This survey is now closed and the course information site can be found at Keys of the Universe.
Thank you for all your input!
We need your input! A new online homeschool course will soon be available - and we need your input to help us direct its development and focus.
If you have elementary aged-students (or just want to get started early) and would have some interest in this course, please take the following survey - and share it with other Montessori homeschoolers - the more input we have, the better we can serve your needs.
Thank you so much!
Online Elementary Montessori Homeschool Training Course
Updating to add a link to our free Daily Montessori Treasure: Montessori Nuggets Blog.
HI,
ReplyDeleteJust stumbled on this blog this morning.
I am new to homeschooling this academic year (2011-2012) but not to montessori education. My daughter went to Montessori school in FL for 3 years--1 year in AtoI class and 3 years in Primary class. We moved to IA last year, put her in Montessori Elementary class to start 1st grade--but the elementary class teacher gave hardly any of the Montessori Elementary lessons! So, we decided to pull her out to start 2nd grade homeschooling.
Meanwhile, I have begun training for AMI Elementary Teacher Certification--3 summer program and I completed summer 1 this year.
My spouse and I are committed montessorians, but we know that there are some trade-offs to homeschooling at the elementary age--Maria Montessori's observations of elementary aged children showed that kids 6-12 need to be part of social community and like to learn and work in groups.
But this is the reality of where we live currently--no one is actually doing Montessori in schools here, so we want to provide our child with that approach to learning.
I did the 3-summer AMI training as well. I thought it would be more time-efficient and balanced than the academic year. Nope. Perhaps it was balanced - but balanced by two extremes :) and that wasn't pleasant either! I love, love, love the Montessori method at all ages. I loved, loved, loved my primary training even though it meant my son being in school 50 hours a week and living in poverty for the entire school year. But one year and it was done! I don't know if I would do anything different, just applauding you for getting started - it will be so worth it!
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear about your daughter's experience. That can be so disheartening. At least now you can do the work at home with her and have that time together. For the community bit, you'll have to find that balance between being there as her partner in learning and letting her work independently. You'll likely be more cognizant of Goings Out and assuring fuller participation in the community. My son handles certain store transactions, helps with the planning of shopping, plans Goings Out, and more to really get him involved in the wider community.
And you'll probably want to find her a group to be part of - whether it's a play-group, or dance, or choir or another class - just so she is with children of a variety of ages (try to avoid classes where they separate ages) on a routine basis. My son recently started Tae-Kwon-Do (multi-age) and attend our local church's religious education program (Catechesis of the Good Shepherd - Montessori-based, including the age ranges), and we offer a weekly Montessori co-op for homeschool families (2 classes; most kids come to just one each week; ages 2-9 together; not the perfect Montessori environment, but it gets Montessori into the hands of local families where no Montessori school is present; gets the group work going on at least some level; and promotes interest from community members).
Just a longer way of saying: the community involvement can definitely still happen. It will just look different.
:)