Dealey Montessori Teachers? (daycares, homes, preschool)

[BKLoree]

My daughter got into the Pre-K at Dealey for next year. We feel very fortunate, but at the same time I feel a bit of hesitancy/trepidation since she is so young and she will be there all day 5 days a week. If anyone could lend some incites to my questions I would appreciate it.

Does anyone have any knowledge of the Pre-K/K teachers? I wanted to know if people had an opinion as to which one would be better for a very creative/story-telling daughter. If so I was thinking of requesting a specific teacher.

Also, any idea of how the breakfast in the classroom works? Could we send breakfast with her to eat? I'm not thrilled with the idea of my children eating anything from a school cafeteria.

Do the Pre-K/K kids need to be there by 8 or 8:30 (I'm not a morning person or a rule follower so i would prefer a fluid "late" time).

Is Dealey all it's cracked up to be? I've seen one bad review about the school posted within the last two years, but all of the positive ones posted long ago. Has it changed? Is it still good learning environment that follows the Montessori way of learning like they say (despite being a public school)?

Thanks for your incites!

[TurtleCreek80]

The district's website says Dealey's start time is 8:30am. As for a "fluid" late morning and your comment about not being a "rule follower", the school has this to say about tardiness:

"TARDINESS is a serious detriment to each child's and each classroom's success. When a child is tardy, it prevents him/her from benefit of the most important part of a school day when the day's work is outlined. Tardiness is a serious distraction for the teacher and students who are punctual, because it detracts from the progress of the class. Although excessive tardiness is when a child is late in excess of 30 minutes, the habitual tardiness of 5 to 10 minutes is equally detrimental. This is typically the parents' responsibility. Please assist your child to learn the valuable lesson of personal responsibility by setting the example for punctuality. It is a most valuable life skill."

I'm sure you didn't mean to sound this way, but your entire post reeks of entitlement: don't want to get your kid to school on time because you're a rule breaker, must request a teacher who caters to your child, don't want kid to eat any food the school provides, etc. If your daughter is bright enough to have earned a coveted spot at Dealey, I'm sure you can all adjust to preK just fine.....

[karenw729]

Well, she did say she wanted "incites" so I guess you gave it to her!

[CMC_TX]

Originally Posted by BKLoree

My daughter got into the Pre-K at Dealey for next year. We feel very fortunate, but at the same time I feel a bit of hesitancy/trepidation since she is so young and she will be there all day 5 days a week. If anyone could lend some incites to my questions I would appreciate it.

Does anyone have any knowledge of the Pre-K/K teachers? I wanted to know if people had an opinion as to which one would be better for a very creative/story-telling daughter. If so I was thinking of requesting a specific teacher.

Also, any idea of how the breakfast in the classroom works? Could we send breakfast with her to eat? I'm not thrilled with the idea of my children eating anything from a school cafeteria.

Do the Pre-K/K kids need to be there by 8 or 8:30 (I'm not a morning person or a rule follower so i would prefer a fluid "late" time).

Is Dealey all it's cracked up to be? I've seen one bad review about the school posted within the last two years, but all of the positive ones posted long ago. Has it changed? Is it still good learning environment that follows the Montessori way of learning like they say (despite being a public school)?

Thanks for your incites!

First of all, it's "insight" not incite. Incite would be appropriate if you're saying something like "incite an argument."

Fluid late times don't really work well in life. Most jobs don't have "fluid" start times. You might as well get your daughter on a proper schedule early, because she'll probably be on one for a long time.

Maybe if that's a struggle, you could do homeschool or look into some hippie "alternative learning" school. Public or Private has nothing to do with Montessori teaching.

[BKLoree]

After re-reading my post I can see your point of view and see where it may have come off as entitled. That really was not my intention. I can see I should choose my words more carefully and not assume people think the best of others on here.

[robmab]

Reading your post, I'm not really sure why you applied to Dealey in the first place. I know several parents who have children there now, and I've heard nothing but positive things about it. I also know several parents who have applied year after year and still haven't gotten in.

My kids don't go to Dealey, but they go to other DISD schools that have Breakfast in the Classroom. One of my kids loves it and that is her breakfast every day. My other daughter eats breakfast at home before we leave for school and skips the Breakfast in the Classroom. If you'd rather your child didn't eat it, just let the teacher know you're feeding her at home.

I doubt you will find many schools (except for daycares) that have a "fluid" start time. We have done both private (traditional and Montessori) and public and, in every case, they want all the kids there by a certain time. I can't imagine how distracting it would be for a teacher to be trying to start her class with students wandering in for a half-hour afterwards.

Also, I'm not really sure how it works at Dealey, but at the DISD schools we've attended (including a magnet), requesting a certain teacher is somewhat frowned upon. I guess it never hurts to ask, but just know that those requests are seldom honored unless there is a hardship reason that your child would need to be with one teacher over another.

[CasaLindaMom]

I'm a parent to two girls who attend Dealey. We love the school. There are three PK/K teachers and they are all wonderful. I feel the school does a wonderful job of using Montessori materials and teaching methods, despite the fact it's in DISD and has to follow the district rules.
You are not allowed to request a specific teacher. They do however, let you fill out a Teacher Request Form, where you can list things about your daughter that might be helpful to the school to place her with the right kind of teacher. They do read those and try their best to find the right fit.
Breakfast in the classroom is delivered within the first 5 minutes of class. Kids are typically done eating by the time announcements are done. Your child does not have to eat if they don't want to. I feed both of mine at home before school because they are both picky eaters and don't like the school food. They simply decline the breakfasts each morning.
School starts promptly at 8:30. If arriving after that, your child will be required to get a tardy slip from the office, where it will be reflected on her record. There is no "fluid" start time. Late arriving children are a disruption to the teachers and to the rest of the kids who are there on time and are ready to work.
Hope this helps and congrats on getting into Dealey!

[BKLoree]

Thank you CasaLindaMom! That was very helpful and quelled any anxiety I had. The only reason I asked about the start time is that they listed 8-8:30 as morning activities (I didn't know if this was like her preschool now where it is "free" play) and in my experience all schools start at 8. That was my confusion. Knowing they don't officially start until 8:30 is wonderful. We would definitely be there by then. We count ourselves very fortunate that our daughter was able to get in.