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Original poster

To think Montessori is massively overhyped?

231 replies

Sherekhancarolbaskin · 19/01/2022 01:38

Or does it truly have proven pedagogic advantages?

I’m already not a fan of the Waldorf Steiner method at all.

Montessori does seem a lot better to me but after having looked into it a lot of it seems a bit off to me. Besides the fact Maria Montessori did questionable things as a parent herself, abandoning her own son

OP posts:
ButtercupBlue · 20/01/2022 11:01

I went to a montessori playgroup with my pre schooler and new ish baby.

The group was pretty chaotic and I was finding it a bit stressful but I was trying to keep an open mind so got talking to another mum there. Meanwhile, my pre schooler wandered over to a low table that had small beads on a plate, picked one up and went to push it up his nose. I did a sort of squeal (not even really a shout as the baby was in a carrier on my front) and I rushed over and stopped him and the group leader took me aside to tell me that my response wasn't appropriate and I should have allowed him to explore his natural instincts without intervening.

Needless to say, we never went back.

pastypirate · 20/01/2022 11:02

My dds went to a Montessori and accredited one. Dd1 went until she went to school. Dd2 until she was almost 4 because the commute got a bit much and I wanted her to meet kids in the nursery attached to the primary school.

It was a tiny nursery I was v happy with. I see the family who own it now and then too which is nice.

I wanted a Montessori if possible for my dds. I viewed a range of nurseries and it was so calm in comparison that's what sold it for me. Dd1 is a v calm and quite serious child. The monte suited her down to the ground. It had a lovely outside space and they were out there most of the day. The staff turnover was very low too.

I wish for all children that parents can make informed decisions about childcare and access a range of providers and choose what they think is best fit.

MarshaBradyo · 20/01/2022 11:08

@Beowulfthethird

Here for the demon faced needle felted fairies pretending to be Woldorf.
Steiner is separate isn’t it?

Different founder / country of origin etc

purpleme12 · 20/01/2022 11:10

@ButtercupBlue

I went to a montessori playgroup with my pre schooler and new ish baby.

The group was pretty chaotic and I was finding it a bit stressful but I was trying to keep an open mind so got talking to another mum there. Meanwhile, my pre schooler wandered over to a low table that had small beads on a plate, picked one up and went to push it up his nose. I did a sort of squeal (not even really a shout as the baby was in a carrier on my front) and I rushed over and stopped him and the group leader took me aside to tell me that my response wasn't appropriate and I should have allowed him to explore his natural instincts without intervening.

Needless to say, we never went back.

Did she realise what had happened??
ButtercupBlue · 20/01/2022 12:16

100%. I thought the same thing and started to clarify in case she thought I was just generally flailing and worried but she had seen it happening even before I had spotted it.

I was a nurse at the time and it just blew my mind that someone would casually watch that happen.

I appreciate people have different experiences of course and that won't happen in all montessori settings but it was enough to put me off forever unfortunately.

Kanaloa · 20/01/2022 12:23

@3scape

The Nazis were big fans.
They also liked Mercedes cars and ice cream.

What did you think the nazis just sat in little caves eating rocks and gleefully rubbing their hands together with evil expressions? They were just people like the rest of us, of course they liked normal everyday things.

Kanaloa · 20/01/2022 12:24

But regardless I still thing balance is the golden word. A good nursery knows that a strict adherence to one form of learning won’t suit all children. That’s why the eyfs is so focused on extending learning based on the individual child’s interests.

AnakinthePadawhine · 20/01/2022 12:36

An acquaintance of mine is creating a Montessori nursery back home in France. She lets her baby/toddler poop on the floor because nappies were evil and forbids anybody to say no to him. She is also strongly and vocally anti-vaxx... You may want to see what the person in charge of your children thinks before you enroll them at high expenses...

Curlyreine · 20/01/2022 13:23

@AnakinthePadawhine

An acquaintance of mine is creating a Montessori nursery back home in France. She lets her baby/toddler poop on the floor because nappies were evil and forbids anybody to say no to him. She is also strongly and vocally anti-vaxx... You may want to see what the person in charge of your children thinks before you enroll them at high expenses...
In every setting. This is not montessori.
ancientgran · 20/01/2022 13:28

@3scape

The Nazis were big fans.
I did a bit of googling and I don't know how reliable the source is but according to this news.cision.com/goteborgs-universitet/r/research-sheds-light-on-montessori-s-collaboration-with-mussolini,c2376917 Montessori schools were banned by the Nazi in Germany in 1936. Apparently she collaborated with Mussolini until the war started and her pacifist views didn't sit well with them and they banned her as well.

Not sure which Nazis were big fans. I've never had anything to do with Montessori settings although I've heard of them, Steiner on the other hand I have had contact via a friend who sent her kids there and I can't say one positive thing about them.

WorkEvent · 20/01/2022 13:30

I have nothing against Montessori principals and tbh a lot of childcare settings have some aspect of these. Our nursery isn’t a ‘Montessori Nursery’ but is very child led, uses a lot of natural and/or ‘found’ resources, learning is ‘discovery led’ etc.

HOWEVER I find the Montessori, Grimms Rainbow owning, Frugi wearing brigade a bit… wanky and devoid of understanding of the real world. It’s like their way of parenting is the best and they can’t fathom how 22 year old Maria who lives in a council flat probably won’t be buying a Pikler Triangle but her child might be just as bright and well cared for.

MammaBear18 · 20/01/2022 23:59

@WorkEvent

I have nothing against Montessori principals and tbh a lot of childcare settings have some aspect of these. Our nursery isn’t a ‘Montessori Nursery’ but is very child led, uses a lot of natural and/or ‘found’ resources, learning is ‘discovery led’ etc.

HOWEVER I find the Montessori, Grimms Rainbow owning, Frugi wearing brigade a bit… wanky and devoid of understanding of the real world. It’s like their way of parenting is the best and they can’t fathom how 22 year old Maria who lives in a council flat probably won’t be buying a Pikler Triangle but her child might be just as bright and well cared for.

Insta-eco huns and Montessori-inspired parents are two completely different breeds.
CatJumperTwat · 21/01/2022 00:05

Curlyreine Still waiting to hear how you can tell whether adults went to a Montessori nursery or not.

BorsetshireBanality · 21/01/2022 00:22

I went to look at a Montessori setting for my DD. It was located in the upmarket naice bit of town with a very gushing brochure and expensive too.

I was disappointed to find it was in a building that looked like uncle Gerry had cobbled it together with bits scavenged from here and there. Inside there was a massive trip hazard.

The woman showing me around made a snide change comment about how my DD was dressed (because of temper tantrum it was shall we say a bit odd!)

But what really put me off was I spotted the DD of an acquaintance looking totally bored and unhappy with nothing to do and being ignored by the staff. So much for engaging with children.

It’s just another thing to squeeze money out of middle-class parents.

unfollowme · 21/01/2022 01:14

My dc is a wild little thing and when picking a nursery I made sure it was a outdoorsy one especially with a huge garden. I also want dc to be exposed to some structure, rules and social cues in a playful engaging way. Of course a nursery is a nursery where they play, create, read, dance, pretend play but to me the nursery that was a right fit for my dc wasn't a Montessori.

He is a lone wolf (only child) and from the tours I have had with Montessori nurseries didn't feel it was a right fit for him because we provide that for him anyway at home when he plays and does his activities we let him lead and I think there are great ideas there where we have been incorporating it for ages but I believe the direct teaching approach is a much more better option for my dc anyway. I can't comment on anyone else though. I just know my child and I know he will thrive at a nursery and learn more with the techniques used in mainstream nurseries rather than Montessori.

mathanxiety · 21/01/2022 01:37

One difference I have seen between Montessori kids and others when they get older - the Montessori students are much more in touch with themselves, conscious of their feelings, aware of their learning patterns and pace, and tend to be self starters.

mathanxiety · 21/01/2022 01:44

@SpidersAreShitheads, please don't lump Steiner in with Montessori.

The two approaches could not be more different. They are poles apart in terms of aims, philosophy, and the plane on which they function.

Also, people flog the faceless wool felt fairies and dolls on Etsy for lots of money.

mathanxiety · 21/01/2022 01:53

I'm a bit puzzled that people expect kids to be allowed to drift around Montessori classrooms doing whatever they please - child playing with sand for hours, for instance. Or avoiding art.

Montessori is supposed to involve a good deal of monitoring of children's engagement levels and interests and guidance by the teacher, and the development of self awareness on the part of the children. A Montessori classroom should be unobtrusively structured.

Beowulfthethird · 21/01/2022 02:16

Yes math it's like people are confusing an absence of control with absence of direction and authority. They're still educators and there are still expectations which can be if anything a bit higher because the child has more to do with the whole process.

Beowulfthethird · 21/01/2022 02:18

Yes may I also step away from the wool fairies to say that Steiner and Montessori are terribly different to each other. At Steiner it really can be a bit nuts.

Kanaloa · 21/01/2022 02:39

@mathanxiety

One difference I have seen between Montessori kids and others when they get older - the Montessori students are much more in touch with themselves, conscious of their feelings, aware of their learning patterns and pace, and tend to be self starters.
And do you have a very large sample and control group picked from similar home environments? Because otherwise this just isn’t really provable.

I know loads of self starting, hard working kids who have a good self awareness who didn’t go to a Montessori nursery.

And if the adults I know I really don’t know what nurseries they went to. I don’t put mine on my CV and honestly I can’t remember anybody ever asking me where I received my preschool education.

In my own experience of reception/year one work you can tell children who’ve always been at home with mum and dad from kids who’ve done preschool, but by late reception/year one they’re all much of a same. Some bright buttons from both categories but generally all of the same standard of learning.

Curlyreine · 21/01/2022 02:54

@CatJumperTwat

Curlyreine Still waiting to hear how you can tell whether adults went to a Montessori nursery or not.
Hi twat! I replied upthread. Good night!
mathanxiety · 21/01/2022 05:01

And do you have a very large sample and control group picked from similar home environments? Because otherwise this just isn’t really provable.

I know loads of self starting, hard working kids who have a good self awareness who didn’t go to a Montessori nursery.

And if the adults I know I really don’t know what nurseries they went to. I don’t put mine on my CV and honestly I can’t remember anybody ever asking me where I received my preschool education.

The point of Montessori is to empower the teacher to engage with the children on an individual level and while carefully guiding them through tiers of understanding, empower children to take charge of their own learning.

I have had the experience of observing young adults who have gone all the way through to age 17-18 in Montessori schools.

I am curious as to why you restrict your observations to preschool, and why you brought CVs into the discussion @Kanaloa?

CatJumperTwat · 21/01/2022 09:26

Hi twat! I replied upthread. Good night!

Hi lyre! You posted some contradictory waffle, first backtracking but then saying it was about cooperation vs competition. What does that mean?

HardbackWriter · 21/01/2022 13:17

My phone selected this article for me - I assume because I've been reading this thread and googled Montessori, as the nursery is nowhere near me! - which I guess shows why a nursery describing itself as Montessori doesn't tell you much at all:
www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/essex-nursery-rated-inadequate-ofsted-6515099