Are you going to enroll your little one in preschool? Then you must be wondering whether you should go for a traditional preschool or a Montessori in La Canada Flintridge, CA. There is much difference in how children are educated in these two types of preschool—and here are four ways they differ.

Treatment of children : How children are seen is vastly different between a Montessori and a traditional school. In a traditional school, all children are seen as similarly capable and hence taught the same way. Whereas the core value of Montessori teaching is that each child is unique in his or her own way and learns differently from another child. This individuality of the child is taken into consideration while designing the course material as well as the method of learning for that child. This is why in a Montessori school a child reaches his or her full potential.

The role of the teacher : The role of the teachers is vastly different in a traditional school and a Montessori school. In a traditional school, the teacher is there to teach and so will stand in front of the class and impart education to the children. But in a Montessori school, the teachers are guides and their job is to help the children find their own path to knowledge. Hence the teacher is never standing in one place and teaching; he or she will be among the children gently guiding them on their development journey.

Ways of learning : Traditional schools depend on children’s memorization power to impart their education. This is a kind of disembodied education that is not often equal and the onus of learning is on the children. Hence some learn while some lag behind. But in a Montessori school, the education method is hands-on relying on the children to investigate and learn from their experience. So, each child learns at a pace that is comfortable to him or her and there is no child who lags behind in the class.

A sense of community : In a Montessori in La Canada Flintridge, CA, the children in a classroom are of varied age groups and the teacher stays with them for their whole 3 years of preschool experience. But in a traditional school, the teacher changes every year, and the children are of the same age in a classroom. Hence in a Montessori school, the children have a deeper attachment to their teacher and classmates helping them to forge social relationships and well a sense of community. Parents are also actively encouraged to be a part of their children’s education in a Montessori school. All these help in the all-around development of the child.