It was good to get to be with the children in the early childhood class again today. I had missed a few days during a camping trip with the elementary students. In the early childhood class we try to teach each student at least one new lesson every day. When one of us is absent it makes it hard to reach that goal.

The children were as glad to see me back as I was to see them. And even though I had to leave for a dentist appointment, I was able to have some quality time with many of the young folks in the classroom.

Keeping careful records of the lessons we have presented is very important. I was going from one child to another so quickly that it was hard to remember all of the lessons when I finally had a chance to record them.

It was just good to be back.

When I am working with children in the early childhood classroom, it strikes me how often I see joyful faces. Nearly every time I invite a child to see a new presentation, the eyes sparkle and a grin erupts. Sometimes there is even a sharp, excited intake of breath. They love to learn.

Teachers don’t gain monetary rewards the way most other professionals do. But at the rate of 24 or more joyful faces each day, I would not trade places.<BR>

There are so many new things for students to learn when they start attending a Montessori class. They learn the simplest things from how to push in a chair, to the complex steps in cleaning up from lunch. They learn to choose only those lessons for which they have had an invitation. They learn to watch the work of others without disturbing them.

And then there are all the social skills. They learn how to use their words to let others know that they have been hurt or bothered. They learn how to sit in group so others can see and hear. They learn how to eat in a socially acceptable manner. They learn how to help others and care for their classroom.

How is all this possible? How do adults teach all these routines? The most important thing we must do is model the behaviors we want to see in children. If we want them to be respectful of one another, we must also be respectful. If we want them to move their chairs quietly, then so must we. If we want them to sweep under their table after eating, then we must be prepared to sweep, too.

Visitors to the classroom watch in amazement, but they don’t understand that detail is everything. We can’t cut corners if we want our children to do their best.

Yesterday I had the joy of teaching a student how to transfer bingo markers from one bowl to another using a magnetic wand. This student beamed at me as we approached the lesson. After one week of school, I knew that this particular student had gotten a routine. The response was, “I can choose this after you teach me.” Yes. We are off to a good start.
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The first days of school in a Montessori class are very different form those hectic days in other venues. Of course there are times that get a little busy, like at lunch when a dozen children are trying to learn the cleanup routines. A visit to the class after even the first week would leave visitors amazed and incredulous. They would see a group of three, four and five year old children moving around the classroom purposefully and happily, choosing activities and helping one another out. they would see plates being washed and the floor being swept. They would hear the busy hum, so indicative of a Montessori classroom, but they would not see children disturbing others or running or shouting. Already the children have found that a calm and inviting classroom meets their needs and calls to their inner drive to learn actively.
As the year progresses, the classroom will settle further into an atmosphere of purposeful active learning, where children are joyful and engaged. The experience is joyful for the adults involved, as well.

There has been a bustle of activity at school this week. New parents and new children have been visiting. Teachers have been getting the classrooms ready. We have all been trying to get everything "just right" for the first day of school.

As Montessori teachers we know that every detail is important. It is hard to know exactly how children will react to the smallest thing in the classroom. As I look around the classroom with the shining floors and the pristine shelves, I can't help but wonder what the childen will see that I am blind to. My adult eyes see what I expect to see. The children coming into the classroom see everything.

I take a deep breath and starighten a small detail. It is time to start.