I daughter goes to Montessori for a year now. Even though she is very self-directed, she often gets in trouble because she wants to play more. I think traditional preschool is more “play-based” compares to Montessori. Regardless, I love to have my girl goes to Montessori because I think she does get a lot out of Montessori academically. At 4 and a half years-old, she is reading quite well. She also understands math concepts…even though she is a trouble maker at school. We have been working with Montessori to help her to work on whatever she is going through… So, it really depends on your kid’s learning style and your goal. At time, I thought Montessori is not for my daughter because she doesn’t enjoy go to school. Even now, after a year at Montessori, she still tells us every morning that she doesn’t want to go to school. It’s probably because her little sister and Grandma are home everyday, so she wants to have fun at home.
To make the long story short, I would want my daughter to go to Montessori regardless (and I am not a tiger mother…lol)