Montessori School's

Montessori schools where began by a women by the name of Maria Montessori, she was an Italian doctor who prided herself on educating the children of Romes ghetto. Although since Montessori is not a legal copyrighted name, Montessori by the way of a name of a school does not mean that the school adheres to Montessori philosophy of education. So basically while researching this type of school I learned it kind of came with a"buyer beware" sort of philosophy, I guess kind of a, what you see is not what you get. Most schools offer education from infant through 8th grade, The following is a description of a montessori school, written by Ruth Hurvitz, of the montessori school in Wilton, CT. which I found on About.com.

"The Montessori School's culture is devoted to helping each child grow toward independence by building confidence, competence, self-esteem and respect for others. More than an approach to education, Montessori is an approach to life. The program at The Montessori School, both in philosophy and pedagogy, is based on the scientific research work of Dr. Maria Montessori and on AMI Montessori training. The School respects children as self-directed individuals and fosters their growth toward independence and social responsibility, while creating a joyful, diverse and family-oriented community.
Montessori classrooms are designed in a multi-age mix from toddlers through adolescents which allows for both individual and social development. The classrooms are beautiful by design. They are set up in an open style, with work areas throughout the room and materials available on accessible shelving. Most lessons are given to small groups or individual children while other children are working independently.
The school uses stories, Montessori materials, charts, time lines, objects of nature, treasures from the wealth of cultures around the worlds and sometime conventional tools to teach the children. Guided by the teacher, Montessori students actively participate in planning their time and taking responsibility for their work.
Committed to diversity, The Montessori School community is inclusive and depends on the tenets of respect. The school believes in sharing what we have with those in need and encouraging children to learn to live responsibly in the world. At The Montessori School, students are inspired to live both passionately and compassionately in a global community."

I think that this type of philosophy in teaching children is beautiful, it allows children to learn from others, such as younger and older children and it allows the child to learn from there mistakes without almost being grading on them. I think that this type of schooling is more passionate about a childs life in whole and not just about their school educations, these type of settings allow for more family invovlement and more love and compassion to be shown towards each student, my only concern is that after 8th grade where do students go, to a public or private school and how do they adhere to such different settings after 8 years or more in a setting like this.

Do you think that these types of "different" schools are good to have as an option when schooling your children?

Would you send or do you send your child to this type of school?