Transitioning to Public School

Thoughts & Reflections

One of the most frequently asked questions that we receive, especially from prospective families is: “How do Montessori students transition to public school?”. We thought we would take this opportunity to address this question, identifying some of the misconceptions about Montessori, and also highlight what makes Montessori students so adaptable when they transition to new environments.

If there is one goal at Baan Dek, it is to help children to learn to think on their own: to invent their own questions, and find their own solutions. Bascially, to foster independence. Montessori famously said that conflicts with children arise, only when children start to think on their own. The problem, then, is not the children, but the way their inquisitive minds, accompanied by questions, are handled.

Montessori students learn to think, on their own accord, in their own capacities. They don’t just take everything for granted. They want to understand what is at work. As independent individuals, they question what they’re doing. Not in a disrespectful way, but in a thoughtful, meaningful way.”Why do I need to raise my hand and be dismissed if I need to use the restroom?”

Socially, and academically, Montessori students are extremely adaptable to new situations. One of the strengths of Montessori is the focus on social success, prior to academic success. More precisely, academics is social in Montessori, so when our students transition to new environments they’re prepared for new encounters.

Of course, each and every child and their family is entirely unique, so there is not one generic answer, but these are the tendencies that we have experienced. Our students, and Montessori students in general, adapt to new situations extremely well, primarily because they’ve learned how to think on their own. They know how to do things for themselves.