The Teacher:

The Montessori teacher plays a very different role from traditionally trained teachers. The Montessori teacher's role is that of facilitator and guide. The teacher in not the center of attention and will not spend much time working with the whole class at once. The teacher's role centers around the preparation of the environment and organization of appropriate learning materials to meet the needs and interests of each child in the class. The teacher's work proceeds from observations rather than daily lesson plans and is geared to helping each child develop his/her potential. In the preschool classroom this is accomplished by one to one presentations and small group presentations as the teacher guides, facilitates, nurtures and exposes the children to a rich classroom environment. The Montessori teacher also closely monitors children's progress and takes daily notes. These daily notes help the teacher in the evaluation of a child's needs and helps the teacher create challenges for the child. Individual parent-teacher conferences are held in November and April.