San Francisco, CA
Belvedere Montessori

Teachers Are:

OVERALL RATING: (3.8)
Full of energy and seemingly happy in job
Patient and affectionate with children
Talks with children and listens carefully when they are talking with him/her
Praises children for accomplishments and good behavior
Provides feedback on what my child does during the day
Shares insights on my child that are helpful and accurate
Identifies my child’s strengths and weaknesses
If necessary, provides additional support to my child during pickup and drop-off
Resolves disputes quickly, calmly and fairly in a manner that allows children to learn from the dispute
Notices children who are not on task and/or engaging with other children appropriately and quickly reengages them
Manages the energy level of the children so that all children feel safe and able to learn
Provides additional support to a child when s/he is clearly failing in her/his efforts
Strikes the proper balance between active and quiet play for children

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Parents' Comments on Individualized Teaching

Parent #1
Two things that are integral to the Belvedere Montessori experience are art and environmental awareness. There is always one teacher that specializes in art and some sort of artistic expression for the kids, and another, who is an avid gardener/environmental activist, and because of this, the kids get a really well balanced experience at school, and they are instilled with a nice sense of altruism and respect for the environment. Another thing to mention is that there are many teachers that work in Belvedere Montessori, but not full time. There are different teachers for Dance, music, Spanish, and knitting that come to the school at least 1 day/wk.

Parent #2
At our preschool, students spend the morning working on the 'academic curriculum'. For instance, each child keeps a journal and has to write several words and a full sentence each morning. They learn to spell phonetically. They also have Spanish class, dance, and music one morning each per week. Around 1130am, the kids go out each day for a 'field trip.' They walk or take the bus. One day a week they walk to the library, one day they go swimming, and one day they go to a local park where they are caring for a garden and composting. The other 2 days per week, they either go to different parks or museums or other areas of interest around the city (special events like seeing the heart of SF, etc). The afternoon always ends with some time at a playground for kids to have free play, eat lunch, etc. At first I found all of this travel concerning. I worried about my kids taking a bus (well supervised by teachers), etc. However, my kids and I have come to love the routine. Gettting the kids out of the classroom keeps the kids and teachers energized about what they are doing. Many places that the kids visit, the parents want to visit too. Kids also learn to act responsibly in public (hold hand, stay in line, etc). In 18 years of running the preschool like this, the director has never had a safety problem. At first I was concerned that my daughter, who is a bit shy, might not thrive with so many changes each day. However, she has learned to absorb all the new sights and interesting activity and she loves it. So do I. If you are a parent who wants to know that your kid is working on phonics in the morning from 9-10 and playing on the same swings each day from 11-12 and eating lunch in the same spot each day, this preschool may not be for you (although your kid might enjoy it!). Hoewver, if you are willing to try something a bit different, Belvedere Montesori may be a great fit for you and your kid.

Parent #3
We fell in love with Belvedere Montessori's active schedule of daily fieldtrips and visiting specialists in dance, art, etc. But the busy schedule was also one of the reasons we dropped out early. Much of the teachers' energy and time was spent 'herding' the kids from one thing to the next.

Parent #4
The director, Barbara Alexander, is the school's biggest strength and its biggest weakness. The children adore her, but she can be quirky and autocratic and often clashes with staff. Teachers tend to burn out quickly with such an intensive program and the tension with the director can be palpable. The teaching staff is generally not very experienced.

Parent #5
Not sure about the teachers as there was just a major turnover. See other comments regarding parent participation for witnessing the quality of teaching.

Montessori? Waldorf? Play-based?

What school type is right for your child? Is one model better than another? What does the research say?

View an example from the Savvy Source guide to learn more.

Trace around your child's foot, with shoe on, on a piece of white construction paper or card stock. Have child cut out the shoe print and add a spooky face. Glue it to a popsicle stick and you have a ghost stick puppet!

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