How are the high schools in richmond hill?

Montessori Schools in Mississauga and Richmond Hill in ON, Canada?

• Moving from US to Canada. My kid is age 3. Looking for apts/house/condo for rent in Mississauga and Richmond hill. We have heard that these 2 places have the best montessori schools. TMS seems to be appealling, atleast from online information. 1) Any other suggestions? 2) Some montessori schools we browsed online seem to have uniforms. Why do i have a feeling that schools with uniforms are a little rigid/strict? What is yr take on this?

• Answer:

  I can't answer #1. I know nothing about Canadian Montessori schools. I know the school I work for in Taiwan has a school somewhere in Canada, but not sure where or what the name of it is. So...question #2. " Some montessori schools we browsed online seem to have uniforms. Why do i have a feeling that schools with uniforms are a little rigid/strict? What is yr take on this?" I think that image comes from the image of old school Catholic Schools, where nuns would slap your knuckles with rulers. Granted, the school MIGHT be stricts. The word "Montessori" has no copyright attached to it, so anyone can call themselves Montessori. (My mom got something in the mail once for a Montessori dog school...totally an honest statement there). You'll have to visit the school and see what the feel of it is. At the school I am at, we give children uniforms to wear if they want them. We usually ask they wear them on field trips just so it's easier to keep track of the students, but we won't exclude a student if they show up without a uniform. Parents often choose to use the uniforms because they can get dirty playing outside without a major worry. Some schools require uniforms just to avoid distractions. Especially if it's a purely traditional Montessori school, the use of fantasy characters would be discouraged in the 3-6 age range. A uniform is the easiest way to really regulate this. Or maybe some children might come from poorer families and a uniform would make it easier to really not let the children distinguish who has "nice clothes" as opposed to worn out clothes. I'm just offering other ideas. Ultimately, visit the school and get the feel for it. You might find it is too rigid or you might find it's still a good school, despite how you feel about the uniforms. Good luck and I hope you find something.