DOES MONTESSORI MATH REALLY WORK?

I have had that heart stopping, “OMG! Is my daughter learning anything????” moment, a few too many times.  And let me tell you, I hate that feeling!!!

My girlfriend mentioned that her brother was concerned that his 1^st and 2^nd graders weren’t learning enough.  They went to a tutoring center and were told that their daughters were behind in math.  I couldn’t stop thinking about it.  Maybe the acclaimed Montessori math didn’t really work.  OY!!!  No way. So, later that day, I casually tested my daughter, what is 1 + 1?  “That is easy, MOM! 2.” Whew! But she was right, it was too easy. What is 2 + 2?  She lifted up her fingers, counted and answered correctly, “4.” Hmmmm…What is 4 + 3? Again, she counted her fingers, “7.”  Shouldn’t she know these simple math facts by heart?

Concerned, I met with my friends and the elementary teacher.  She started explaining the advanced math in the classroom and the 3 year curriculum, where children are learning both individually and as a group.  OK.  I knew all of this and my friends were reassured.  But why didn’t our kids know their basic math facts, when they could do square roots? Was something fundamentally wrong?

 

As I drove home, my mind turned over everything I knew.  A memory crept in; my, “Aha!” moment.  Grace was 4 and Zaia was 3.  We were in a hurry and picked up chicken nuggets.  I gave each of them 4 nuggets.  Zaia finished and asked for 2 more.  Grace pipes in, “Wow, Zaia you were hungry, that’s 6 chicken nuggets!!!”  Five minutes later I gave him 1 more.  When we got out of the car, Grace informed me, “Mom, did you know that Zaia had 7 chicken nuggets and I only had 4? That is 3 more than me!”  (Addition and Subtraction!) “Yes, you guys ate a lot.” “Yea. 11! That is too many, right???”

With the memory came reassurance.  Yes, my daughter is learning.  Yes, she knows and loves math.  She is excited about the golden beads and the chains.  She is inspired and challenged by the work that her friends are accomplishing.  Montessori math does work.  So it begs the question.  Why, when quizzed about their basic math facts, do the kids not respond? 

The math that is taught in a Montessori classroom is explored in concrete, manipulative works.  They touch, feel, count, repeat, absorb and learn.  The concepts become ingrained in them. So that, when the learning moves from the concrete to the abstract, it is seamless.  Rather than the rote memorization, that occurs in traditional methods when teaching addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, Montessori children are learning the mechanics of why and how.  The children aren’t tested for their knowledge.  Their teachers are working with them and observing them, watching as they explore.  They work, repeatedly until they are satisfied with their mastery of it, not because they are told they must, but because internally they feel that they must.  Through the repetition, the abstract concepts of mathematical equations are cemented into their minds. 

Yesterday, when a friend told me that her daughter, who attends a local Catholic School, counts by 5’s and 10’s to 100, (as does her 3 ½ year old!!!) I experienced that Heart Stopping moment again.  Hmmm…Does 6 year old Grace? Let alone 4 ½ year old Zaia?  I couldn’t help myself.  Driving to school today, I tested my daughter, again.  I asked Grace to count by 5’s.  “Sure, Mom, 5, 6, 7…” I thought, OMG!!! Taking a deep breath, I explained, “Actually, I mean by 5’s like this 5, 10, 15…” Grace chimed in…”20…25…30” You could see the gears working in her head as she stumbled through the first few.  “35, 40, 45, 50…” She then sped up through 100 when she figured the sequence.  Zaia piped in.  They did it twice. The language was different, but the knowledge was there.  They didn’t know it by rote, in that singing the ABC’s kind of way, but by understanding the concept, of adding 5 units to the numbers to create a jump sequence in counting.  She then decided to do 10’s and 2’s.  Her only frustration was that she couldn’t complete her 2’s, before we got to school.

So, yeah, “Heart Stopping” moments, be damned.  Montessori kids not only “know” math, they understand it, live it, breathe it and are able to use it in every day life.  Knowledge vs Rote.  I don't know about you, but I will take the knowledge any day of the week!

Joanne Shango is a certified Montessori Teacher and Mom with 20 years experience.

Tips for finding the perfect preschool for your child

The first parent tour, to come through my classroom, is forever imbedded in my memory.  With only a 5 minute notice, I took a deep breath and glanced around.  Paint was splattered on the easel.  Music was playing on the record player.  There were children gathered around a couple of soda bottles, conducting a science experiment.  My assistant was sitting on the floor with 3 kids and the moveable alphabet, watching them build a story.  Just as my director, Lyn, escorted the parent into my class, 3 year old, Nevada, called my attention.  Minutes later, as they turned to leave, I rushed to greet the prospective parent and apologized for my delay.  Lyn turned to the mother, asking, "And how do you feel about that?" She replied, with a satisfied smile, "Well...I feel good.  I guess it tells me that your teachers are more interested in their students, than they are in the parents." Lyn returned the smile and asked "Are you ready to enroll?” 

There are many ways to find the right school for your child.  You could flip a coin and say a prayer or you can follow these simple steps and trust your-self. 

The top 3 ways to start your search

1.   Referrals.  The best way to begin your search is to ask friends, family, church members   and      neighbors, where they send their children and why.

2.   Local Parent Magazines and Newspapers. Skip the advertisements and look for articles about the best schools in your area. In Michigan, Metro Parent lists a premier guide to preschools in Metro Detroit and Ann Arbor in their annual education issue in February.

3.   Web Searches Engines:  http://www.privateschoolreview.com/ http://www.greatschools.org/, http://www.ams.com/, www.schooldigger.com  http://www.privateschool.about.com/  www.patch.com In these listings, the schools are categorized either by location, grade levels or genres, and often have ratings and parent reviews.

Narrow Down your search

1.   Categorize.  Figure out what philosophy each school operates under; Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, faith-based, play-based, co-op, etc.  Understand what each has to offer and figure out which ones would work best for you and your child. 

2.   Open House.  Once you’ve narrowed your selection down to 2 or 3 schools, visit during an open house (these usually occur February through spring). 

3.   Classroom visit.  Have your child spend an hour in the classroom. 

a.   Watch to see if he is comfortable, interested and willing to explore.

b.   Observe the entire class.  You will learn more watching the student and teacher interactions, than you will, watching your own child.

c.   Look at the actual classroom

A.     Is it clean?

B.     Do the children seem comfortable?

C.     Are there enough works/toys to engage the children?

D.     Is the environment safe and suited to children?

E.      Is the classroom peaceful or chaotic?

F.      Is there art and music?

           

4.      Interview.  Ask questions.  Remember, you are interviewing them, they aren’t   interviewing you.

Critical questions to ask a prospective school

a.   What is the teacher/child ratio?

b.   What is the staff turn-over rate and what are the lead teacher’s degrees?

c.   Is the facility licensed and privately accredited? (The National Association for the  Education of  Young Children NAEYC, Montessori AMS and AMI, Waldorf AWSNA to name a few.)

d.   What is the school’s philosophy towards academics?

e.   What is the school’s philosophy towards socialization?

f.   What are the school’s policies regarding discipline, tuition, nutrition, security?

g.   Does the school have an open door policy for parents?

h.   What are their hours of operation?

When I was a director, I did most of the talking during prospective parent visits and open houses.  I answered questions, wanting to make sure that the parents knew who we were and what we had to offer. 

When I was a Montessori Mom, looking for the perfect school, again, I did most of the talking.  Making certain that the director knew what we were looking for.  I was satisfied that she understood my needs, but what I didn’t find out, was their philosophy or what they actually had to offer me.  I forgot to ask them questions and to listen to their answers.  It was a crucial mistake.   I came to realize that the school wasn’t the great fit I wanted it to be.  I started my search again, this time following the simple rules I outlined above.  My girlfriend referred it.  Greatschools.org confirmed it.  They were licensed by the state and accredited by AMS while in the process of achieving their AMI accreditation, as well.  When I visited, I asked my questions and listened to their answers.   I observed the whole class, not only my daughter. Check. Check. Check.  I signed the check and submitted my application. And may I never have to go through this process, again! Or, at least, not until Middle School.

Joanne Shango is a certified Montessori Teacher and Mom with 20 years experience.

How do the decisions from your past, predetermine the decisions of your future?

When I was nineteen and a Fine Arts student at U of M, I needed a job.  I found the most charming little Montessori School located in an old train station known as the Ashley St. Depot, just blocks from my apartment.  I was hired as the extended day teacher and subbed in the Montessori class.  A year later, my boss and mentor, Lyn, sent me to do my Montessori training.  I fell in love with the philosophy, the teaching and the students I worked with.  Montessori became a part of me.  I studied art at the University and taught at the Montessori school and set the foundation for the rest of my life.

Thirteen years later, I became a wife and mother.  When I first held my precious daughter in my arms, I saw her future.  I stared into her beautiful brown eyes and envisioned her, in pigtails, on her first day of Montessori school, Catholic school, as a Mercy Girl and then walking across the stage in Maize and Blue at the University of Michigan. Seconds had passed, and her Academic Career was planned.

Days later, we left the hospital and I began raising her in true Montessori fashion, talking to her, singing to her, surrounding her with toys that I knew would inspire her.  Next thing I knew, my Grace was ready for preschool.  It felt like only seconds ago I was staring into her gorgeous brown eyes for the first time, but in reality 2 ½ years had passed and the time had come.  I already knew that she was going to a Montessori School, so this should be easy.  I started touring open houses and quizzing directors of education.  I was a Montessorian, I knew what I wanted, what my sweet child needed, yet, for all of my knowledge and confidence in the Montessori Method, I could not decide which school would suit her best.

Montessori is Montessori, isn’t it?  Unfortunately, no, not all Montessori schools were created equal.  In 1967, the US Patent Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ruled that "the term 'Montessori' has a generic and/or descriptive significance", therefore, the term can be used freely without giving any guarantee of how closely, if at all, a program applies Maria Montessori's work.  I realized the decision to select a Montessori was going to be a challenge.  And if it was this difficult for me, what were other Moms struggling with.  Well, the truth is, it was probably exactly the same, because as much as I knew, as a Montessorian, I was simply a Mom, a Montessori Mom who wanted the best for her beautifully, blossoming genius.

I finally chose a school.  One that I felt was as close to the standards, I, myself, adhered to, as a teacher.  I made a classic rookie Mom mistake.  I told the director what I expected out of a Montessori school.  And she sold me, exactly what she knew I wanted to buy.  The product we received was vastly different.  Yes, they were a Montessori school.  It was beautiful, full of Montessori materials and certified teachers.  However, the director was adapting the Montessori Method to meet the academic demands of parents.  She was manipulating the materials in the classroom for the highest academic output and forgetting the core of the philosophy:  Developing within the children a love of learning.  The learning itself is an exceptional bonus, a fabulous, awe-inspiring bonus!

This was not the first, last or only Montessori school to do this.  In a society looking to raise geniuses, schools nationwide are developing stricter academic goals.  It can be done, by extracting only the academic portions of the program. Maria Montessori scientifically created an entire curriculum of hands on manipulative works that promote children’s natural abilities to write, read, do arithmetic and geometry, geography and science at advanced levels. So, yes it can be done.  But, more importantly, it can be done to PERFECTION, when using the Montessori Method in its entirety.  Through her understanding of the nature of children, Maria Montessori also designed the work to be self-motivating and self-correcting.  Because of this, the children learn and explore independent of the teacher.  The teacher’s role should be observer and silent conductor.  The kids thirst for knowledge is unquenchable and the classroom is an open palate for them to explore.  They love what they are doing and learning without conscious thought; Spontaneously.  Learning is a joy, rather than a chore.

The most common catch phrase in Montessori is “Follow the Child,” but in a teacher controlled environment, the catch phrase turns into the traditional, “Follow the Teacher.”  Therefore, the freedom of the child is taken away, and if our children aren’t free to explore, where does the desire for exploration develop?  It doesn’t.  Our budding geniuses will have to complete another dozen years of schooling, more at University, without the intrinsic desire for learning that a Montessori school should naturally instill with-in them.  Don’t you want your children to love learning? Not dread it? I know I do.

I am now a mother of three.  My daughter, Grace, is five, my son, Zaia, is four and my baby, Sevi, is eighteen months and they are Montessori kids.  Every other time I step out of the shower, the bath rug is missing, because one of them is practicing “the rug rolling” work.  My daughter reads to her brothers every night before bed.  My family and friends tell me that they love the conversations they have with my four year old, and not just because he is super cute.  They tell me he talks intently, animatedly and informatively, and he looks them straight in the eye, with confidence.  They may not know or care about Stegosaurus, but they know, they care to talk to Zaia!

So, this takes me back.  If the day I decided to become a Montessori teacher predetermined the course of my children’s education.  How will my decision on the specific Montessori they attend predetermine their academic potential?  The weight of it lay heavy on my shoulders.  I changed schools. Twice.  One was too focused on what they thought they knew academically, the other just didn't know enough.  I now drive nearly 25 minutes for my children to attend Montessori Children's Academy, a real, true Montessori school.  It is worth every minute, every gallon of gas, and every dollar in tuition.  If I don’t invest in their education now, when they are young and eager for learning, then how can I be certain that there will be a college to invest in later?

Joanne Shango is a certified Montessori Teacher and Mom with 20 years experience.