Thank you for your input. I have been visiting several preschools the last couple of weeks and I feel overwhelmed. I really cannot tell the difference between schools. I don't know much about Montessori either, but from what you describe, maybe Yangyang will fit in there. Yangyang is a very independent baby. Most of the time he just likes to play on his own, and if I initiate any activity, he is most likely to turn away and do his own thing. He tries to figure things out himself all the time. I cannot get him interested in anything unless he initiates himself.
We still have a few months so I will take my time to make the decision!
午夜蝴蝶 發表評論於
Personally, I do not recommend Montessouri. The main philosophy of Montessouri is children's self-initiated learning and teachers tend to be an observer. To fully practice its philosophy, Montessouri needs very high quality teachers and they need to know exactly when to support or interact with children and when to be a sensitive observer。 The fact is that many Montessouri teachers are not highly trained as expected. Then, the outcome is that children do not get enough support in learning. There is no solid research finding that Montessouri produces better child outcomes than other early childhood education models.
For Yangyang's age, I would suggest to go to regular preschools. He definitely needs adult's attention and interaction. Some nice family day care would work, too.
You can search some information on selecting preschools. Here are my two cents: (1）the overall climate of the school. Do you feel teachers and children have good relationship? Can you tell children are engaged in play, relaxed,feel comfortable, have enough activities to be involved with? (2) are teachers nice to every child? How do they greet parents and children? How does the program director greet parents and children? Do teachers have warm voice when they speak to children? (3) Is the classroom safe, clean, well-organized? Does the classroom have defined play areas (e.g., literacy, library, sand box, water box, drama play area, or areas that children can have some quiet time)? Does the classroom have enough resources (e.g., toys, books, puzzles，color papers, pens) and whether those resources are accessible to children (can they reach out those resources by themselves)? (4) How does the relationship between teachers and parents look like? Do they communicate when parents drop off or pick up children?
There are many other things, but the most important thing is that the teachers are warm, sensitive, responsive, responsible, confident, and they love children, having a positive relationship with children.
Be patient with the process and it worths the time since it will be one of the most critical experiences for Yangyang. When you have a list, I would suggest you to go there to do some observations and go with your intuition.
