Some more things to know

I've been thinking more about what I want to share with my new assistants about Montessori and what to expect in our classroom.  So I thought I would expand on that topic some more today.  I'm going to describe a typical "day" in our classroom and hopefully that will help some of you who are unfamiliar with Montessori education get a glimpse of what goes on in a prepared Montessori environment.

Before I begin, I'd like to describe my situation.  I am the sole trained Montessori teacher in my school.  There is one classroom--mine.  I am also pretty much the director of the school.  I say pretty much because our school is housed in a Catholic church and the church secretary helps me tremendously with all the "paperwork" such as registrations, forms, tuition, newsletters, etc.  It is a wonderful blessing to not have to worry about that side of things.  That said, I am the decision maker about everything in the classroom.  This has pros and cons.  It certainly allows me a high degree of autonomy which I enjoy.  It can also be isolating in that there are no other Montessori teachers to interact with or bounce ideas off of.  Our school is considered fully enrolled when we have 60 students.  We are set up as a preschool only so the children typically attend for only two years, then go on to the local public school kindergarten.  Another unique feature of our school is that the children usually attend only 2 or 3 sessions per week.  That is just what has been traditionally done in this community and at this school.  Children are welcome to attend more (my sons both attended daily) sessions, but it rarely happens.  As a result we do not ever have the same group of children from day to day.  There may be some that were there the day before, but usually half the class is different from the day before.  This presents a lot of problems for the teacher (me!) in terms of introducing new work and information to the children as a group.  We have 20 students per session with me and one assistant supervising.  Our class sessions are three hours long and we have class on M-F mornings and TWTh afternoons.  That gives me Monday and Friday afternoons "off." 

I begin each session in the whole group.  Our parents and students wait in our entryway until the classroom doors open (at 8:15 or 12:15).  Usually I open the doors and greet the children as they arrive, then go with the children to our "line" area where we have our "start of the day" routine.  My assistant gets a few students off the bus as the rest of us chat until our "bus kids" join us on the line.  Once pretty much all the children have arrived, I take attendance.  I call each child's name saying, "Good Morning, Joey Walker."  They respond by saying, "Good Morning, Miss Laura."  After roll call we do a "Good Morning" song.  I use a song from one of my Frank Leto CDs.  There is an instrumental section in the song that allows me to go all around our circle to shake each child's hand and personally welcome them to class.  I like starting our day this way and it provides a nice sense of security to the children since they always know what to expect when they arrive.  When I previously taught in a Montessori setting, I allowed children to choose work right away when they arrived, then had a short line time about 30 minutes into the morning.  Having done it both ways, I have to say I prefer to start as a group.  Each individual teacher would have his or her own preference for this, I'm sure.  At our first group time I may do a group presentation of a new work in the classroom.  Typically I only do this for new Practical Life work or art projects.........activities that all children should be able to do regardless of their age and skill level.  When line time is done, I dismiss the children one at a time to choose their work.  At the beginning of the year I dismiss by calling their names.  Later in the year we do this silently as I hold up their name cards and they (silently) read their name to be dismissed.  It is a very good idea to dismiss children individually instead of whole group.  This allows children to think about what they will choose as they are waiting.  It allows the teacher to "manipulate" (for lack of a better word) how children are dismissed to encourage children to work independently.  I DO like children to do some work together; however, I also want them to develop independent work skills and habits.  Sometimes two children may ONLY want to work together and if I dismiss them close together, chances are they will start out on a joint activity and may never work individually during the work period.  By dismissing one at the beginning and one later, the first child should already be engaged before their friend is dimissed.  This allows them to develop the self-direction and independence that are so important in a Montessori environment.

During the work period (which in our classroom is about 1 1/2 hours) the children freely select activities to work on.   Children are expected to take their chosen activity from the shelf and carry it to a table or the floor.  If they work on the floor they get a rug to put beneath their work.  This gives them a visually defined space on which to put their materials.  Additionally, it prevents other children from stepping on, over, or through another child's work.  When they have finished their work, they push in their chair, return the work to the shelf and (if needed) roll up their rug and return it to the rug rack.  During the first few weeks, my assistants and I will spend a lot of time helping our new students learn these ground rules.  A good thing to keep in mind when presenting a new activity to a student is to return it to the shelf yourself (as the adult) when you are finished.  This way you are not only modelling how to complete the activity, you are modelling what to do with the materials when finished.  This also helps the child remember where in the classroom they found the activity and where to return it.

At the beginning of the school year it is very typical to have new students who do not work with anything at all during the entire work period.  This can last for the first few days or even the first several weeks of school.  For adults who are not used to the Montessori philosophy and environment this can be worrisome and even alarming.  It just doesn't seem right if the child is coming to school each day and doing "nothing."  In this situation it is really important to remember to believe in the child and in their ability to know when is the right time for THEM to try something new.  For some children it feels very risky to try something they've never done before, especially in a setting with which they are unfamiliar and with unfamiliar children and adults.  Don't forget that they are learning SO MUCH just by watching other children.  They are absorbing EVERYTHING even when they are not interacting with the materials.  They are figuring out what materials look most interesting (or least threatening), they are learning by watching the teachers give lessons to other students, they are discovering that this is a safe environment in which to explore and learn.  And someday soon.........they will be ready to dive in with the rest.  Don't worry...........it WILL happen.  I have had students choose to watch for up to 6 weeks.  And truthfully, it is hard to watch because as the teacher I so want to see them growing and learning.  How sweet and amazing it is when that moment arrives and they decide it's time to get started and join in.  In the meantime, all you can do as a teacher is continue to invite them to try activities, respectfully accept their refusal, and surreptitiously observe them as they survey the new landscape. 

Another important point about the adult's role in the Montessori classroom is to try not to get "stuck" with one child for a long period of time.  Ideally, throughout the work period each adult will interact with a variety of children instead of spending large chunks of time with only a few children.  Remember that the teacher's job is to facilitate learning, not to directly teach (other than when giving a lesson or presentation on new work).  The goal of a Montessori education is to empower children to be self-directed and independent in their learning. In order to accomplish this it is imperative that the focus be on putting children in touch with the materials and allowing them to learn through manipulating and handling those materials.  With that said, there will be times where an adult WILL need to sit with a child for a while to guide them with their chosen task.  Some examples of when it would be a good idea to help include:  assisting children who are using scissors for the first time as they often need help to achieve the correct grasp, assisting a new student in rolling up a rug and/or putting their work back on the shelf, helping a child select appropriate work from the shelf, and, of course, presenting or giving a lesson to a child.  It would not be appropriate or helpful to the classroom environment, however, if a teacher sat reading a story to a group of children (that is done with the whole group at a time outside the work period) or held a child on his or her lap during the work period.  Certainly it is important to provide comfort to a child who is missing their parent or whose feelings may have been hurt by another student.  Equally important is helping to empower that child to move forward and realize that they can accomplish an inviting task of their choosing.  Doing so often makes the sad feelings disappear.

I am enjoying writing these posts very much.  As I approach the beginning of a new school year, it is really helping me to think through everything that I love and value about Montessori education.  I hope this posts makes sense.  I've been writing it for about 2 hours with MANY interruptions and long breaks in the middle of writing to do a variety of things around the house.  If you have any insight to add, please leave a comment.  I LOVE to hear from you! 

Comments

[qudseya Naim]

Dear Laura, you inspire me so much with your words of wisdom . I learn so much from you. I have been teaching for about 4yrs. I still have not be able to have a quiet classroom. I have a very strong voice also that I am not able to speak softly like I should any advice will be greatly appreciated . Thank you again and God bless you

[Laura]

Typically a child who is so reserved that they are not engaging in any work is not disruptive. However, occasionally they "get into" someone else's work at which point I would intervene and explain that it's so and so's turn now and they may do it when that child is finished.
Very rarely, but it does happen, a child may just watch for several days before attempting to try anything, even when the adults in the environment are inviting them to try different things. I only have 3-5 year olds in my class. They do have pretty much complete freedom in what they would like to do. However, when they are with me for the second year, I do encourage them to try more lessons in the math and language areas.

Hope that helps!

Laura

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Subject: [My Montessori Journey] SurvivingByGrace submitted a comment to 'Some more things to know'.
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 2009 18:24:20 -0700
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Comment:
These blog posts on first days of class are so essential to learning how to implement Montessori. I could ask a zillion questions. I'd love to know your comment to handling the 3yo. And when you say you don't make a child choose something to do (even if it takes 6 weeks), what do you do if they're disruptive? Do they generally just watch for the whole work period? When you describe the children choosing their own work - does this apply only to the younger children? Do the 6-9s have more of a "list" to complete for the week/day, and only have the freedom to choose the order? Thanks again for these posts!

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[SurvivingByGrace]

These blog posts on first days of class are so essential to learning how to implement Montessori. I could ask a zillion questions. I'd love to know your comment to handling the 3yo. And when you say you don't make a child choose something to do (even if it takes 6 weeks), what do you do if they're disruptive? Do they generally just watch for the whole work period? When you describe the children choosing their own work - does this apply only to the younger children? Do the 6-9s have more of a "list" to complete for the week/day, and only have the freedom to choose the order? Thanks again for these posts!

[MWT]

Just stumbled across this and wanted to comment that, as a parent of a child in a Montessori school (and a former Montessori student myself), this is an excellent post to help explain in everyday terms what a Montessori classroom is like and how the philosophy is brought to life. I am bookmarking it to share with other interested parents and those who ask what Montessori is.

[Lei]

Thank you so much for such a wonderful and inspiring post. I have started a school this year and your day-to-day account inspire me in so many ways. THe way you arranged your classroom and organized your materials. Thank you...

We just opened the school this June and all of my 14 students are new and never been in a Montessori. The challenge is when you have old (meaning 4 weeks old) and new students is it possible to have an undisturbed work period of at least 2.5 hours? What is the trick? I also find repeating my self all the time of the ground rules (walking feet and soft voice etc.) that i sometimes wonder if they really are getting it. Circle time is a challenge due to some 3yo who wont stay on the line and/or keeping themselves busy with friend beside them... I would be so much interested as well to hear your experience (if there's any) in handling such a class. Again, God bless you in what you do.

[Teresa Clark]

Thank you so much for sharing all of this. You have given me some great ideas to use in my own classroom.

[Sarah]

Wow! These last 2 posts have been really great. And I would have never guessed that you were in a small school with a less than "ideal" work period for the children. I would have said that you were in a fancy and demanding private school - the kind that just wore the love of Montessori out of an acquaintance of mine. But no, you are the one creating the love for Montessori in so many others. And with all the work that you do for your classroom (and all the work it takes to share with us) I wouldn't have guessed that you are the director as well. I really don't know how you have time to do it, but I am thankful as I've learned a lot from you.
I've done a decent amount of reading on the subject, but Maria Montessori is a little hard to read as an author (or maybe it is the translations that are so dry). You've put it into lay terms very well. I've heard it put simply before but not like this. Thank you!

[Gypsy]

Hi Laure
This is such a great blog, I have only just discovered it but there is such an amazing amount of info! If you ever get a minute, I have just written a blog post on the differences between Waldorf, Montesori and Playcentre (which is New Zealand Parent-run thing we have here) and I would love your comment on whether I have done Montessori justice in my summary. I totally understand if you don't get a chance though - you have such a lot of projects on the go!!! Gypsy http://domesticallyblissed.blogspot.com/2009/08/children-at-play-steiner-playcentre-and.html

[Sandra Candel]

Dear Laura,
I can relate soooo much to your situation. I set up a little home-based Montessori school, for my three kids, and eventually for my nieces, nephews, friend's kids, etc. Kids did not attend daily, and although I loved the flexibility and free time I got, I must confess it was less than ideal. My mentor, (Montessori AMS teacher for 25 yrs. with one of the most amazing schools I know) always encouraged me to teach 5 days with 3-hr work periods. I closed my school last June to get a Masters and better prepare myself.
I think I'm finally ready to begin my own blog. Would you mind sharing with me what type of Typepad account you have? I want to get the very basic for about $5/mo., but I'd like to have one in Spanish as well.
Thank goodness for wonderful women like you who enrich other mom's knowledge.

[m@w]

Dear Laura,
I've been a silent reader until now. I'm a working mother of two and I live in Italy.
My older attends a public non-montessori pre-school I'm quite satisfied with, the younger is beginning the kindergarden this year.
Up to this, seems a very common Italian situation indeed, but it's not so simple to explain the challenges we experience daily in a few words and in a foreign language.
As an example, did you know that the Montessori method is less known here than abroad? Nevertheless I become completely fascinated with it and I found it the natural complement of our lives. Without being homeschoolers, we tried to create a Montessori inspired setting at home; you can have a glimpse in one of the recent posts of muy blog, where I often try to discuss educational tips (in Italian).
Well, all this is just to ask you if I can translate your last post in Italian and host them in my blog (with credits, of course) one day or the other. I've often been asked about the Montessori method, but, since I'm not, until now I've directed them to professionals or books, usually in English; more and more often I've been asked for something in Italian. So if you can trust in my unprofessional yet better than unsupervised translation, I believe your posts are well worth to be spread in Maria Montessori's native Country.
Thanks.

[Heather]

These posts have been really interesting to me...I've had the Montessori method "explained" to me before but never on a day-to-day basis or how it is taught. This has been very enlightening to read!

I enjoy your ideas and posts very much! Thanks for inspiring me with ideas for my little ones!

[Jamie]

Well, it's official. We're packing our bags and moving so our kids can attend your school. (Okay, not really. But I wish!) Where are you again Laura? I remember the general area, but not your city. I *think* we might have friends that moved up that way, also Montessori students, but I'm thinking they're in a larger town.

I agree with a previous commenter, I love reading your posts because you explain things so well but also because you can 'hear' the passion you have. It's inspiring.

And oh my! I didn't realize you were responsible for the school and so many students. I have so much respect for you and what you do, we're blessed that you share with us.

Thank you! I'm thinking of you as you begin your new school year.

[Catherine]

I am so glad I found this blog and it has been so inspiring for me. I really appreciate everything you share. I have been interested in Montessori ever since I heard of it but have never been near a school unfortunately. With the lack of alternative schooling where I am currently living I have decided to homeschool my preschool age son instead and your blog provides me with most of the activities he now enjoys. Do you know, is there any way to do some training via the internet?? I realise that would kind of miss the point for full on teacher training but at least some sort of basic training? I would love to learn more for my own children's benefit.

[Sandra Candel]

I have been using the Montessori method for about 5 years. Other moms have told me they can feel my passion for Montessori, and I can absolutely say the same about you.
Your blog is so inspirational, it gave me lots of ideas, and my little home school blossomed when I found your blog last year.
Thank you!

[Jodi]

I just wanted to thank you so much for everything you share! Your thoughts and ideas are so inspiring to me!