Kids shouldn’t dread going back to school.

Kids love learning. So if they hate school, their environment might need a change.

For some children, back-to-school season is exciting. But for others, especially older kids, this time of year can feel dreadful.

As summer comes to a close, kids move away from the freedom of unstructured days back toward homework, tests, and being told what to do at every turn. After months of freedom, returning to class feels like a prison sentence.

As parents, we want our children to love school. We want them to wake up excited on Monday mornings, feel motivated to challenge themselves in class, and do their homework of their own volition. In other words, we want them to be happy and excited to learn.

To get there, we focus on trying to change our kids’ attitudes. We try to hype them up, urging them to get out of bed, get on the bus, and go learn something new — and every step is a battle.

But what if your child’s attitude isn’t the problem at all? What if it’s their environment?

In the right educational environment, your child can truly love their life because it inspires, challenges, and empowers them.

So, we’re not going to give you tips on changing your child’s attitude about school. Instead, we’re going to make the case for changing your child’s school. (Hint: Their attitude will change as a result!)

Here’s why our students don’t dread back-to-school season:

The right environment will meet your kid’s developmental needs

Dr. Maria Montessori found that children’s needs are different from one developmental stage to the next. She realized that kids need specific things from their education to progress and grow into healthy adults.

So, whether your child is happy or unhappy in school, the most important question you can ask is: why?

Take Amelia, for example. She hates school and says she’s bored in class, which is moving at a snail’s pace. She doesn't like being told what to do all day or sitting at a desk for hours. Her peers are far behind her, so she doesn't feel challenged or inspired by the social opportunities they afford.

This is really problematic, and worse, there's very little that can be done in a conventional classroom. If she has a good, responsive teacher, they might be able to make amends for the first issue by giving Amelia more challenging work. But parents often have to fight hard for this… and they don’t always succeed.

But even if your child is happy in public school, it’s still worth asking them about it. For instance, Henry says he loves school, but when you ask why he enjoys it, his answer is always “Recess and lunch.” If you ask him about what he’s learning, he rolls his eyes, gives you a blank stare, or has an angry outburst. Sure, he’s not miserable, but his happiness is superficial.

The issue is that school isn’t meeting Henry’s development needs, including time to perform enjoyable work with his peers, accomplish real tasks, and learn about the world. Could something change about his environment to make this possible? Maybe this year in this classroom with this teacher… but you’ll have to start all over again with next year’s teacher.

Of course, kids are human beings. Some days, they’re going to wake up tired, cranky, and disinterested in school. But for the most part, excitement and joy should be the fundamental feelings that children experience in class. This should be consistent and dependable — and if their school is meeting their developmental needs, it will be.

Obviously, we’re a Montessori school, so our choice for the best environment is a Montessori classroom. We built this company because this was the education we wanted for our own children.

Here’s why:

Montessori nurtures a love for learning

Children naturally love learning for the sake of learning. This is why you’re constantly pulling things out of your baby’s mouth, why your toddler wants to explore every corner of the house… and why your child could play the “why” game for hours.

When children are seeking knowledge, they want to get to the bottom of things through questions, evidence, and connection to others and the wider world. 

The right environment can nurture this love for learning by understanding their developmental needs and interests. And the wrong environment can squelch their curiosity indefinitely.

In early childhood, we need to give kids real work and hands-on projects. For example, with the Montessori math curriculum, children don’t just learn concepts via a textbook. They touch them, integrate them into their bodies, and understand mathematics on an intuitive level. As Matt puts it:

“When children learn column addition and multiplication, they understand why it works…because it’s been part of their physical environment and activity since they were two.”

Then, in elementary school, children become interested in rules, collaboration, and abstraction. They want to imagine things. Therefore, a lesson that sparks excitement is going to be one that leans into picturing times, events, and people they can’t see or touch.

Meanwhile, middle and high schoolers want to know the purpose of the things they’re learning. They need to be convinced that there’s a good reason to spend their time on something.

To this end, Guidepost middle and high school classrooms tap into this desire and always work to share the value of any lesson or class, while providing plenty of avenues to put new knowledge and skills to use. In other words, students don’t just take a finance class; they start a business with their friends and use their knowledge to maintain a real budget with real stakes.

Sounds idyllic, right? But it’s 100% real. Our students experience this interesting, challenging, nurturing environment every day.

Montessori is accessible to families

Conventional education leaves little room for real-world work, collaboration, and deep learning — but educational alternatives are often out of reach.

Here at Guidepost, we offer:

• Virtual and homeschool options — These are lower-cost than our brick-and-mortar schools and can be used anywhere in the world, on any schedule.

• Financial aid packages — These make our programs accessible to as many US families as possible. In fact, nearly two-thirds of our students receive some form of financial aid.

• Financial assistance for military families — Plus, for any family who moves frequently, we have over 130 locations around the world. And if there’s not a Guidepost school in your new city, we offer virtual/homeschooling to keep your child’s education consistent.

• Free resources — On our Instagram and in our newsletter, we’re always sharing ways for you to practice Montessori at home, for free! We also offer low-cost Montessori courses to help you tackle tricky parenting challenges—from toilet training to setting up your home environment.

Your child should love their school, their community, and their life. They should be excited to learn.

In the right environment, all these things are possible.

☀️ This week’s bright spots:

If you have a minute… Watch this video from Karolina (@TheMontessoriAdult) on the first stage of child development (and how a Montessori education supports those needs!).

If you have five minutes… Read our guide on why we don’t force kids to say they’re sorry — and what to do instead.

If you have ten minutes… Read this piece from

Dr. Gena Gorlin

on the psychological needs of ambitious people (if you’re reading this newsletter, odds are you’ve got an ambitious kid under your roof!).