Montessori, Too Alternative For Me?
What is Montessori? Truth be told the first time I stepped into a Montessori classroom I felt like I entered a whole new world. I was not prepared to work with children who could sit where they were comfortable and do their work, choose work that interested them or even prepare their own snacks. Having a very traditional schooling background my first thought was “this educational philosophy is way too alternative for me”, but I needed a job. By my second week of working as a teaching assistant I was applying to a teacher training program and rethinking my career path. That was 18 years ago and I am still in awe at times at what children are truly capable of given the right environment. Montessori to the untrained eye can look a bit “chaotic” and unstructured. The opposite is actually true. The teachers are trained to observe and teach to each child as an individual. We plan activities and lessons based on each child’s development. Materials are made to be self cor