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Post by avagracemom on Mar 10, 2006 20:11:05 GMT -5
Ava turns 3 in August and we really like the Montessori approach to education. We have 3 interviews so the schools can "see" how Ava would fit into their schools. All 3 are unsure so I am looking for positive experiences to share with them. Could you please share with me if you have had a positive experience with Montessori! Thanks so much!
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Post by Emilysmom on Mar 11, 2006 8:54:31 GMT -5
I'm sorry, I really don't know anything at all about Montessori! But.......I wanted to say WELCOME TO UNO MAS!!! I'm so glad you're here. If you learn more about Montessori, let us know. There may be other parents who are interested in it too.
Susan
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Post by TriciaF on Mar 11, 2006 10:05:11 GMT -5
Hi Ava's Mom!!!! So happy to see you here! Tricia ;D
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Post by TriciaF on Mar 11, 2006 10:36:43 GMT -5
Just wanted to pop back in with this....I think people around the world forget that this approach started with kids like ours ;D Below from: www.kinderhausmontessori.com/montessori.htmlII. Early Life Montessori was born in Chiaravalle in the Ancona province of Italy. She was educated at the University of Rome, and in 1894 she became the first woman in Italy to receive a medical degree. She joined the medical staff at the university's psychiatric clinic and soon became interested in the education of children with mental retardation. She gradually became convinced that children with mental retardation were much more capable of learning than experts of that time believed. In 1901 Montessori was appointed director of the Orthophrenic School of Rome, which had been used as an asylum to confine children with mental retardation. Drawing largely on the ideas of French educators Jean Itard and Edouard Séguin, Montessori provided the children with mental stimulation, meaningful activities, and opportunities to develop self-esteem. She received widespread recognition for her work when many of the adolescents at the school passed standard tests for sixth-grade students in the Italian public schools. III. Montessori Method Montessori believed that her methods would prove even more effective with children of normal intelligence. In 1907 she opened the first Montessori school, or Children's House, in a slum district of Rome. Within a year, observers came from around the world to see the progress made by Montessori's students. Before the age of five the children learned to read and write, they preferred work to play, and they displayed sustained mental concentration without fatigue. Montessori based her educational method on giving children freedom in a specially prepared environment, under the guidance of a trained director. She stressed that leaders of the classroom be called directors rather than teachers because their main work was to direct the interests of children and advance their development. According to Montessori, when a child is ready to learn new and more difficult tasks, the director should guide the child from the outset so that the child does not waste effort or learn wrong habits. Isn't it amazing that based on when she started, it took so long for others to agree kids with MR could and should be educated? And wouldn't it be ironic for a Montessori school to not accept a child with Ds or question whether the method would work for them? Don't know how often that happens...but I have heard of it.
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Post by TriciaF on Mar 11, 2006 11:17:30 GMT -5
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Post by momofrussell on Mar 11, 2006 12:09:40 GMT -5
Welcome Ava's mom!
I just wanted to say I am a HUGE HUGE HUGE fan of the Montesori techniques for ALL children and wish they had self contained classroom style Montesorri schools. It's sad this approach would work SO well for children like my son but I have even emailed the USA main office and there aren't any... so a child w/spec needs would have to have an inclusion type setting and go to one of the schools already offered out there..so sad.
I wish you the best of luck with the interviews!!!!
A.
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Post by TriciaF on Mar 12, 2006 5:01:29 GMT -5
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Post by poojamom on Mar 12, 2006 22:41:10 GMT -5
Ava's mom! My 4 yr old son without disabilities have blossomed very well in a montessori setting. Unfortunately for Pooja, her being my first one and also us being new to this country,didn't know about this setting. Even today we wish we could have done that !with her!! I wish you all the best, Keep us posted.
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Post by avagracemom on Mar 13, 2006 9:30:58 GMT -5
Thanks so much for the helpful info! And thanks Tricia, finally after 2 years I got on board with uno mas! I will keep you updated
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Post by Jackie on Mar 13, 2006 9:35:09 GMT -5
My daughter Emily who is 25 now...went to Montessori for two years at ages 3 and 4. We loved it and so did she.
Our plan, however, was for her to go into her home kindergarten and the teachers there advised a year of "traditional" pre school for her before starting that as it mirrors the public school system. I should also mention that we decided after the first year to hold Emily back one year and make her go to the three yr olds class again. It was the only "hold back" we did in her schooling and she graduated on time with kids she started kindergarten with ...but she was 19 instead of 18.
Also after two years we sort of had a stand off with Montessori over Emily not using crayons and pencils because of some prerequisite skill she had not mastered (think it was something like using tweezers to pick up beans or something like that). I tried to explain that in DS the fine motor development often does not follow the set developmental pattern and that she might NEVER learn to pick up beans but DID need to learn to use a writing tool. It was all very friendly and as I said we LOVED her time there...the teachers, and others students...but after two years moved her to a regular preschool where they did let her color and write.
I would go for it...its a great way to begin and if it works...and your school goes all the way ...you might want to explore staying there. Emily's Montessori was just a pre school and kindergarten.
Jackie
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Post by Kristen on Mar 13, 2006 13:30:15 GMT -5
There are some around here and I think about them, but then I get nervous about it. I guess I am one for more structure than I will readily admit to! I thought we would send Carter to one, but then the time drew near and I got freaked out that he would miss out on therapies and it would be a nightmare, so we tried him in his school now. Overall we really like it and he is flourishing like you would not believe, so I am glad we made that choice. If the school was not the way it is, I would be considering it at this time for both kids.
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Post by avagracemom on Mar 13, 2006 21:37:01 GMT -5
I found a great paper about inclusion within montessori from the circle of inclusion site. Which is a great site by the way. www.circleofinclusion.org
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