Prepare to Launch!

Happy New (School) Year! This is the time when seasoned guides and freshly minted Montessorians alike are entering into what I call The Time of Great Anticipation. I love this opportunity for creative imagination, setting the stage for the coming year. I hope that the reflections offered here will help stir up your creative juices as you prepare to welcome children. 

Preparation of the Physical Environment

This aspect of our preparation justifiably receives the most attention. You doubtless have a list of tasks to ensure that materials are clean, complete, well organized, and free of cultural stereotyping. You may be excited to bring in new materials, books, or art to enhance your learning environment and make it more welcoming and inclusive. These are vital tasks to a successful launch of the school year.

In the end, when you feel that your classroom is at its most beautiful, two simple steps can confirm that your classroom is at its best and ready to receive your children.

• Look at the room from the height of the children in your community. Sit in a classroom chair and notice what stands out to you. Is there a sense of calm? What seems enticing? Is there anything that blocks your view of critical areas in the classroom? Any choke points or hiding places? Anything that might be too distracting? Try this from various vantage points around the classroom and from the perspective of sitting on the floor.
• Ask a trusted colleague to come in and offer first impressions. Ask your colleague the same questions you asked yourself.

While the preparation of the physical environment is vital, preparing the intangible aspects of the classroom environment just as important.

Preparation of the Classroom Systems and Procedures

Well-designed systems and procedures help minimize the need for rules and redirections. Consider what worked well last year and what was less than optimal. Can you design a better system or protocol to introduce at the beginning of this year? Do you need to wait until the children arrive to have them co-create the new procedure?

For example, last year, did children wait in line for an adult to check their work? Did you feel a bit like the Pied Piper, where every time you took a step a line of children followed you? Did you find yourself trying to keep the waiting children from disturbing the work of others? If so, design a system whereby children can make adults aware that they are ready to have work checked and go right on to their next work – no waiting – perhaps a dedicated whiteboard where the child writes their name and work to be checked.  Whatever the new procedure is, plan now how you will introduce it to the children. And craft a kind and patient response for when returning students forget and begin to queue up.

Preparation of the Social Environment

What were the best aspects of last year’s social environment? Are there ways that you can give returning students leadership opportunities that help model and re-create those elements? On the flip side, what aspects had a few rough edges that could use some smoothing? Remember to consider not only child-to-child relationships but also adult-to-child relationships and adult-to-adult relationships.

For example, last year, were the social interactions becoming a little cliquish?  Thankfully, some cliques may be positively disrupted by changes in the community population.  But we can be proactive! The beginning of the school year is prime time for forging new friendships.  Here are a few ideas:

• Intentionally design engaging activities for the first days to help children discover common interests.
• Craft leadership opportunities that help returning students bond with new students.
• When it is time for partner work, ask children to choose a friend that they haven’t worked with before.
• Finish the day by asking children to share something new that they learned about someone else.
• Watch for emerging positive friendships and foster them!

Preparation of the Adult

What does it mean to be a Prepared Adult? Certainly preparing the environment, lessons, and activities helps us be ready for the day-to-day flow in the classroom. Proactively re-creating or reshaping elements of last year’s social environment optimizes the learning environment.  But what about our own spiritual preparation? What each person needs is highly individual.  See if one or more of these resonate with you.

Reconnect with Dr. Montessori

Is there a particular aspect of Montessori philosophy that feels distant, foreign, or out of date?  That feeling may be a subtle signal that it is time to reconnect.  If you dig a little deeper, through reading or discussing with a trusted colleague, you may discover something that you forgot or never fully understood that might make all the difference!

Explore Your Predispositions

Do you feel prepared to welcome each child and each family with an open heart and high hopes for the coming year?  If not, what unconscious beliefs do you hold that might be creating barriers?  How can you consciously address these beliefs so that each member of the community benefits from having a fresh slate?  What did you try last year that didn’t produce the results that you hoped for?  Who has insights or expertise that might help you take a fresh approach this year? 

Plan for Your Well-Being

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, how will you maintain your well-being throughout the year? Highs and lows are normal in the cycle of a school year.  You may already know when you most typically feel depleted.  Planning restful activity to recharge yourself before you run down can forestall those lows and make them less severe. 

A great place to start is defining what fills your cup and what drains your reserves.  But before you settle on a system to recharge your batteries, ask yourself what type of rest you most need when you are depleted.  Matching what you do for rest to the source of your need is key to maximizing the benefit.  For example, if what you need is some time to yourself – social rest – spending time on social media may not be your best option.  If you are unfamiliar with the different types of rest that we all need, a great SHORT primer can be found at https://ideas.ted.com/the-7-types-of-rest-that-every-person-needs/

I hope that one or two of these ideas resonated with you today.  If so, make a plan.  Write it down. Consider sharing your plan with an accountability buddy. 

With best wishes for a spectacular launch to your school year –

-Betsy

Preparation is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up!

(with apologies to Winnie the Pooh and A. A. Milne)

Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay