavy in terms of making and setting up materials. I just use some of the principals.
ReplyDeleteEs interesante leer esta publicacion Julie, despues de tanto tiempo que sigo tu blog y entendia que te gustaba mucho Montessori...., Respeto muuuchisimo tu opinion y tu sinceridad para con tus lectores. La realidad es que cada familia es difente y necesita ajustarse a las necesidades de sus hijos y sus intereses. Si estos metodos que mencionas, son los que le funcionan, Gloria a Dios!! Lo importante aqui, es que tus hijos hagan el trabajo, que les guste lo que hacen y que mama tenga paz mental!!! Asi, que muuuucho exito, te sigo leyendo igual, pues me encantan tus ideas!!lol y admiro el trabajo que haces con tus hijos!!
ReplyDeleteSabes....me llama mucho la atencion el programa de All About spelling, para ensenarle ingles a mis princesas... leere un poco mas sobre el!!
Gracias x tu sinceridad y sigue haciendo lo que has hecho hasta ahora, pues tu trabajo es espectacular!!!
(I'm sorry, it's easy for me said all this in spanish, I know you understand!!)
Big Hugs!!
Yes! We chose to finish up our kindy year with Waldorf-inspired for many of the same reasons. Next year for first grade we will be using Enki. Kudos for doing not only what's best for your child, but also what's best for *you* :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your reasons. I was very curious. I've known for a while that Montessori didn't work for me, personality wise, or my kids, but I'm always interested to learn more about what works for different people
ReplyDeleteTotally get what you mean! These days I just rely on what we call here, assessment books for my 5 yr old to be. It's easier & comprehensive. It serves very well as a checklist on what he should be learning and what he knows or doesn't. But I still adore Montessori, so I use bits & pieces oF her academic work if I deem necessary. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMy interest in Montessori starts out strong from infant to preschool age but by kindergarten my interest wanes. I feel you on this post. :)
ReplyDeleteI really, really, really get what you are talking about. Montessori is very time consuming. It's been so rewarding though and I can see why you are continuing it in your home and lifestyle, while suplementing other styles of education. I'm happy that Bear is so successful in her studies. You are doing an amazing job! I featured your article on the Montessori MOMents facebook.com/MontessoriMOMents. I think many Homeschoolers will find it very helpful. Happy homeschooling! -Lori
ReplyDeleteI respect your decision regarding Montessori Elementary program. I am a Montessori Elementary directress. The Montessori Elementary program is relies on student to student interaction. It is a hard program to understand because it is distinct from the primary program. This program would be challenging for a home school setting. Yet is it wonderful for a school setting! If you ever have a chance please visit your local Montessori School! Our classroom is an exciting place. We have children researching their favorite topic and others doing long division! I respect your decision, but realize the Montessori Method goes well beyond the elementary years!
ReplyDeleteGood luck!