Did you know that Montessori classrooms are the few classrooms in the valley that are open for adults to observe? Come see for yourself how a culture of respect, accountability, and responsibility is practiced on a daily basis! Students participate in a culture of learning through engagement with materials and purposeful interaction with peers and teachers. We understand that your primary desire is to see your child functioning in the classroom. However, it is best to first observe with the purpose of understanding the culture and values of the classroom and how learning happens through independent student effort, student-student interaction and student-teacher interaction. This type of observation will help you understand how your child learns in a Montessori environment and it will provide a contextual framework for school related discussions with your child or your child’s teacher.
The evening before your scheduled observation, inform your child that you will be observing the next day. Remind them that you are there to observe how the classroom functions. Hence, you will not be interacting with them throughout your observation time. Just as you want to do your best observing, they can do their best with their personal goals. Of course, keep in mind that your child will be on his/her best behavior during this observation.
If your child is in the final year of the Primary or Lower Elementary level this year, now is also a great time to observe the program your child will be going into next year.
- Call the school office for an appointment. Please have a few options available so that the office secretary can confirm the best date that works for the classroom.
- On the day of the observation, before entering the classroom, pick up from the office and read the Observation Guidelines within a Montessori classroom.
- It is strongly recommended that observers record thoughts and questions in an observation book, which can later be the basis of discussion with the Lead teacher in a requested meeting.
- Remember to sign-in at the office when coming to observe and log observation visits in the Parent Participation Log as it counts towards the 20 hours of participation required every year.
Please remember that elementary and primary classrooms are open for observation starting this month. To observe in a Toddler classroom, you will soon see an observation sign-up sheet in the Toddler lobby.
To honor the privacy requests of families, no photography or video recording is allowed by parents/visitors at the school.