Workshop Day!

Well, I spent the day at a Montessori Workshop to start the school year off right. It was ok...not a lot of new ideas, but enough to remind me to do my job right! I went to Outdoor Environment, Pefect Parent Teacher Confrences, and Peace in the Classroom.

By far my fav was Peace in the Classroom. Lately, I have felt frazzled and stressed at the end of the day, knowing that class went well and the children wonderfully. So WHY the stress?? For this reason I was really ready to hear what the presenter had to say...and suprise she felt the same way. Which got me thinking, why do we adults continue to feel the need to control, control, control, which leads to a feeling of stress or failure at the end of the day. I know it's human nature, but I need to remember in the classroom, to really make an effort to bring a more peaceful me and a more peaceful environment. As teachers, we know we can do this by coming prepared, discussing and practicing conflict resolution, PATIENCE, and taking the time to be truly engaged with each student.

I like to bring some peace and love to my classroom by starting the day off with a short "cirlce time". I say good morning to each student. We all stand and I go to each child and say, "Good morning! It's so nice to see you here today. How are you?" and then we shake hands or hug. We also do quite a bit of yoga and focus on breathing slowly and mindfully. You would be suprised how long these children can hold the tree pose!

I do need to work on setting up an inviting Peace Table...any ideas for more peace in the classroom?

This is such a great picture of the Casa Bamini in Rome, Italy 1906. The start of Montessori! I love how straight that teacher is sitting haha!

Abby