The first week of school is over. Each day has been a trial, seeing how things will work and what needs to be changed. Both I and the children have to adapt to the changes. Initially we planned to allow my children to move freely between the Early childhood and Elementary classes however after a day of trial we realised that it will not work. It is better for my children to be in the older class and to spend the whole work cycle there. They will only go to the Early Childhood class to get materials that they need [that we don't have in our class] or to help or teach a younger child. I tried this for Thursday and Friday and it worked well, the children spent a lot of time learning, repeating old activities and taking part in small group work.
I have realised that the Elementary class is very different from the Early Childhood class mainly because the children and their needs are very different. The challenges have changed and I can already see where we will face difficulties. The older children are more independent, opinionated and daring. This year will be a big learning curve for me as I move from the environment and materials I know so well into a Elementary class that is all new and materials that are challenging even to adults. I have heard that not all Early Childhood Montessori teachers will make good Elementary teachers, I hope I have what it takes to succeed at this. I am excited I know this will be a fun year!
No comments:
Post a Comment