What Children Really Do in Montessori Schools Worries Parents and Researchers

The Montessori method has been introduced into many schools in recent years. ;é;es. However, parents denounce and specialists are worried.

Schools opting for the Montessori method represent around 250 primary schools and around twenty middle schools in France. Not to mention all the establishments that are freely inspired by the concept, developed in 1907 by the Italian doctor and pedagogue Maria Montessori. These schools are distinguished by a particular pedagogy, working on the sensory, motor and cognitive skills of each child. The educational material is specific and adapted to the different stages of development. The teacher is more withdrawn and less directive than in a traditional school, he is above all an observer and advisor.

Students, for their part, have freedom in choosing what to learn. The Montessori method also encourages autonomy from a very young age. While this adaptive approach may seem to offer many advantages for the child's development (taste for learning, independence, caring environment, etc.), it is also criticized. Waiting for the child to show interest before starting learning could cause a significant delay according to many critics.

“It is certain that a recurring problem with Montessori is the fact (…) of waiting for a child to show interest in a particular learning, before, possibly, intervening to support their work and commitment”, notes lecturer Ghislain Leroy, who studied the subject, at the Café pedagogique. "A child who has been accustomed to being interested in books or writing in his family environment will thus tend to move more towards activities of this type. (…) &Conversely, children who are less familiar with reading or educational games, and more generally with anything academic, will tend to benefit less" of this method, according to him. He assures that during his observations, while some children spontaneously turned to books, other children took care of… housework!

While researchers defend it, the Montessori method has alerted many other specialists, such as Fabienne Agnès Levine, a psychopedagogue, who deplores the little space left for imagination with the site Prodelapetiteenfance. Montessori schools have also been accumulating negative testimonies from parents in the press for months: “The children were going to and from school with their hands in their pockets”, ” 8 years old, my eldest doesn't know how to subtract and fumbles with additions”, “In CE1, my daughter didn't know how to read”, “My child can't read but knows how to sweep the floor”, “It was a “failing school”…

Another recurring criticism: the high price, which can reach 10,000 euros per year or more and which has already pushed some surprised parents to withdraw their children. Nadia Hamidi, president of the Association Montessori France (AMF), estimates to 20 minutes that “if schools are expensive, it is because there is no aid”. For her, we must also be careful in choosing the establishment, because schools that call themselves Montessori but only apply one version misuse of the method can be catastrophic.

“Just because a toy is made of wood doesn't mean it's Montessori. Some people are riding a commercial wave to deceive parents,” warns Nadia Hamidi. “Of course, there are some abuses since the Montessori name is not protected. Today, everyone can ride the marketing wave.” Not all schools that directly or indirectly display the name Montessori are recognized by the State, far from it. They are almost all outside the contract. Only 25 have also adopted the Montessori charter and 170 adhere to the association. Enough to sort through them.