Help, is this normal??

[momtoemma]

Hi, I am new to Montessori and my daughter just started "kindergarten" at our local charter school. There seems to a lot of exclusive behavior going on among the girls that isn't dealt with by the teachers. There is a lot of "you can't play with us" type of talk that happens on the playground. The teachers seem to brush it off as typical kids stuff but some of it seems on the verge of bullying. The teachers seem very removed in a sense. Is this typical of a Montessori experience?

Thanks for your help!

Bess

[mamadebug]

There is nothing in the Montessori philosophy that says bullying, or exclusive behavior, should be tolerated or that the teacher should be removed from the social interactions of the children. I would say it may have to do with the individual style of that particular teacher or the culture of the individual school - but it isn't a Montessori thing. Sorry that your daughter is experiencing that. Kindergarten girls can be surprisingly mean, especially if there isn't a vigilant teacher trying to set a different tone.