If our child stays in Montessori through 6th grade – then what?

At a Parent Association meeting, someone commented that parents were concerned about the Common Core in public school and wouldn’t leaving them in Montessori make it difficult to adjust if they stayed too long in our program.  

We would just like to comment on the experience – as reported to us by parents – on how the five 6th graders from 2014 faired when they moved on. Two of them went to one of the best private schools on Long Island and did exceedingly well. The other three went to local public schools.  

One had transferred to us at 5th grade because the public school experience just wasn’t working for her. At our Spring Gala her mother reported to us that we had over prepared her daughter for 7th grade and she had adjusted very well in her return to public school. Of the other two Sixth graders one had been with us since he was 4 years old. He was great at sports and even in 6th grade, getting him to do quality academic work always took great effort. By the end of 5th grade he was ready to move on to the larger school setting where he could get involved in some real sports programs. His parents insisted he return to Love of Learning Montessori. He never did great academically but he did become a part of his peer group in a way he never had in prior years and in the end said his 6th grade year with us was the best he’d had. His mother reported to us that he had thrived in 7th grade public school, doing very well academically. The last of our graduating 6th graders had also joined us in 5th grade for the last two years of elementary. His first four years in public school had not gone very well for him and by the time he started in 5th grade with us he had several learning issues and not a very good image of himself. During the 5th and 6th grade it was wonderful to see the transformation of his attitude. Academically he remained behind his peers but he became so positive about himself and the possibilities of what he could accomplish. During our last week of school last year, his Mom called saying he wanted to visit during his lunch hour to see his LOL friends and talk about his year in public school. When his Mom came to pick him up she confided to us what an incredible year he’d had back in public school. He had done so well academically and was near the top of the class.

So there it is: Five very different students with different backgrounds, interests and abilities, all doing incredibly well in whatever academic environment they found themselves in.  Adapting to the Common Core, fitting in with their peer group despite being with us for the first year of middle school – these don’t seem to have been issues for any of them.

That class is not an isolated success story.  Every year we get similar reports.  Talking with the alumni at our Spring Gala reaffirmed those reports.

Kid’s lives speak louder than all the adult chewing over the pros and cons of staying or moving on. Staying with Montessori for the long term is the best investment you can make for your child’s success.  We’d be happy to provide you with phone numbers if you would like to talk with any of the parents referenced above.

- Sheldon Thompson, Director