Spring has truly sprung. We hope everyone was able to enjoy our first all-school spring break! 

This month we are going to describe the role of the assistant in a Montessori environment and share some of the wonderful ways the assistants enhance our Primary ADM community.

The Role of the Assistant

“[They] must acquire a moral alertness which has not hitherto been demanded by any other system, and this is revealed in [their] tranquility, patience, charity, and humility. Not words, but virtues, are [their] main qualifications.”

(Montessori, The Discovery of the Child)

In a Montessori environment, there is typically one guide and one assistant. The guide is responsible for most of the Montessori lessons and the assistants are responsible for supporting the guide and the children in maintaining a peaceful and productive classroom environment. This can look like directing children to interesting material, ensuring that materials are stocked and prepared, facilitating conversations between children during conflicts, reinforcing classroom norms and expectations, and, most importantly, modeling grace and courtesy as they move through the space and interact with children and adults. 

Because Primary ADM is an all-day program, our staffing composition is a little different. We have six adults in our community! We have two teams of three adults- one guide and two assistants in the morning and one guide and two assistants in the afternoon. Our community is less like a classroom and more like a home away from home. The adults become less like “teachers” and more like loved ones. We all work hard to ensure that your children feel safe, secure, and cared for at school. Each adult brings something unique to their role. Because the bulk of the parent communication happens between you and the guides, we felt that it was important to carve out space for you to hear about all the meaningful and exceptional contributions each assistant makes to Primary ADM. We have asked each of them to write a short paragraph about what they love to do with the children so you will get to hear from them in their own words as well.

Ms. J (she/her)

Ms. J joined us last year in the middle of the year. When she joined, her calm, patient presence drew children to her immediately. She has expertise in movement, yoga, and meditation and the children have learned so much from her. This year, she willingly and enthusiastically took on the responsibility of snack and food prep. With the children, Ms. J prepares our daily snack, designs our food prep works, and manages all the ordering. When you receive the snack and flowers list, it is from Ms. J and the children!

In her own words: One of my favorite experiences to share with the children is that of preparing a special meal together for our classroom. We’ve done this on several occasions, but the dumplings we made to celebrate Lunar New Year stand out. During one afternoon work cycle, children took turns washing, peeling, and chopping carrots, purple cabbage, mushrooms, and onions. The next day, using a video tutorial created by a former PADM student and his family, Kindergarteners filled and folded the dumplings. They lifted wrapper after wrapper, spooned in the filling, wet the edges with their fingers, gently pinched it closed, and placed the finished dumpling on a plate to be cooked. When cooking with the children in our classroom, there are so many moments when I find myself stepping back, in awe of their capability. Not only have they refined their washing or cutting skills through practical life and food work, but they are also practiced helpers and community members. If they notice another child struggling to cut a carrot, they offer a suggestion or their own hands. These small moments of collaboration happen all the time in our classroom, but are particularly meaningful when in service of a meal shared together. And it doesn’t hurt that the final product is (almost always) delicious! 

Teacher Bailey (they/them)

Teacher Bailey joined us in the middle of this year, although it feels like it has been so much longer! Their integration into the community was almost seamless. In large part due to their infectiously positive attitude and unabashed, genuine love of the children in our class. The children all look forward to an enthusiastic greeting from Teacher Bailey and a “sock check”. Teacher Bailey’s clever device to make changing into inside shoes fun and exciting. They made a fleet of small tables for the children to work at and have plans to do a large woodworking project with the Ks to make a viewing platform for the classroom so the children can easily observe the street below us. Teacher Bailey also brings a love of languages and can be seen casually showing children the Arabic or Cyrillic alphabet.

In their own words: Beginning at 8 o’clock on the dot, cheery voices echo off the walls leading to the PADM classroom. Each voice belongs to a child, all of whom are entirely unique. They walk, talk, and interact with each other in their own distinct styles, mingling together to create a joyous cacophony. As the children’s excitement builds, so does my own. Whether bubbling over with enthusiasm, or having a slower start to their morning, each face coming down the hallway fills me with contentment. As they enter the classroom, it is my privilege to help facilitate the transition into our day together. First, we hang backpacks and coats. Then, we change into “inside shoes”. This step is my favorite part of every day, because it has become known as Sock Check™ time (during which they showcase whatever socks they are wearing that day). Some of them cover their feet in a conspiracy to make me correctly guess colors, others declare loudly which pattern they chose to wear, still others wiggle their toes at me, delighted with a pair they’re sure I haven’t seen yet. Some of our tiny friends don’t even make it all the way through the door before flopping down and tearing their shoes off to reveal the socks of the day. It’s the best. What a gift it is to share this time with them.

Ms. Allison (they/them)

If you’ve been at Greene Towne for a while, you’ve seen Ms. Allison wear many hats. They have been an afternoon assistant, an afternoon lead, the Recess Coordinator, and the DEIB Coordinator. Through it all, they have been a fierce advocate for and gracious educator of our children in PADM. The children are dazzled by Ms. Allison’s colorful outfits and inspired by their cultural crafts. Primary ADM has been lucky enough to act almost like a guinea pig for Ms. Allison’s craft for years. We have always been the happy recipients of their creativity and panache.

In their own words: One of my most favorite things to do with our wonderful ADM Primary community is cultural and themed crafts. I love seeing the children’s eyes light up with curiosity and excitement at a new project! They are also always eager to lend a helping hand in the preparation whether it be cutting out shapes or making copies. Just the other day I was readying a Ramadan themed punching work and the children were so excited to assist that I had one friend offering to make an example for the classroom, another helping to cut, another gladly explaining how their family celebrates Ramadan to their friends, and yet another child putting the work out in it’s proper place for others to enjoy. In February when I put out a Black Artists matching work in celebration of Black History Month it was amazing to see how quickly the children picked up on it! Hearing them recognize and enthusiastically discuss artists like Jean Michel Basquiat, Alma Thomas, and Jacob Lawrence all on their own brought me such joy and had me in awe of their brightness. The children in Primary ADM have such a passion for arts and crafts that is truly a privilege to witness and partake in.

Ms. Shawn (she/her)

Ms. Shawn exudes care and love as she moves quietly and carefully around our environment. The children greet her with giant hugs and broad smiles when she comes in in the morning. Often waiting for her to arrive so she can read them a story or they can show her work they are proud of from the morning. Ms. Shawn is a trained yoga teacher and yoga work has been so popular this year because of her gentle, affirming guidance. The children often approach her to do yoga together, read stories, or write with the Movable Alphabet.

In her own words: One of my favorite things to do with the children is to write stories together. This usually entails the child using the moveable alphabet to write the words and then copying or tracing these words onto story paper. It can be a tedious process, but their enthusiasm and pride in their work instills patience. It’s so fun for me to see what their vibrant imaginations come up with without any limiting beliefs of what a story should be. This becomes a special time between us in which I get to learn about the child more deeply; what they choose to write about helps me to better understand their views, dreams, and interests. It’s always interesting to see how carefully they consider the ideas and words they want to use, and which small details are important to them. It shows how much pride they take in the work that represents them. The children finish the writing process by creating illustrations for their stories and binding them together. Often, they choose to put their story in our classroom library. It’s so rewarding to see them make something they are proud and excited to share with others. Other children love to read the stories written by their peers, and it’s a fun way to connect the group and celebrate the hard work of each child.

Ms. Ally (she/her)

Ms. Ally is a very special part of our community. As an Auxiliary Assistant, she floats around the school like a helpful butterfly, touching down in any classroom that needs extra help. In her flexible role, at the beginning of the year, she filled in in the mornings everyday and was an integral part of the children’s transition to a new classroom and a new year. Now, Ms. Ally comes in in the afternoons to take our children to cohort recesses. They are always so happy to see her and greet her with lots of hugs. She stays with us through most of the afternoon. At the end of her day, Ms. Ally invites a child to help her do the dishes in the sanitizer.

In her own words: My favorite thing that I get to do with the children is spend afternoon recess with them. I float around the school a lot more now, so oftentimes I only get to spend the afternoon in the PADM classroom. But, I have the privilege of doing all three of the afternoon cohort recesses. I love the time that I get to spend with them outside of a work environment, whether we’re playing around with Legos, or decorating paper airplanes. It also allows for a lot of time to just talk with the children, and I get to hear stories about everything from what they had for dinner the night before, to what silly thing happened on the playdeck earlier in the day.

We hope this give a better picture of all the competent, caring adults that are with your child at school.

Important Dates Coming Up:

• 4/10- Parent Observations begin- sign up on mygtms.org; look for ‘McCaffrey/Cunningham’
• 4/21 & 4/28- Parent/ Teacher Conferences- sign up on mygtms.org; look for ‘Ms. Maggie and Ms. Amanda’
• 5/3- Parent Teacher Workshop: Child Development and Play Styles
• 5/12- GTMS AUCTION! Tickets available here
• 5/26- Happy Hair Day and 11:45 Dismissal
• 5/29- Memorial Day: NO SCHOOL
• 6/3- Spring Family Social
• 6/13- Last Day of School
• 6/14- K Recognition Ceremony
• 6/15- ADM Summer Camp Begins

Thanks!

Ms. Maggie, Ms. Amanda, Ms. Allison, Ms. Ally, Teacher Bailey, Ms. J, and Ms. Shawn