Book Review: "The Montessori Potential" By Paula Lillard Preschlack

 First and foremost, I'd like to thank Paula Lillard Preschlack for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Secondly, I have three kids to of which are now Seniors/Juniors in college with one going into 11th in high school. The first two completed the primary program at Wyoming Valley Montessori School in Kingston Pennsylvania.

In addition, I have a younger brother who also attended Montessori school and graduated Ivy League from Brown University in Rhode Island and now resides in California with his newly married wife.

My two kids are all honors both academic/athletic and my eldest son born med disabled with vater syndrome graduated with perfect school attendance in high school even after requiring reading comprehension, speech/physical therapy, and was told he'd be developmentally delayed. My son graduated with his Associates in Criminal Justice and this May with his Bachelors with high honors, dean's list, and numerous other accolades and honor societies.

My daughter plays volleyball and she too was just awarded the CSC Academic All District as well as the 2022 MAC Fall Academic honors roll and has done so for both her Freshman/current Sophmore year.
So, if you're to ask me as a parent of two & sister of one who attended I'd say that your arguments are valid indeed.

It's true that Montessori is expensive but does teach life goals, career endeavors, the basics of independence and forming good decision making processes.

We could go so far as to say that it fosters/nurtures curiosity, helps to realize one's full potential, creates independence/empathy, forms a bond with respect, attention to detail, and the ability to self guide while striving for quality rather than quantity.

However, Paula also stressed the other side of the grading system and how it's unfair towards Montessori's teachings because they do not teach memorizations skills as you might find in public schools and testing standards.

The idea is to allow kids the freedom to form their own choices while developing naturally through conceived boundaries.

Using the pillars and the traits prescribed through Montessori's teachings the idea forms a cohesive union between organization, collaboration, sustained focus, understanding spacial organization, respect for peers/adults, resourceful, in a prepared home environment or school program.
What I may not agree with is two fold.

Both my son/my brother agree that while the notion that you must sustain yourself and not rely upon anyone else is provided the 'teach' yourself idea isn't necessarily working as it was developed to occur.
This is do to the fact as Paula notes that many of these teachers aren't watched nor have continued with the educational requirements and philosophy teachings.

Therefore, these kids are left to teach themselves. For my son at now 22yo he told me specifically while other kids were learning to count to 10,000 he was still on counting with the beads to 100 just to please the teachers and receive the credit for working in class. He did this since K -2nd grade if memory serves me correctly and felt he wasn't learning anything new just pleasing the teachers in getting the same thing accomplished.

It's also extremeley expensive as my kids went on to a private Catholic school upon leaving the Montessori teachings.

This book did touch upon many of the key ingredients necessary in fostering independence, respect, and joy among every child and in so doing accomplished the goal.

The highlights using other personal stories was a nice touch and was made even more enjoyable via audio.
I'd highly recommend this audio version.