How to Choose a Montessori School

The Montessori Foundation

American Montessori Society

Association Montessori Internationale

North American Montessori Teachers Association

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You've learned all about Montessori education and decided it's the right fit for your child and your family. Now where will you send your child? Who better than author and Montessori expert, Maren Schmidt, to help families learn how to choose a Montessori school.

Here's what Schmidt has to say about choosing a Montessori school:

"To get the most out of a Montessori program, I think that parents need to have a clear idea of their entire family's needs. Finances, time commitment, core values--those type of needs.

Parents need to make sure the school's culture meshes with their beliefs. The meditating Buddhist is not going to feel at home in a fast paced New York school. And vice-versa.

• Parents should visit schools, Montessori and others, and spend some time observing the classroom where your child will be.
• Ask to visit with other parents who are currently enrolled in the school. Most schools have families who have volunteered to meet with prospective families.
• Make sure that the teacher in your child's class has been Montessori trained for the age level being taught.
• Look in the classroom. Is it clean and attractive? Do the children seem to be engaged in thoughtful activities?
• Does the school have a policy to protect a three-hour work cycle for the children? Do the children have free choice about the activities they do during that three-hour work period?

In the end, parents need to choose from their gut after they have done a lot of looking and asking questions."

About Maren Schmidt

Maren Schmidt is an award winning Montessori teacher and author, as well as a popular workshop presenter. Over the past 25 years Maren has been a Montessori parent, teacher, school founder and director. She holds elementary teaching credentials from the Association Montessori Internationale and a M.Ed. from Loyola College in Maryland. Maren's weekly newspaper column, Kids Talk TM, is available at http://hubpages.com/hubtool/create/edit/www.KidsTalkNews.com. Maren is currently working on two books, The Montessori Parents Handbook and Mommy! Help Me LearnTM My Manners, a parenting guide for teaching pre-schoolers manners and social skills. Write to Maren@KidsTalkNews.com

• Enjoyment of learning
• Love of order
• Enjoyment of quiet
• Learning through discovery
• Ability to choose
• Independence
• Self-direction
• Responsibility
• Self-discipline
• Self-acceptance
• Self-confidence
• Sensitivity
• Communication
• Cooperation