Choosing Education Over Other Endeavors

If your child is academically gifted, finding the appropriate school can be tricky. Academically gifted children face a slew of obstacles when it comes to obtaining a quality education. If you are unsatisfied with the education your child is receiving, check out a few ways that a Montessori setting can help your child.

1. A Montessori School Lets Your Child Learn at an Appropriate Pace 

The Montessori philosophy encourages educators to let the child lead the learning process. This principle applies both to children who may be struggling with school and those who are exceptionally bright.

One of the biggest obstacles that academically gifted children face is boredom with their lessons. Many times, these children only have to hear or read a lesson once or twice before they grasp the material.

In a conventional school setting, your child's teacher has to make sure the curriculum meets the needs of every child, including those who may need to hear the material multiple times. This can cause academically gifted children to become bored and act out or dread going to school.

Montessori educators have more flexibility when it comes to their lesson plans. Though the Montessori principle does encourage children to progress through classroom materials in a certain order, teachers have the ability to let your children who clearly already know the material skip ahead to more advanced lessons.

2. Montessori Schools Place Children Based on Ability

One of the biggest advantages of a Montessori school is that it will place your child in a learning group or class based on your child's abilities, rather than age. For example, if your child should be in first grade based on age but has mastered first grade material, it is possible for your child to be placed in a level that is similar to second or third grade.

Some parents may worry that their children will not do well around older children. However, the Montessori philosophy encourages inter-age groupings because they mimic the real world. Children will frequently encounter both older and younger children in the real world.

Educators often find that the younger kids learn from the older kids, and the older kids gain a stronger grasp of classroom material because they must fully understand it in order to explain concepts to the younger children. 

3. Classroom Work is Child Led

In a Montessori classroom, the classwork is led by the child. If your child quickly completes the stations for a lesson, it is possible for your child to explore additional learning materials that help expand on the lesson. Or, your child's teacher can provide materials to make the existing stations more difficult so that they match your child's abilities.