I'm a teacher in the socialist public schools, so you might want to give my view a critical eye.
I've had a few kids in my classes that were raised up in the "Montessori Tradition", not at all like most schools are run. As I understand it, the Montessori Schools operate in a "highly creative" environment. This means that the teacher does not do anything to stiffle the child's creativity. In many instances, they do not discipline a child for rude behavior, or hold them accountable for not doing the assigned work.
The kids I've had that were raised in this tradition had a few recurring of problems.
1) These kids just could not get the importance of completing assignments. Even though each was of above average intellegence, they each ended up getting a C in my class (and most others).
2) These kids had been used to a small class and a lot of individual attention from their teachers. These kids were attention sponges who had a hard time when not getting constant attention. They just didn't seem to be able to amuse themselves - they just weren't very self directed. They were very easily bored.
3) These kids did not do well associating with other students of their own age. When watching them during lunch and break, they didn't make friends easily. And they didn't seem to care, they'd just come up and try to be the teacher's friend.
4) These kids did not have the competitive edge that it takes to make it in the world. They were too laid back to pursue what was important, GRADES. These kids didn't have good enough grades to get any college scholarships.
5) These kids were not on the same level academically. They weren't pushed to learn the things that they weren't interested in, so they suffered in at least one subject.
The older teachers I talked to said that these were common problems with the Montessori kids. I'd imagine that these tendencies would tend to lessen as the kids got older, but if you are thinking of putting your kids in Montessori for the first few grades, and then transfer into a more traditional school, you might find your kids are behind the curve and are going to pay for it. If you put twenty kids in my class and told me that one was a Montessori kid, I could pick that kid out within a day. The difference is really that great. (I'm talking about a child who has been a Montessori kid for years. The kids I'm talking about went to Montessori for all schooling until the seventh grade.)
FWIW, at the time, I was teaching in a very well respected private school that obviously did not think well of the Montessori Tradition. And after having to teach their product, I really can't recommend the Montessori Schools. There are all types of private schools out there, my recommendation is to keep looking...
Just my 2 cents,
Gino
[This message has been edited by Gino (edited July 23, 2000).]
