# @janylsmithesq on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DU69oPgjcBs
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/56938295-janylsmithesq-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/387c8ed508.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-02-19T01:44:06.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Janyl Smith (@janylsmithesq) — https://gondola.cc/janylsmithesq

## Caption

I received quite a few DMs asking why we decided to unenroll Cooper from his Montessori preschool, so I’m sharing the full story here in three parts. (I couldn’t get it down to 3 mins!) 🫣

To be clear, this is not a critique of the Montessori philosophy. I value it and appreciate the emphasis on independence, practical life skills, and child-led learning. Those core tenets are the reason we wanted Cooper in a Montessori program in the first place. Frankly, our decision had nothing to do with the method and everything to do with the specific school we chose.

I’m anticipating at least a few comments suggesting that I overreacted to the pasting worksheets he completed in school and brought home, and that’s fine. If something like this wouldn’t have bothered you, place your children in the learning environments that work for you and raise them as you see fit. For me, language matters. In our home, and certainly in my professional life, precision matters. It also matters in an early learning environment with a premium price tag.

Notwithstanding this issue, we were willing to address it and give the school another opportunity to prove their glowing reviews were right.

What ultimately led to the unenrollment did not center on educational materials, but on safety, communication, and school policy concerns that were unacceptable to us. I’ll share more about that in the next two videos.

This was an unfortunate situation because consistency and predictability are so important at Cooper’s age. Removing him from a classroom he knew and grew accustomed to was certainly not ideal. But at the end of the day, we believed it was the best decision for him in the long run.

#momsofinstagram #storytime #intentionalparenting #earlychildhoodeducation #montessori

## Stats

- **Views:** 100,897
- **Likes:** 0
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 621

## Tags

storytime, momsofinstagram, earlychildhoodeducation, intentionalparenting, montessori

---
Copyright (c) Gondola