Priscilla Winning
NAMTA Journal Spring Issue 1995
The beginning of the school year is a very exciting time in the Children’s House classrooms. It is so wonderful to welcome the returning students and observe all the amazing changes that have occurred over the course of the summer. The students always seem to return with great enthusiasm and eagerness. They are delighted to become reacquainted with their classmates and show renewed interest in the classroom materials and exercises.
It is very interesting to observe the new students entering a Montessori classroom for the very first time. They enter the new environment full of curiosity and wonder. They’re drawn to all the fascinating objects on the shelves, and they are sometimes over whelmed by all of the new faces. Often new students will enter their new classroom very cautiously. The younger children in particular are sometimes a bit apprehensive when first transitioning from home into the classroom. What may seem to the adult as a simple procedure can be a very major step in a young child’s life. Just consider all the new aspects to which the child needs to adapt: a new physical environment, new adults, a new peer group, separation from parents, and a brand new routine-all occurring simultaneously!
Montessori guides are very familiar with the behavior that sometimes accompanies the child’s adjustment to all these transitions and changes: regression, fear, fatigue, irritability. I would like to share some ideas and suggestions that may help to ease each child’s transition into the new classroom environment. Many of these ideas apply to younger children, but many could apply to any child, regardless of age.
- Meet with every new student and parent prior to the first day of school. This will allow each child to become familiar with the guide on a one-to-one basis; it will also allow the child to become a bit familiar with the environment in a relaxed atmosphere.
- Point our simple procedures during this first visit that may otherwise be overwhelming on the first day of school: how to hang up a jacket, where lunchboxes are kept, where the restroom is located, etc .
- Encourage parents to help prepare their child for the new routine by speaking positively and confidently about the new setting ahead of time. Children are like a barometer of their parents’ feelings. They will sense their parents’ confidence and therefore will tend to feel the same way.
- Establishing a consistent morning routine is crucial in helping the child to feel secure in the new surroundings. Regular routine and rituals help to strengthen confidence and give children a sense of stability in their world.
- Adequate amounts of sleep and rest play a key role in getting the morning off in a Positive manner. This simple Point is very often neglected. An appropriate bedtime must be established in order for the child to feel well rested enough in the morning to truly become self-paced. Giving the child this freedom will hopefully avoid the pressure and stress of hurrying and rushing to school each day. Young children are especially sensitive to the benefits of arriving to their class on time, feeling fresh and calm.
- Encourage parents to convey information regarding changes in routine. Children need to be informed of changes that may occur on a particular day. Even a very young child can gauge his or her day by certain daily activities that take place. For example, inform children if they will need after-school care on a given day, and reassure them with some particulars: “Mom will pick you up at 4:00. That’s just after snack time.”
- Families can prepare in the evening for the following day. In doing so, children can become involved in the planning and decision-making. Allowing children the freedom to make choices regarding their clothing, breakfast and lunch preparation, and other such matters (within limits), helps to build independence and instills a sense of responsibility.
- A short and cheerful departure made by the parent at the classroom door assists the child to enter the classroom confidently and comfortably. Lengthy farewells only add confusion and stress to a child’s transition. It is important to reassure new parents that they are welcome to schedule a time to visit the class, or to join the class for lunch one day. Remember, new parents are often experiencing some difficulty adjusting to the milestone of their child being in school.
- Help parents to feel more comfortable with their child’s new school by offering opportunities for them to become involved in classroom-related activities.
It is very important to recognize the parent’s role as the child’s prime role model in life. It is the responsibility of each guide to work hand-in-hand with the parents in making the young child’s first experience away from home a happy and positive one. The young child’s first experience in the Montessori Children’s House is the first step in living and working harmoniously in a community.
Priscilla Winning is the Children’s House Head Guide at the Franciscan Montessori Earth School in Portland, Oregon.