I have previously posted about how we put the kids in a Montessori school during our home renovations. I am just now getting my office set up and my teaching supplies organized, so we decided to keep Amita in the school three mornings a week until I am up and rolling. We are very happy with the changes we've seen in Amita and I cannot say enough good things about this school. Unlike the school Amita was in before we moved, this school excites her yearning for knowledge. Each day she comes home and teaches me new songs and tells me what she learns in school. It's great!
Montessori, for those who are unfamiliar, is a type of schooling that encourages a personal education path and independence with respect for each child's stage of learning. The school provides a multitude of activities that Amita can play with at any time. The activities are an age appropriate mix of toys and manipulatives that encourage learning by discovery and repetition. The school also has group activities and story time, but what I like best, is that Amita has the ability to make decisions about what she wants to learn. For instance, one morning I took Amita to school and the other kids were coloring and talking the theme of the month (at the time it was fall). I told Amita she should sit with the children but she didn't want to. The teacher came over and said that according to the Montessori method she was not required to do what all of the kids were doing and instead got her a "mat" (upon which all the children do their activities) and let her pick a letter activity to complete. For Amita, who doesn't always like social activities and prefers to learn independently, a situation like this is golden. She still has group and partner activities, but has freedom and independence in the learning process. I sincerely wish Montessori went further than preschool, but alas, it doesn't. Right now, we love the school and the personal attention they give the kids so much that we have decided that this school is the best for her right now.
We are nearing the one-year point of our homeschool "trial" (I plan to write a post about this soon) and I still feel unsure about where I stand. When we made the decision to homeschool, we had assumed we would be living in the town where Ridhwi works. We moved to a much larger city 40 minutes away and now there are possibilities I had not previously considered, including an alternative learning academy. We feel like we owe it to the kids to look at all of the possibilities open to them and pick the schooling method we feel is best for them. It might even be different for each kid, who knows. That being said, we are still thinking (at this point) that we'll homeschool K-12. I feel really good about where we are because it gives me more time to look into all of this and not feel so overwhelmed when we begin. I have to admit that I feel a huge sense of relief that a large part of the preschool component has been taken off my shoulders. I still intend to do learning activities with the kids and am currently teaching Amita to read, but am very happy to have been relieved of the burden of the bulk of schooling. I hate that I feel like it's a burden, but I do. At this point, I just don't feel like I have done justice for Amita, so I'm glad to have in a place where she can excel. Perhaps I need more research or perhaps I should again look at The Learning Box. I just need more time to figure things out, so I'm glad Amita is in school while I work on this.
Ashima was also in the Montessori school during our home renovations but we removed her when they were over because she's still young at this point. She is getting everything she needs by reading books with me and doing small activities throughout the day. Right now she is really wanting to learn her colors so we've been working on that quite a bit. Maybe we'll put her in it when she's a little over three, like Amita, if we feel it would be beneficial. Until then I'm enjoying my baby being home.
Montessori, for those who are unfamiliar, is a type of schooling that encourages a personal education path and independence with respect for each child's stage of learning. The school provides a multitude of activities that Amita can play with at any time. The activities are an age appropriate mix of toys and manipulatives that encourage learning by discovery and repetition. The school also has group activities and story time, but what I like best, is that Amita has the ability to make decisions about what she wants to learn. For instance, one morning I took Amita to school and the other kids were coloring and talking the theme of the month (at the time it was fall). I told Amita she should sit with the children but she didn't want to. The teacher came over and said that according to the Montessori method she was not required to do what all of the kids were doing and instead got her a "mat" (upon which all the children do their activities) and let her pick a letter activity to complete. For Amita, who doesn't always like social activities and prefers to learn independently, a situation like this is golden. She still has group and partner activities, but has freedom and independence in the learning process. I sincerely wish Montessori went further than preschool, but alas, it doesn't. Right now, we love the school and the personal attention they give the kids so much that we have decided that this school is the best for her right now.
We are nearing the one-year point of our homeschool "trial" (I plan to write a post about this soon) and I still feel unsure about where I stand. When we made the decision to homeschool, we had assumed we would be living in the town where Ridhwi works. We moved to a much larger city 40 minutes away and now there are possibilities I had not previously considered, including an alternative learning academy. We feel like we owe it to the kids to look at all of the possibilities open to them and pick the schooling method we feel is best for them. It might even be different for each kid, who knows. That being said, we are still thinking (at this point) that we'll homeschool K-12. I feel really good about where we are because it gives me more time to look into all of this and not feel so overwhelmed when we begin. I have to admit that I feel a huge sense of relief that a large part of the preschool component has been taken off my shoulders. I still intend to do learning activities with the kids and am currently teaching Amita to read, but am very happy to have been relieved of the burden of the bulk of schooling. I hate that I feel like it's a burden, but I do. At this point, I just don't feel like I have done justice for Amita, so I'm glad to have in a place where she can excel. Perhaps I need more research or perhaps I should again look at The Learning Box. I just need more time to figure things out, so I'm glad Amita is in school while I work on this.
Ashima was also in the Montessori school during our home renovations but we removed her when they were over because she's still young at this point. She is getting everything she needs by reading books with me and doing small activities throughout the day. Right now she is really wanting to learn her colors so we've been working on that quite a bit. Maybe we'll put her in it when she's a little over three, like Amita, if we feel it would be beneficial. Until then I'm enjoying my baby being home.
I still have more work to do to feel comfortable with homeschooling the kids. I really like the idea of it, but I am still trying to figure out practically how it will fit into our lives. With so many changes over the last six months, I am glad that the kids have some stability and are receiving what they need - even if it's not from me.
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| A photo of part of Amita's classroom. As you can see, there are shelves with all sorts of games and manipulatives for the kids to choose. Each kid is independently working and learning with direction from a teacher. |
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