Bring your hard working self

Boy, am I bringing my hard working self! Last year, we had the luxury of ten third graders (nine of whom had been with me since first grade) and five second graders. From the start of the school year, most of the children knew the procedures and modeled our classroom expectations. Most of the children had already received enough lessons for them to fill their mornings with independent learning.

This year, we have fifteen new first graders. Fifteen little people who need to be introduced to enough materials to keep their busy bodies learning independently throughout the morning work period. Fifteen is really too many for a Montessori "small group lesson." It takes too long for your turn to come to touch the materials. Fingers get fidgety. Minds wander. Bodies turn to explore something else in the room. So I'm busy dancing from lesson to lesson, group to group, and back again to make sure everyone understands how to use the materials and remains on task.

Fifteen first graders who need to be nestled into a productive work cycle. Fifteen first graders who need to learn our routines. It feels a little like trying to steer an unbalanced ship or push one of those nutty grocery carts with one "off" wheel. We're moving along, but it takes an initial push--and a lot of redirection--to get everyone going.

Then, there's the bathroom buzz. Every year, the newness of being permitted independent trips to the restroom is a treat that's hard to resist revisiting . . . again . . . and again. (Our early childhood classes either have a bathroom in their rooms or they make group trips to the hallway.) Our bathroom sign-out board is as busy as I am!

Amazingly, we are rolling, thanks in large part to Mrs. D and our patient older children. Most of our first graders have got the idea. "What should I do next?" They're hungry for work, excited to learn. Today, when I took a moment to gaze at the big picture, almost everyone was engaged in productive work. Some have already adopted the kind of deep concentration that is difficult to disrupt. Not bad for the third day of school.

Soon, our wheels will roll more smoothly. Eventually, we'll discover days when momentum eases our cart down the aisle without much pushing at all. Before we know it, these first graders will be third graders, capably leading the class. Patience and persistence. "Cycles do what cycles do."