- Responsibilities and Relationships to the Greater Community:
c. demonstrate an understanding of and participate in related organization and activities in the communities in which the teacher works;
One of my mentor teacher’s children attends a local Montessori classroom in Marshall. She had told me a little bit about it through casual conversation, and I found that what we were discussing was very interesting and informative. Another teacher at my student teaching school has a child that attends the same class, and she set up a day when another student teacher and I could attend and observe. Before going, I had always assumed that a Montessori school was somehow a part of a church organization, but after talking to the teacher there, I learned that it was a program started by Dr. Maria Montessori who believed that students learn through curiosity. The observation time was extremely fascinating and different from other programs in which I have observed.
In this specific classroom, the students have the opportunity to engage and play with whomever, whatever supplies, and for however long they chose. They can move about to another area of the classroom only when their previous station or area has been cleaned up. This creates a lot of responsibility for students at a young age. It also made the classroom have an overwhelming sense of community and pride because it was everyone’s individual duty to take care of the class and their belongings. I found the whole process of a school day (which was about 2 ½ hours long) very intriguing and systematic, but in a free-spirited manner. The students have a routine that they follow, but are free to move about, talk, and explore at their own will. It was as if my first grade classroom had combined their need for stability and structure with that of the freedom they display during inside recess.
This observation was very informative and valuable because it showed me what outcomes are produces from the ability to explore through curiosity, as Dr. Montessori had intended.
Photo taken from:
This is a photo of how a Montessori classroom is usually set up. Similar to this classroom, the one I visited had a circular carpet, wide spaces for exploring, and very few numbers of desks to create an open, curious-learning type environment.