There was a buzz at the lockers this morning as some students who had already come into the room returned to share what they had discovered.   I’m sure your children will come home with lots of stories about our school day.

Today, Room 24, conducted lessons as though we were in a traditional classroom.   Our desks were arranged in rows, we all did the same thing at the same time, had the same lessons and read the same story.   All students took bathroom breaks at the same time and went to the drinking fountain at the same time.   After our short break we went outside and the kids ran the track and then we came back in for the rest of our morning lessons.

This morning’s lessons consisted of reviewing our mathematical operations, number forms, reading the real story of Dracula, vocabulary riddles and the children had individual reading time with either NPR or Steck Vaughn.

Some of the children expressed their LOVE for the traditional school day and some expressed their utter distain for the traditional school day.   Most enjoyed the silent work time and order in the classroom and commented that they were better able to concentrate without distractions.

One thing I learned from the experience is, though it is certainly much easier to have every student doing the same thing at the same time, it is not an environment that works for every child.  It became quite apparent who could have been moving much more quickly through the lesson and who needed time beyond that which was available for a particular activity.  Following the child is nearly impossible in a traditional setting and I’m so thankful that I am teaching in a Montessori school where that is the expectation.  While not an easy thing to do with 24 different bodies having 24 different brains with about 240 unique needs, it certainly does work best for the children.

The thing that brought us to the traditional school day were behaviors, related to the freedom that our environment provides.  With all things, there are no absolutes.  Some students make wise choices everyday, some students make wise choices most of the time, and some students need help making wise choices.  With this experience, I hope the students gain an appreciation for the freedom we have in our classroom and an understanding that if the freedom is not used wisely, it will be taken away.

I know that it was quite a surprise for everyone when they walked into the classroom today, but I hope it was a valuable experience as well.

Cheers!