A few questions about the 6-9 classroom...

[trimomma]

Hello. My ds is 6 and in his first year at a M school. I'm continuing to try to understand the philosophy and environment, but from what I've read, seen, etc ~ I really think it is a good fit for ds.

One way I've been trying to understand more is by volunteering in ds's class. I was in the class on Monday giving spelling tests and listening to reading individually. At that time, ds had finished his lessons that were assigned and seemed to be wandering around aimlessly. I heard him approach the teacher asking her when she would be teaching him the lesson she said she would and she told him she was busy and it would have to wait (she was working with other students). He then pulled out a vertebrates lesson that I know he has done several times and sat at the table where I was and pulled out the animals in the baskets that are vertebrates. Then, he put them back in the basket and started wandering again. This continued for another 20 mins until they began to get ready for dismissal.

Yesterday, when ds got home from school, I asked him if he was able to sit with the teacher and do the lesson they were going to do together. He said that they hadn't gotten to it that day, either.

I'm planning on speaking with the teacher to try to learn more about what is and isn't okay for ds to work on when he's finished with the lessons she's listed on the white board. He's a quick learner and worker. Therefore, he may have some chunks of time where he is able to do what he wants. But, I don't think he knows what he can and can't do during this time.

I realize there's definitely an adjustment period for him in getting acclimated to the environment. I don't know if the teacher is noticing him wandering and letting him figure it out on his own or if she's aware of it at all. The older students were definitely not wandering around ~ they were all working on lessons.

I guess my question for those of you reading this would be what typically happens in the class when a child finishes assigned lessons and has free time? How much of this is the child's initiative vs the teacher's initiative?

Thanks!

[trimomma]

I'm going to reply to my own post ~ hoping to get some feedback.

I was just talking to ds about his typical school day. He said he's usually bored during the work time because he's doing the same lessons and he wants to learn some new lessons, but the teacher hasn't gotten to him. He also said he's not showing his teacher his work to make sure he's doing it right, yet, the teacher is signing off on the lesson on his goal sheet. Should I be concerned about this? Because it is concerning to me that he's bored, that there is a possibility the teacher isn't checking his work, although she's signing it off on his goal sheet, etc.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Kushali]

I occasionally lurk on this forum. I don't post because my only experiences with Montessori were as a student.

It is normal for a montessori student to have free time to make their own work choices. The amount varies by school and how "traditional" they are. At the school I attended we negotiated a weekly work contract that took about 50% of our time. It sounds like your son's teacher uses the whiteboard for this.

It can be hard for a new student to fill the remaining time, especially if they haven't had a lot of lessons yet. I'd talk to the teacher and ask what he should be doing to fill that time. May he read? May he color or draw pictures? May he do more with the activities suggested? Perhaps he can make up harder math problems or write and illustrate a story instead of writing just a couple words or a sentence? If he's done nomenclature cards for one animal or plant can he try another without a formal lesson? If the teacher is giving a lesson to another student that he thinks is interesting can he watch as long as he isn't disruptive?

It should get better as he gets more lessons and more used to choosing his own work. I would hate for him to get discouraged before he got to that point so I would either talk to the teacher or have him try to talk to the teacher (sounds like he's done that and she's busy). If there's something your son is particularily interested in and would be willing to repeat or extend on his own bring that up.

As for the teacher correcting his work, that varies between schools, teachers, and materials. Most montessori materials are self correcting or designed for the student to check their own work. Some teachers like to initial things as completed and discuss them with students if time allows. Some only do this occasionally or not at all.

I hope things get better for your son. Being bored and new and confused about what to do is no fun.