https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 03 May 2026 05:12:40 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/montessori-schooling#post-2813550 Mon, 02 Apr 2018 08:19:49 +0000 bubblegum 2813550@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Happygal: Ohhh this is perfect! Thanks love! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/montessori-schooling#post-2813549 Mon, 02 Apr 2018 08:16:41 +0000 bubblegum 2813549@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JoyfulKiwi: This is awesome!! That's exactly the explanation I was looking for. I'm a planner so I can for sure see myself having a plan book as well. I'm sure I will have tons of questions. My interview is in about three weeks so depending on how that goes, I might just wall you with questions if you don't mind. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/montessori-schooling#post-2813423 Sun, 01 Apr 2018 10:07:50 +0000 Happygal 2813423@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bubblegum: this is a great over view of the essentials of a Montessori classroom: <a href="https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/6e8b98_3d6063387c9844e9a071cbf560bc6697.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/6e8b98_3d6063387c9844e9a071cbf560bc6697.pdf</a></p> <p>Training can really vary based on philosophy, mode of delivery, etc. I would start by reading about the different organizations offering training, like AMI, AMS, MEPI, etc. Doing that can give you a deeper ideas about Montessori education and why a strong training background matters. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/montessori-schooling#post-2812993 Thu, 29 Mar 2018 21:39:34 +0000 JoyfulKiwi 2812993@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrsbubbletea: all montessori schools are different and even teachers within my school do things differently (we all do themes, but I think I’m the only one with a formal planning book; we all observe &amp; use the formal record keeping, but I don’t know if they make a list of lessons to give). Montessori has a “global citizen” focus, so most programs explore world cultures and the observation thing is a big piece too so I’d assume teachers do those. I don’t tell parents any of this, so it’s likely they do it too and just don’t mention it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/montessori-schooling#post-2812930 Thu, 29 Mar 2018 16:59:21 +0000 mrsbubbletea 2812930@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JoyfulKiwi: this sounds so great. Question for you, my 3yo goes to a Montessori school and I honestly have never heard anything like this before. We had conferences at the end of the year but I had a newborn and everything is a fog when I look back. Do you think there is a chance that they are doing all this stuff for my child and I could have no idea? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/montessori-schooling#post-2812922 Thu, 29 Mar 2018 16:14:43 +0000 JoyfulKiwi 2812922@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bubblegum: so our day begins with self-serve breakfast and a Free Play time of about 45 minutes. We have a short Morning Meeting, then 30 minutes of outside play, a 15 minute Circle Time, and then 90 straight minutes of Work Period (individually chosen work and one-on-one teacher lessons). Then we eat lunch and our class has a rest period followed by a shorter Work Period, outdoor play, and Free Play time.<br /> There’s not formal “lesson plans” at all, although I do keep a Plan Book. Our school only requires that we guide children through themes surrounding all the continents. I do monthly units (7 continents, plus one on the universe as a whole, and 6 weeks on the children: feelings, bodies, family, etc) and loosely break down the weeks into subsets including animal classifications and other science concepts. From there I use past years’ work as a jumping off point and create new works based on the current students needs. (For example, one year I had a very young group who LOVED painting, but didn’t have refined motor skills. I made 8x11 flags of the countries we were studying and let them paint those. The next year that group had mostly moved out of that need, so I made 5x4 flags for them to color with colored pencils)<br /> The other most important thing I use is an observation journal. It’s a small notebook that I can easily take around the room with me. Each day, I list each child who’s there and then keep notes about what they’re doing, who they’re working with, what lessons I’ve given &amp; how well they’ve mastered them, etc. I write in it constantly during the Work Period and my assistant teacher has one too. Each week, I record my information into a formal record keeping form and then make a list of works to offer each child for the next week. This is also where I get my information to send home to parents about their kid’s day. The goal is never for a kid to master any teacher-chosen objective by an arbitrary date.<br /> There’s SO much more to it, but I feel like I wrote a novel already. If you have more questions I’m happy to answer them! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/montessori-schooling#post-2812827 Thu, 29 Mar 2018 12:20:36 +0000 bubblegum 2812827@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Iced Tea: That's so great to hear! </p> <p>@JennyPenny: I think that's amazing. I'm so interested on seeing how this interview goes and if it's the right fit for me and for the students of course. I'm no expert on this style of teaching but my passion for teaching is there and I can learn anything I need to in order to further support my students. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/montessori-schooling#post-2812824 Thu, 29 Mar 2018 12:08:28 +0000 Iced Tea 2812824@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JennyPenny: that’s amazing! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/montessori-schooling#post-2812778 Thu, 29 Mar 2018 10:19:23 +0000 JennyPenny 2812778@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Iced Tea: We also have super low turn over at my kid's school. It's crazy because there are several teachers there who are teaching their 2nd generation. Like the parents went to the school as kids and now their kids have the same teachers!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/montessori-schooling#post-2812776 Thu, 29 Mar 2018 10:16:41 +0000 JennyPenny 2812776@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bubblegum: My two LOs are in a Montessori school. We haven't tried anything else, so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I love the respect for the child and focus on life and self-care skills. For my older DS who is in the Children's House now, for each week each child has some goals that the teachers set. So they'll give a lesson on an appropriate work in a progression. They also keep track of what they're doing to make sure they aren't spending too much time in sensorial and ignoring science for example. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/montessori-schooling#post-2812752 Thu, 29 Mar 2018 08:39:42 +0000 Iced Tea 2812752@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bubblegum: This is our first year. </p> <p>Like I said, I love the attitude there. And if you work in a school that extends that to attitude to faculty and staff, you can expect a very good experience. At our school, teacher turnover is practically nonexistent. They’ve all been there 12 or more years, except for one new teacher (only got a new one because two teachers decided to start sharing a position). However, there’s another Montessori school in our town that I’m guessing isn’t so well-run because they are constantly having to hire new assistant teachers. Maybe you could ask about turn-over at the school to give you some clues. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/montessori-schooling#post-2812744 Thu, 29 Mar 2018 08:12:25 +0000 bubblegum 2812744@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Iced Tea: That's awesome!! How long has your LO(s) been in their school? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/montessori-schooling#post-2812743 Thu, 29 Mar 2018 08:11:41 +0000 bubblegum 2812743@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Happygal: What does a Montessori credited course(s) entail? I really am intrigued by their way of schooling but I was already nervous for entering the traditional educator world lol </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/montessori-schooling#post-2812742 Thu, 29 Mar 2018 08:10:19 +0000 bubblegum 2812742@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JoyfulKiwi: Interesting! Okay so as an educator, how does it really work? I can only imagine that with the guiding style of teaching that lesson plans do no exist. Is there any curriculum? I know that it's mainly the children going at their own pace but lost as to what a full day or honestly year entails. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/montessori-schooling#post-2812703 Wed, 28 Mar 2018 21:29:52 +0000 Iced Tea 2812703@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I’m a Montessori parent. I feel like our school exudes nurturing and respect. It’s a thing of beauty. </p> <p>It aligns really well with our values. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/montessori-schooling#post-2812685 Wed, 28 Mar 2018 18:51:46 +0000 Happygal 2812685@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I work in accreditation for Montessori ed, so I am a big believer in the importance of quality training, both for you and the students. Life happens and you shouldn't pass on opportunities if it seems like a good fit. I would check to see if they'd be willing to support you in earning a Montessori credential, monetary and time wise. Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/montessori-schooling#post-2812674 Wed, 28 Mar 2018 18:14:53 +0000 JoyfulKiwi 2812674@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I’m a Montessori parent and educator. I love it for my kids because I feel like they’re getting a really good balance of free exploration and “academics”. The focus on independent life skills is HUGE for us!<br /> I love it as an educator because this philosophy is what I feel is the purest form of teaching. Believe that children can learn/achieve great things, observe them closely to see what they know/are curious about, create activities (work) to achieve those goals, trust the child to take the riegns and respect their journey. It is such a joy to watch a kid go into a “sensitive period” or achieve something you wouldn’t have thought possible. The kids are more fufilled because they are in charge and creating exactly the learning they need at any given time.<br /> I taught in public schools for 7 years before switching to Montessori. Honestly I switched because I wanted to be with her preschool aged kids and I got a banging tuition discount. I took an online Montessori training (NAMC- convienent, but not very informative) and relied heavily on asking questions of my more experienced colleagues. It took me a while to *really* understand some of the materials and other aspects of the method.<br /> Good luck to you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/montessori-schooling#post-2812480 Wed, 28 Mar 2018 09:01:50 +0000 bubblegum 2812480@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Any Montessori educators or parents here?</p> <p>I've been searching for teaching jobs and got an interview with a Montessori school. I have done lots of research in the past about Montessori schools BUT I still feel like I'll be super lost. I am a fast learner so if I were to be offered the job and felt like it was the right fit, I know I would be fine but still I'm nervoussss. I am curious as to why you prefer it over traditional schooling. AND if you are an educator, why you prefer teaching at a Montessori school and if you ever taught in a traditional school, why did you make the switch? </p>