Working with toddlers is a joy, both personally and professionally. Each week, I am fortunate to witness the nuances and tremendous growth of each child.

 

In Room 2, the year began with nervous parents, new teachers and 12 anxious toddlers who were understandably unwilling to leave their parents and caregivers. There were tears on both sides of the classroom door for the first several weeks, as our days began with crying toddlers inside the classroom and many tugged hearts (and tears) in Room 2's observation room. So, how did we get through it?

 

Building trust was key. Everyone involved needed to gain each other's trust and respect. Our toddlers needed time to explore their surroundings and gain trust in the adults in their new environment. Parents needed to gain trust in teachers in order to feel at ease and receive guidance on letting go and entrusting teachers with their dear ones. As a teacher, it was my job to build trust between both, students and parents. My suggestion to parents that there would be a six-week adjustment period made many gasp, but by the end of the fourth week, we were greeting happy children who arrived ready to enter the classroom and eagerly engage in exploring the work on our shelves. 

 

It is an organic process. Children experience mental and physical growth that can sometimes escape adult eyes, making it tricky to stay in tune with their rhythm at times. Accepting that this organic process happens within our students makes it easy to let them take the lead on how much they can handle each day. As teachers at WMS, we offer support when and where it is needed while consistently adhering to Montessori philosophy of fostering independence. 

 

In a toddler classroom, during the first few months, much attention is put on building independence and overcoming separation anxiety. Students are given the opportunity to gain trust in their environment, build relationships with teachers and friends and gain confidence in their ability to be themselves. We allow students to express their own interests through the work they select to explore. We focus on community-building by greeting and saying goodbye to each other by name each day. We offer parents opportunities to visit our classroom so that our students become familiar with the adults in our community.

 

Academically, we lay the foundation for a love of learning through attractive materials in an aesthetically welcoming and safe environment. Language is learned through singing songs, reading books, naming of materials, naming of the process of the work and learning some basic sign language. We observe the social and emotional well-being of each child, taking care to offer support in handling conflict or upset. We encourage resiliency by offering empathy and then redirecting the focus back to an activity. We practice gross motor control by walking around mats and materials found on the floor.

 

With separation anxiety giving way to independence within the classroom, we continue forward, focusing more on academics and gaining more social-emotional skills. During the second half of the year, we witness much more social interaction as students show interest in building friendships. They move from coexisting to working and playing with each other. Along with this, new opportunities arise for practice with grace and courtesy lessons of communicating needs, taking turns, and social grace in walking up to a friend to extend an invitation for interaction. Social-emotional needs are met with language to define such emotions as happy, sad, excited and angry. 

 

Laying a foundation for academics is accomplished through beginning lessons. In language, the idea that a letter makes a sound is introduced. In math, number symbols up to 5 and then 10 (when appropriate to individual student) are introduced. Refinement of the senses is explored through works that isolate each sense. There are lessons and shared experiences to encompass these areas of a Montessori classroom. This is where we welcome expertise or cultural diversity of our families to gain a richness in our class and school community. 

 

The work of building community and collaborating with families to best serve each child's needs is ongoing.  Montessori's philosophy of respecting the child's potential gives rise to their independence and confidence. Our students put trust in a well-prepared and safe Montessori environment to explore how things and relationships work as they grow into happy beings. Next year, I will miss teaching our toddlers at WMS but look forward to teaching some of my students again as they rise to a Primary class.