Why do I want dd2 to have a montessori education? Help me with this application form as I am lacking inspiration

[MrsFogi]

I hate having to respond to these sort of questions. What can I write in the 2-3 lines about why I want my dd to have a montessori eduction so that I can get her on the waiting list ?

fantastic thank youmotherh

because you value her individuality

if you need someone to tell you why you do, then do you really want her to go there?

Yes I really do bundle but in my sleep deprived state I really can't be bothered to start thinking up justificatory platitudes for an application form.

have to say I don't really see the differences between montessori and a regular preschool. dd1 went to regular one, dd2 to a montessori and I see no obvious differences. maybe more threading toys and wooden blocks at dd2s, but really, I don't see it.

Oh, I see the difference (experience of 7 different preschools, only one was Montessori). Montessori has a much stronger focus on fine motor skills, pattern recognition, real life skills and materials (eg., using real scissors, wooden toys). They emphasise focusing on one task at a time. Often they are very focused on LEARNING defined as "work", rather than freeplay. Montessori partic discourages running around like a mad thing.

Personally as long as my child was happy I didn't much mind if he ran around like a mad thing most of his preschool time, he was out of my hair and socially interacting!

Almost every other preschool out there has embraced the idea of child progressing at their own pace, though, I don't think that's at all uniquely Montessori nowadays. But I suppose it's a reasonable thing to write on the form since it was a novel concept when MM first postulated it.

Could also say that the emphasis on fine motor skills and pattern recognition will almost certainly be a big help to them with literacy in big school. That and the fact I didn't feel obliged to help run it (like you do with a community charity preschool) were big selling points to me.

if you have to do platitudes then I really don't see the point

i never had to do any interview or application form. Bundle you're right, that lots of mainstream nurseries can use a similar approach these days but not all, some can still be disciplinarian and about 'teaching the children' rather than them figuring it out for themselves. I guess if you chose a montessori nursery you know what you're going to get. The 'point' is that it suits my DS's character better to learn in this way.

Montessori has a reputation (right or wrong) for making them more clever at school. Friends who love and truly understand the M'i ideals grumble about how our nursery has become trendy and attracts way too many wealthy parents, nowadays. Maybe the point of the question is to flag up parents who have unrealistic expectations or misconceptions about what M'i is really about?

When I asked about how much time the children would get playing outside, our M'i boss expressed exasperation, said that she'd like to offer them more outside time, "But most of the parents don't like it, they want the children inside working" (!). Hence why DS also still attends a bog standard playgroup where they open the doors to outside for manic freeplay at the first hint of sunshine.

saying "because you value her individuality" implies that people who use CM's or other styles of nursery don't, which of course isn't true

Why do you want her to have a montessori education?
Why not write a list of your reasons just to clarify them for yourself at least. Once you have that you could probably answer the question on the application with your own reasons and not the reasons other people on here would have for sending their own dc. Although I appreciate that asking others why they would like their children to go might help you sort through your own thoughts.

of course, i wouldn't generalise that all other styles of nursery or childminders don't value individuality. However, the nursery that my DS was supposed to be attending didn't appear to and it was a problem for me. I've heard of other good nurseries that do, but aren't montessori. why does it bother you so much? why shouldn't there be a choice?

say that you want your DC to be allowed to learn at her own pace, in a way that only a Montessori environment can provide

so she can learn through heuristic exploration

My Gran went to one of the first Montessori schools when she was a little girl and is very proud of this and has extremely happy memories.