What Happens After Montessori

So your child attended a Montessori school for preschool, now what?  Will they have difficulty transitioning to traditional schooling, will they have friends since many of the local children went to a traditional preschool, will they be behind academically........these are many of the questions I have been asked over the years about the children leaving our program and moving on to kindergarten or first grade.  Every child is different, but it has been my experience that most of our students transition with little difficulty to a more traditional setting, however the lifelong skills they learn from their time at Montessori will be benefit them time and time again.

My children all went through Montessori and completed the 3 year cycle.  Upon entering first grade I was honestly a bit nervous.  We had been teaching them based on their ability, interest etc and was a bit worried what would happen when faced with an "assignment" they did not want to do or a time frame given to them to complete a work. They quickly adapted to the structure.  Although I wish I could have continued with Montessori education that was not a reasonable option for our family. 

My children right now are in 10th, 6th and 4th grades.   They are typical kids who make mistakes, but learn from them, argue with each other but show kindness,  stumble when faced with difficult situations but problem solve,  and most importantly to me are kind, helpful and compassionate.  One of the aspects of Montessori I love best is the older child helping the younger child.  They become the role models and I have watched my children rise to the occassion.  All three enjoy helping out and coaching younger children.  We are a family of lacrosse and football players and last year my oldest son spent his evenings and weekends after his own practice helping to coach his younger brother's teams.  This fall both of my younger children are helping to coach the 5 year olds in lacrosse.  So many important life skills can be learned from all involved. 

Montessori not only emphasizes the older child "teaching" but also allowing children to realize that they are part of a larger entity and they can be useful and effective.  Through Montessori my children have learned to ask questions, investigate and problem solve.  They were allowed from early on to manilpulate and explore self correcting activities.  Teachers were not the information givers.  Their job was to manipulate the environment to allow children to gather and obtain the information on their own. 

Independence also plays an important role in the Montessori classroom.  Independence leads to decision making.  As adults we are asked to make hundreds of choices a day.  Some are easier than others but we have had lots of practice.  Preschool is a great time start allowing independence and simple decision making.  In the classroom students decide when to have snack, what area to work in,  where they would like to sit, if they would like to work on the floor.  Through this empowerment they begin to respect the rules and guidlines of the classroom.  As children get older they are faced with harder and harder decisions on a daily basis.  I cringe when I think of the peer pressure my 15 year old could be faced with daily.  I believe that being empowered and encouraged to make decisions (positive and negative consequences alike) from a young age will help my children make good life decisions, be independent thinkers and successfull adults.  I am certain that they will make mistakes, BIG ones and little ones but hope that they can learn from their mistakes, ask questions and empower themselves for a lifetime of success.