Montessori Day School Classroom Observation

For the Infant and Toddler Curriculum class, I was assigned the toddler classroom at Montessori Day School to complete my 24 hours of observation. The classroom had ten children with two teachers. The classroom was divided into four sections by two-shelf bookshelves. There were two tables, large carpets, and small white rugs where the students could take their work to complete. Because Montessori Day School is passionate about the Montessori method, the children do not simply wander the classroom and play with toys. They choose activities that the teachers refer to as “work” to complete. These works help develop the child’s social, emotional, intellectual, and motor skills. The teachers are able to work in groups or provide individualized instruction, so the child can learn at their own pace. The space and furnishings in the toddler classroom were adequate. There is enough indoor space
The teachers do excellent with the greeting and departing of students, meals and snacks, and health practices. Young children show separation anxiety as they become upset when their parents leave them. So the teachers create a welcoming atmosphere that allows the children to feel comfortable, so when the parents say “goodbye,” the child is prepared for the departure and knows that their parent will back in a few hours. Also, the child can use the caregiver as a secure base, which permits them to explore the classroom environment and return to the caregiver for emotional support if need be. Areas that could be improved are diapering/toileting and safety practices. There is no schedule that has checks of the diaper changes every two hours. However, all the students except for a handful are only at the school for three hours. Regarding safety practices, there are some areas in the classroom that pose as safety hazards such as open stairwell access and mats that have foot-catching