Things so far

It turns out that I am not the only one who feels a little lost in the classroom. According to my assistant the previous lead teacher kept slim to virtually non-existent records of the children. In addition to that she was pretty slow in presenting new material to the children and at the same time very strict with them about what they could take from the shelves. So, as a result the children are bored with what they know, ready for anything new, and probably a little nervous about what they can and cannot take from the shelves.

And so we've decided that for the next month or so we need to basically asses the children and present as much new material as we can so that we can both know where the children are.

So far I've been stressed out over all the work that needs to be done and not feeling much up for the challenge. But the grandmother of my oldest girl told me reported something her granddaughter had said that was a big shot in the arm: "I miss Miss R [previous teacher] but then I look at Miss T [me] and I smile."

Transition

Yesterday I met the woman I am to replace. In a nutshell, she's a traditional K-12 trained teacher whose classroom happens to house a bunch of Montessori materials.
The classroom is just crammed with a lot of useless fluff. Also, the room is pretty small which only exaggerates the fluff problem. There are boxes and boxes of who knows what high up on the cabinets and also (get this!) a stack of the buttoning, tying, etc. frames, totally out of the child's reach. Getting the frames closer to the ground was my first step.

Following this type of teacher presents some good and some not-so-good situations.
On the good side, my director is one-hundred percent supportive. She's great. And about as idealistic as I am. She really wants things to change in the school.

On the not-so-good side, the kids are used to a certain routine with the old teacher. And because its already shock to them that they have a new teacher I don't want to completely revamp everything that's familiar to them.

The classroom will just have to move very slowly towards change.

Surprise!

Last week, I got a call from the director of my new school asking if I might be able to begin teaching not in June but as soon as possible.

On Tuesday I spent the day with my new students, mostly observing. When the children began their morning work session I was was so confused because every child (with one or two exceptions) were writing away on worksheets or in notebooks. One little girl was happily working out a United States puzzle when the assistant teacher stooped down and asked that she fill out a corresponding worksheet when she had finished the puzzle. I assume that all of this paperwork is because of the parents. Ugh!
Although my director is almost as idealistic as I am and completely supportive of me she told me to pick my battles with the parents and that the homework/worksheet thing might not be worth the battle.

The class has a little ways to go towards being truly a Montessori classroom and I am so excited to get it there albeit with some hard work.

I start as the official lead teacher the last week of the month.

Post Numero Uno

Dear Cyber Reader,

This little "blog" was born first as a cry for help and second as a place to rest my unwieldy enthusiasm for the Montessori method.

Since October I've been taking training classes and volunteering at a local Montessori school while making ends meet by peddling venti no foam nonfat lattes to the suited VIPS of Dallas.
Its not that I hate Starbucks, its just that I don't think "I'm going places" there. More than anything its about as opposite to the Montessori method as you can get.
But, they give me money twice a month and I can't fault them for that.

Anyway-- I've just been offered my very first teaching position (starting in May) and I'm just over the moon. But I imagine that it'll be a trying year and that I'll learn a lot by my mistakes. I look forward to sharing stories and getting advice from other montessorians; I hope that through the wonderful world of blogging I'll be a even better teacher.

Also, my husband (of 1.5 months thank you very much) told me that someday I ought to publish my Montessori story. And so with that in mind, this blog will work nicely for recording my research and chipping away at that prize-winning novel.

Thanks for stopping by. Come back soon.