Montessori Schools - Are They Really That Good ?

As we all know only too well everyone is individual and everyone may need a different educational environment to be able to excel to their full potential. This is where Montessori schools come into play. It is amazing how over the centuries we as societies and communities have just conformed to what the government implies where education is concerned. I mean even though in the usual education sense we are assured that our children are being taught fairly independently but realistically we know this is not true.

How many children get pushed through the system when they are not ready? Loads of them are. This could be for many reasons but the fact still remains that they are. Often one of the reasons is that the child takes longer to understand or needs to be taught a different way and usually the mainstream teaching does not allow for this. Mainstream teaching does not usually have the flexibility in their curriculum for this. Therefore kids are just being shuffled through the system like cattle.

Of course, there is an alternative to this and that is Montessori schools. These schools cater for children from birth to teenagers. Classes combine different age groups, usually spanning 3 years. This works well with older kids helping to teach younger ones and of course the younger ones learning from the older ones. Every child is treated individually and there is no marking of work as this can be a detrimental blow to their self-esteem. If someone is not achieving a good enough standard then the teacher will work out an individual and constructive method for improvement.

You may ask how did Montessori schools come about so I will tell you. Way back in 1907 in Italy Dr Maria Montessori after doing intensive research found that if children were given the proper materials in a nurturing environment they will freely teach themselves. In her school she encouraged children to use all five senses to learn and explore. This method of teaching has proven itself for nearly 100 years now. Since the induction of the first school of this kind many more have opened.

These days you can find Montessori schools all around the world. Even some local schools offer Montessori teaching so if you wish for your child to be educated this way then check out what is available. If you choose for your child to be educated this way then you may need to save some money, as it does not come cheap.

As parents we all know how individual our children are so we should appreciate how different settings are better for some than others. You know your child best so you should decide what would be the best environment for him or her to be educated. The good thing is that there are choices. Take the time to check out the internet for example to find what these choices are.