Teachers generally look forward to the end of term as they need the mid term breaks to regenerate their own batteries and recuperate from the routine of school but for the teachers at I Am Montessori they dread it as it means saying goodbye to some of the children who aren’t re-enrolling!
Each child is cherished at our classes at I AM Montessori and every child is guided through the Montessori curriculum at their own pace! We teach about one hundred children per week and each one is unique and special to us.
During the ten weeks of any term we see a huge progression in our children.
For a new child starting term it is common for them to be unfocused and easily distracted but as the term comes to an end it is so rewarding to see a child finish a task and see the self-praise on his face! Often at the beginning of term parents fret about their child not being able to concentrate and not being as settled as other children but with a little reassurance and some persistence they too can see that the building up of these skills doesn’t take long!
During term 2 I have thoroughly enjoyed all of my classes! I’m not going to lie, some days have been a struggle coming into work being homesick and other health issues but I can honestly say that once class starts and I see the magic of Montessori come to life in my classroom my mood is instantly uplifted and I forget about everything else!
There have been a lot of touching moments in this term from cuddles to high fives and even fist pumps! But my favourite thing during a ten-week term is to see the progression and accomplishment of children finishing tasks they struggled with or were not even interested in at the beginning.
From the child who on their first class couldn’t focus on any particular activity and was easily distracted to the same child pouring water for 20 minutes on week 4 of term. Or the child who struggled to go the bathroom at 3 years old alone to progress on week 6 and go to the toilet unaided! Or to see the child who has special needs being unable to focus in week one to being much more focused by week 3 and completing tasks that are beyond their development! There is also the infant who cannot do a lot of tasks but thoroughly enjoys trying and keeps trying to place the ball in the Imbucare Box and in week 4 he finally places the ball in, opens the drawer takes out the ball and replaces it in the hole! Or the child who is on the brink of reading who reads her first sentence. Or the child who is so excited about learning ‘big’ numbers and has the ‘light bulb’ moment when she sees all the beads laid out on the mat! Sometimes the simplest tasks can be a struggle for some children and it is amazing to see a child choosing her own work from a shelf who previously needed to be guided to choose an activity!
I am looking forward to a break but I’m looking forward to seeing all my special little people after the break more!
We love Montessori!