Thoughts on Daily Preparation Routines for the Montessori Preschool Environment: After School Planning

A teacher is destined by his own special work to observe not simply insects or protozoa but man. And the man he is destined to observe is not one busy about his daily occupations, like those of insects when they wake up in the morning, but man when his intellectual life is awakening. ~ Maria Montessori, The Discovery of the Child

Daily preparation is an important part of a Montessori teacher’s routine, and there are many ways in which this can vary, according to the individual, the Montessori environment, and of course, the Montessori students themselves. Personally, I like to create a tentative plan at the end of each day as to which presentations I would like to introduce the following day. I am always flexible with my plan, but it serves as a helpful guide and aids my personal daily preparation and organization for the Montessori environment.

Thoughts on Daily Preparation Routines for the Montessori Preschool Environment: After School Planning

Essentially, it is the responsibility of each Montessori teacher to carefully observe each student in order to assess the academic strengths and abilities of each, and to present materials accordingly. Follow the child and present the learning activities that are conducive to the child’s changing needs; this is how the Montessori educator ensures the child’s success in every step of his/her development, and fosters a lifelong love of learning.

A critical element of the observation and evaluation process is taking clear notes with regard to the child’s progress. This is also an important part of the Montessori teacher’s daily preparation. I jot down notes throughout each day as to what I present. At the end of each day, I record my notes on my NAMC record-keeping sheets.* This helps to clearly identify those students with whom I have not yet worked. I then prepare to work with those children the following day.

In Part 2 of this series, I will describe the unique scheduling system that we created for our Montessori 3-6 environment.

* The NAMC 3-6 diploma program includes record keeping sheets for each curriculum area. These are provided on CD-ROM for ease of use. The NAMC 3-6 manuals are rich with activities that span the entire three-year curriculum, including the 3-6 Classroom Guide containing tools and techniques for classroom management.


Some related NAMC Blogs:

• Thoughts on Daily Preparation Routines for the Montessori Preschool Environment: Planning for Space and Time
• Daily Preparation Routines for the Montessori Teacher
• Personal Preparation and Development for the Montessori Teacher
• Montessori Elementary Teachers – Tips for Curriculum Scheduling
• Montessori Elementary Teacher Perspectives: Tips for Following and Inspiring the Child

As much as possible, NAMC’s web blog reflects the Montessori curriculum as provided in its teacher training programs. We realize and respect that Montessori schools are unique and may vary their schedules and offerings in accordance with the needs of their individual communities. We hope that our readers will find our articles useful and inspiring as a contribution to the global Montessori community.
© North American Montessori Center - originally posted in its entirety at Montessori Teacher Training on Thursday, September 29, 2011.