Originally Posted by mamamanda:
Thank you both! Laurel, your explanation was very clear and helped a lot. And I enjoyed the website Black Cat. I will google some more. Thanks again!
You're welcome and aren't you glad they have a regular naptime?
People seem to have the impression that it is a free for all since the teacher isn't directing a group. Actually I think, done correctly, the opposite is true. There seem to be a lot of rules to me but not arbitrary ones. It more mirrors real life situations. If you want to paint, you need to finish the sequence and clean up. If you are hungry, you eat. Even that had rules. You take your name card off the board (so also learned to read your name), put it on the table above the placemat (2 at a table), prepare your food, eat, put your card in a basket and clean up. That way each child only got to come to the table one time so someone couldn't hog the snacks...real life.
One neat aspect is that Montessori stresses the education of the 'whole child'. There are lessons on floor sweeping, hand washing, closing doors quietly, food preparation, etc. A Montessori classroom is totally adorable, has a peaceful feeling, etc.
You should visit a few. I say a few because they are not all created equal. I do not think (at least back in the day) that there is a certification exactly. There are/were? two organizations but it was kind of voluntary to follow their standards. I've seen good schools who followed the philosophy and ones that didn't. I actually worked in a bad one and that one WAS a free for all. I didn't work in the Montessori classroom itself there but rather with after school children in the center. I couldn't stay there long. So check out more than one.
Laurel