Are Montessori Schools Hands on Only?

There is definitely a curriculum but it's not like in traditional school. The lessons are given with the manipulatives. The guide will introduce lessons and as your child shows readiness, will take him to the next level of work. It is all at the child's pace and not dictated by the whole class. The philosophy is to meet the child where they are at and move forward from there. Parent education is a big part of Montessori. As you learn more about it you will begin to see the structure in what seems like chaos at first. Do some reading and see if you like it. I put my first child through Montessori education from 2 yrs old to 15 yrs old and never regretted it. In fact I now work at the school and have started my 3 yr old and 2 yr old in the program.

Be wary of schools that claim to be Montessori though. Some only have a few of the materials but not trained teachers. Look for either an AMI or AMS certified school and teacher. A good school will always strive to follow the child.

My daughter went to a Montesorri school for her first 3 years and did great. They don't use high chairs, have them using silver ware before 1 and let them completely move at their own pace. The only thing I hear from a friend that was in Montessori herself is that when her mom put her in the public school system she had a VERY difficult transition.

Montessori schools are work at your own pace schools.

Make sure it is a "true" montessori. Because the name is so intriguing, I have heard of schools (mainly preschools) put the title "montessori" into their school title but are no different than other schools.

I knew a physician who was very disappointed when he and his wife enrolled their child in a costly montesorri only to find out his teacher was an non-certified, minimum wage paid employee.