How Montessori Prepared Me For College

I told them I went to a Montessori school. You would think people would just say “okay” and move on, but that rarely occurred. No, this question always launched a number of others.

“Isn’t that just for preschoolers?”

“Isn’t that for super smart people?”

“You really went to a Montessori school?”

“Is that a real place?”

Six years later, as I go through college, I have come to the realization that the Montessori education I received in elementary and middle school did more than just prepare me for high school- It prepared me for college, too.


In what ways? Read on.

not acquired behind a desk

Great college essay by a Montessori alum.

5C's + 1

Not 3 R's anymore?

It used to be we only needed to remember 3 key words. Now life has gotten to be so complex we need to remember twice as many.

5C's + 1.

There's a revolutionary rallying cry!

Of course when it comes to education, we are fighting a huge entropy-maintaining flywheel. Despite a chorus of Voices for Change, there's a huge body of literature attempting to explain why it is so hard to reform schools.

And perhaps the most significant change in conventional schools has been the shift from the 3 R's to High Stakes Testing. Fear is a great motivator. But the lizard brain, center of our fear response, does not lead us to innovative solutions.

Private independent schools are immune from most of the High Stakes Testing requirements, but they are still "teach and test" environments; geared less toward Learning and more toward Knowing. And blind to the impact such a worldview has on the formation of character and personality.

That brings me to Pat Bassett, Executive Director of NAIS, the National Association of Independent Schools. He is a student of education as well as a leader, and he speaks from the bully pulpit: 5C's + 1? What's not to like here?

Montessori Mafia

Author, pilot, and Montessori dad, Trevor Eissler, bemoans Montessori's "peace, love, wimpy" image. "Montessori's not wimpy," he says. Montessori education is rigorous. Montessori education emphasizes personal responsibility -- and that is certainly not wimpy."

Now comes the perfect antidote: The Montessori Mafia toughens up the Montessori image in a "sticky" way.

What makes kids creative?

Two entries about creativity to bang against each other: an article from the Wall Street Journal (brought to my attention by Post Oak parent Lisa Eddleman) and a TED talk from "creativity expert" Ken Robinson.

Hi John

This is a very interesting article from Wednesday's WSJ on what makes children creative. Apparently "creativity" (as measured by particular tests) has fallen over the past several years--the article speculates that the focus on teaching to standardized tests in school, as well as too much TV and computer time have both contributed to the decline.

All the "solutions" to this problem discussed in the article appear to be what Montessori education already emphasizes: listening to children's ideas without judging them as good or bad; teaching children how to pick out the best ideas for solving problems through teamwork; avoid paying too much attention to "outcome" of creative work. None of these things are surprising or novel for Montessori parents!

Best
Lisa