English Montessori school

my eldest child (of 3) is 6 and is due to start school in september. she had a false start in school last year as a 'kann kind' (that'a whole other topic!!) but has since been happy in a schulkindergarten. given the bad experience we had with the local grundschule, and as she is extremely creative, various people have suggested we send her to the english montessori school. we're not sure about it. can anyone tell me what it's like? is it better to make her just buckle down and learn to love the local grundscule...? (she is totally bilingual by the way - english mum, german dad)

Does any one also have advice for me - as a mum how to survive school here! - finishing at lunchtime, having to supervise all that homework, etc etc. they seem to require so much of mothers here - last year they said we had to make sure their pencils were sharpened every day... - but moaning makes me look like a 'bad mum', doesn't it...?? I have two other little ones to look after and I work a few hours a week. I'm dreading september...

As a montessori student, if your daughter is extremely creative and independant, whe will thrive but she may have a hard time adjusting to the German system at a later age when Montessori is no longer available... if you are only going to be in Germany for a few years, go ahead and stick her in Montessori but check the schools carefully.. the Montessori method in Germany is treated differently than in English speaking countries. If you are going to be in Germany for a long time, check out the different schools, there is a private catholic school near Goetheplatz that seems to promote creativity in their students...

My daughter is also very creative and finds herself bored in regular German kindergarten. We are changing schools in the fall so I am hoping that helps. I like the idea of a school for the arts... not sure whether such a thing exists for young children here in Germany...

Good luck.

What part of town are you in? One of my son's best friends spent a year in Schulkindergarden and is now doing wonderfully in the local school. He is German. My son is bilingual, and is also doing very well in the local school.

To survive school I would recommend getting a spot in a good hort or Nachmittagsbetreuung. Not only do the schools only do half days here, there are the odd times when they finish even earlier. Our hort is excellent and very supportive of homework and creative activities.

Montessori is "outside" of the German system and they don't make it easy for kids to go back into the system (have to take extra tests for Gymnasium or Realschule etc.) Though I have been asking more and more parents and, if a montessori kid wants to do Gymnasium, it is very much possible.

There is also a new school in Schwabing called the Aton or anton school - I don't know anyone who has been there personally, but have heard of several parents gladly "taking the risk" - this only goes to 4th grade and then the child has to take a test to get back into the German system.

Good luck in whatever you choose - my kids are in the German system and pretty happy with it. It's not an easy system, but they do learn a lot.

wouldn't waldorf schools also be alternative?
Rudolf-Steiner Schule Schwabing

we live in Unterhaching, south-side of munich...

the replies so far echo my (german) husband's concerns - i.e. that the montessori might be very nice for the early years, but going mainstream later on may be even harder, and then serious academic achievement, aiming for a good university, made even more difficult.

hort places, I understood, are given to children of 2 working parents/ single mums - but I'm at home... or is it first-come-first served. or who is the pushiest? what do children do in the hort?

It's the pushiest - you can always argue the language issue (need more of a German environment, blah blah). We had one family in the hort with a stay at home mom, so it is doable.

mittagsbetreung (or however it's spelled) is a good option. the older girl of the girls i work with goes there 3x/week and their mom doesn't work and they have an aupair.
i'm not a mom, but i take care of the kids and makesure hmwk and the like is all done. the oldest girl of the 2 girls is in first grade. and i have no prob making sure the hmwk is done and supplies set etc. it really isn't all that much hmwk and it's not that difficult either (imo it's simple and the girl has no prob w/ it either. and if she sits down and concentrates it doesn't take long at all).

good luck and i think you'll be alright once your daughter settles into school and the pattern/schedule of it all.

Waldorf is a good suggestion, very set on learning etc. or have you looked at MIS or BIS or those? i know MIS takes a diff approach than the standard German school. (not that i know much about schools at all here!)

Do you know what is the best way in Germany to offer young children a montessori environment in english? Are the licensing requirements specific to the bundesland? Or am I somehow free to provide a simple setting that allows me to employ child-minders or teachers who do NOT have German qualifications (e.g. erzieherin)?