Choosing A Private Pre-School
One of the most important decisions I will make for my child is his school. I suppose there was a time when there were not really any choices to be made. For example, when my parents were growing up, once they were of school age, they just got on the school bus that took them to the nearest school. There was no pre-school for them. I attended a pre-school, but there weren’t a lot of choices of schools so the decision was simple. Now that my son is nearing pre-school age, I realize I have a tough decision to make. I know I do not want him attending public school; that’s easy. The tough question for me is choosing between a Montessori school and a secular (Christian or Parochial school).
The first thing I did when facing this decision was talk to a friend who is a curriculum director at a Christian school. Even though she’s employed at a school similar to my choices, I knew she would give me unbiased help. She gave me her own explanations for the two choices. The secular, or classical, school would be one that focuses on the arts: literature, languages, and humanities, as well as mathematics and science. The second choice, a Montessori school, would tend to be more of an exploratory learning for my child. It would be more hands-on learning and would focus on independence, freedom of learning, and my son’s natural development. This time I spent with her helped me to have a better understanding of my two choices.
The next step in making this decision was to visit a few schools. I researched ones close to home, and fortunately, I found several within a forty-five minute drive of our house. This is a reasonable drive for either my husband or me to make. I would hate to have to move on account of finding a good school, but it would possibly be worth it in the long run if we had to do so. I set up appointments with the headmasters at each school. It was very beneficial to be able to talk with each one, gaining a better understanding of what each school had to offer. It was also helpful to take a look at the school itself and see the environments. After these visits, I narrowed my choices down to one Montessori school and one secular school.
From there, I set up another appointment where I could take my son along and allow him an opportunity to see the schools. Both schools allowed him to sit in on some class time, and this was probably the most helpful part of my decision making. I was able to see how he interacted in both situations: one more free, the other more structured.
After everything was said and done, I decided on sending my son to a secular school. For him, I think the structured learning environment was best suited for him. In addition, the school I chose has similar moral values to my family, and I am glad my son will be learning those at school, as well as at home. I look forward to him starting there next fall.
Mary-Ellen Catalano is a mom who contributes to several educational, fashion and social web sites. She writes about Boston Montessori schools and and dating sites for professionals. Click through for more information.
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