My five yr old will be going to kindergarten in fall 09. What things did you look for in a teacher and a school?

I’m a huge fan of Montessori. The one in Greensboro goes through middle school. I’m so jealous. I had teachers ask me all the way through high school if my daughter had ever been in Montessori, because of her classroom interaction and curiosity.

I second Montessori. It’s the best. I’m the product of it.

I did a school project on mystery shopping pre-schools and kindergartens two years ago. If I remember tomorrow, I will try to throw our checklist into a Google doc for you. None of us were parents, though, so you may have priorities we couldn’t think of.

Third for Montessori.

Look for something other than a focus on Standardized Testing and API scores. That stuff doesn’t mean anything. Anything important, that is.

Go for the school that has lots of art and music and community and parent involvement.

Fourth for Montessori. Be cautious though as it’s popularity has increased some schools have been created with “Montessori principles” but without being Montessori certified. Additionally, there are several Montessori certifications, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.

I also agree with @Megan64

If you can afford it, the first thing to look at is student teacher ratio. A kindergarten class with 20–30 kids is really a crap shoot. Sad thing is, most parents are stuck with what they get and can’t afford to be a discerning as you. Your child is really lucky.

So this is something like ten pages of questions, but is what we used to evaluate schools in our area: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dsswbj9_19gnvgfvx8

We were actually looking at pre-schools, but the same questions would work for kindergarten, they were very basic. We basically put together a bunch of interviews we found online as well as speaking to our parents.

i am assuming you mean greensboro, NC. in that case, check out the north carolina association of independent schools: http://www.ncais.org/

i absolutely agree that class size is the most important factor, as well as an emphasis on learning HOW to learn, and NOT an emphasis on standardized testing.

a word about montessori, though – i teach in a “classical” independent school, and we have had several students over the years come in maybe in 3rd or 4th grade from a montessori school who have had a tough transition to a more structured, traditional school. they often have difficulty focusing and persevering on tasks, and transitioning between tasks. IF you start your child in a montessori with the intention of later putting him or her into a traditional school, be aware of the possibility of this difficult transition.

the montessori approach DOES have its merits; please do not take this as an attack on montessori. i do not have any personal experience as either a student or teacher in a montessori school; this is simply what i have experienced w/ former montessori students in a classical school – just something for you to consider.

One of the best simple tips on evaluating a potential school: look at the student art on the wall. If it’s all the same, the school probably isn’t that good, and its idea of teaching is make sure the students can all follow directions. If the art is really diverse and varied, then the school would probably be a good place for your child.

a teacher who is firm, but doesn’t raise his/her voice, diversity, fun but still focused on learning, lots of books and lots of reading to the kids WHILE asking them questions about the story and giving them a chance to respond, safety, affection, lots of change during the day, small groups, colorful and clean classroom.

It depends on how your child learns. Look at your child and see how he interacts and you can choose a teacher that is responsive to his learning style.

One more thing. If the child isn’t following directions, look for someone who doesn’t repeat herself and get louder, look for someone who models and demonstrates what they want.

Yesterday I was in a classroom, and the teacher kept repeating in a really loud hostile voice, “PUT YOUR FINGER ON THE NUMBER ONE! PUT YOUR FINGER ON THE NUMBER ONE!” She was standing over him shouting – she just couldn’t say, “Move your finger down the page….it’s next to the picture of…..” or ask a child next to him to show him the 1 or even show him herself? Instead of any of those great options, she chose to humiliate him and abuse him. That’s the teacher you DON’T WANT.

Agreed. Whole-heartedly.