A Morning in Andrea's 3-6 Montessori Classroom

The teachers, dubbed "directresses" by Maria Montessori, arrive at 8 a.m. to make sure the classroom is ready for the day. Chairs are taken down from the tables. Paints for the easel are mixed with dish soap, in order to make them even more "washable". Colored water is put into the water works on the practical life shelves. Food preparation activities are set up on the food preparation shelf. The "folder-holder" is set up on the table next to the attendance names. A quick glance around the room ensures that the shelves are still in order and that all works left out overnight are back in place, after the previous evening's vacuuming may have disrupted them slightly. Last minute notes between the teacher and assistant are shared. Then the children arrive, starting at 8:25.

Upon arriving, the children first change into their "school shoes". This is a practice perhaps originally taken from the Japanese, who remove their outside shoes and put on slippers prior to entering the house. Slippers were used in previous years at Andrea's other schools, but the necessity of safe footwear for fire drills, as well as a brand new gym floor at the school, require that the children change into a set of sneakers, instead. These shoes are not worn outside, which also helps to protect the classroom floors from outdoor elements.

The children hang up their belongings on their own appointed hooks. Then they get out their folders, used for communication between the school and home, and place them into the "folder-holder". The "Hedgie" names, name cards with Jan Brett's famous character Hedgie, are put into the appropriate basket. The name cards are used to help teach the children how to recognize their names, as well as making them responsible to let the teachers know they have arrived.