The Montessori Mafia

By Peter Sims

 It may seem like a laughable “only in New York” story that Manhattan mother, Nicole Imprescia, is suing her 4-year-old daughter’s untraditional private preschool for failing to prepare her for a private school admissions exam.

But her daughter’s future and ours might be much brighter with a little less conditioning to perform well on tests and more encouragement to discover as they teach in Montessori schools. Ironically, the Montessori educational approach might be the surest route to joining the creative elite, which are so overrepresented by the school’s alumni that one might suspect a Montessori Mafia: Google’s founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, videogame pioneer Will Wright, and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, not to mention Julia Child and rapper Sean “P.Diddy” Combs.

Is there something going on here?  Is there something about the Montessori approach that nurtures creativity and inventiveness that we can all learn from?

…

By the end of kindergarten, among 5-year-olds, “Montessori students proved to be significantly better prepared for elementary school in reading and math skills than the non-Montessori children,” according to the researchers.  “They also tested better on “executive function,” the ability to adapt to changing and more complex problems, an indicator of future school and life success.”

Of course, Montessori methods go against the grain of traditional educational methods.  We are given very little opportunity, for instance, to perform our own, original experiments, and there is also little or no margin for failure or mistakes.  We are judged primarily on getting answers right.  There is much less emphasis on developing our creative thinking abilities, our abilities to let our minds run imaginatively and to discover things on our own.

…

From the Wall Street Journal April 5, 2011, 10:57 AM ET

Classes at The Montessori House school are canceled for Wednesday, February 2, 2011. 

The office will be closed, all classes and tours are canceled.  We expect to return to our normal schedule and hours tomorrow.

Wow!  That ice is really something!

The Montessori House will be open on its normal schedule, Tuesday, February 1, 2011. 

Local conditions vary; parents, please exercise caution planning your time and route to school today.  Feel free to keep your children at home, arrive late, or pick up early,  if that is your best, safest course of action.

Classes at The Montessori House school are canceled for Thursday, January 27, 2011. 

The office will be closed, all classes and tours are canceled.  We expect to return to our normal schedule and hours on Friday, January 28.

Enjoy the winter weather!

The Montessori House will be open on its normal schedule, Friday, January 21, 2011. 

Local conditions vary; parents and teachers please exercise caution planning your time and route to school today.  Parents, feel free to keep your children at home, or arrive late, if that is you best, safest course of action.

Despite the snow and ice this morning, The Montessori House will be open on the normal schedule, today, Tuesday, January 18th.

Of course, local conditions vary for every one of our Montessori House families.  Please exercise caution, and only bring your child to school if, and when, you consider it safe to do so.

The Montessori House will be closed Monday January 17, a national holiday to commemorate the birthday of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King.  Please remember to make other care arrangements for your children, and enjoy the 3-day weekend! Classes resume on our normal schedule Tuesday January 18.

For those not familiar with the Dr. King, he was an was an important civil rights activist in the 1950s and 1960s.  A leader in the movement to end racial segregation and discrimination in the United States, his most famous address was the “I Have A Dream” speech (” …I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character…”).  An African-American, and a Baptist minister, he was an advocate of non-violent protest, civil rights, peace and social justice.  He became the youngest man to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He was assassinated in 1968 at the age of 39.

Classes at The Montessori House school are canceled for Wednesday, January 12, 2011. 

The office will be closed, and private and group violin lessons at school are also canceled.  We expect to return to our normal schedule and hours on Thursday, January 13.

Enjoy the winter weather!

The Montessori House School is open for all sessions today, Friday, January 7.

We urge every family to evaluate whether the trip to and from school today is hazardous based on local conditions, and adjust their child’s day accordingly.  

As snow accumulates, this may apply especially to afternoon students, who may choose to stay home.  And for full-day students,  feel free to come early to pick up your child today.  Come to the door and announce yourself over the intercom.  It will then take about 5 to 10 minutes to get your child ready and bring her/him to the door to meet you. 

Be safe!

Many parents interested in exploring Kindergarten/First Grade at The Montessori House have asked for one-on-one conversations instead of a group meeting. To meet the needs of all parents, we’ve decided to offer all parents the opportunity for a one-on-one meeting with Ms. Maria, and have canceled the group sessions scheduled for this Thursday, January 6th.

For those parents who RSVP’d for the group sessions, we’ll be in touch to schedule one-on-one conversations with Ms. Maria (possibly this Thursday after school or in the early evening, for parents who’ve already set aside the time on their schedule).

Thanks, The Montessori House