Ask a Montessori Teacher: Order Is a Form of Care: Dismissing for Lunch in Real Schools

Transitions are where classrooms unravel.

Children move from one environment to another — often quickly — and are expected to regulate themselves in spaces that feel louder, larger, and less predictable.

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Lunch dismissal may seem minor, but it reveals how much intention a classroom holds.

Expectations are established before movement

I always set expectations before we line up.

Quiet in line is not about obedience. It’s about awareness. Hallways are shared spaces, and in the event of an emergency, children must be able to hear instructions.

Sometimes, especially early in the year, this means practicing. Sitting back down. Trying again.

This isn’t wasted time — it’s preparation.

Order reduces anxiety

Children relax when they know what comes next.

Knowing where to stand, where lunch boxes go, and who they are responsible to allows children to move through transitions without chaos.

Repetition isn’t rigidity.

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Are you needing some support with how to structure your classroom? As a Montessori teacher, I understand that feeling of overwhelm! I have created a detailed lesson plan to 'hold your hand' through each day.  These lesson plans can either be used to jump start how to create the rhythm of the classroom (monthly) or I have a full year plan that can then be used for a 3 year cycle.

Montessori Daily Lesson Plans 

Montessori INSPIRED Lesson Plans 

 

LOOKING FOR ART LESSONS FEATURING DIFFERENT ARTISTS? 

Link to my FREEBIES

 

The Classroom Is Never Finished

 

There is a moment many teachers are working toward.

The moment when the classroom is finally ready.

Shelves are set.
Materials are in place.
Everything looks the way it is supposed to look.

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And then the children arrive.

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What I have come to understand is this:

That moment never really comes.

Not in the way we expect it to.

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Because the classroom is not something you complete.

It is something you enter into.

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At the beginning of the year, you prepare as best you can.

You set out what you believe will meet the children.

You organize the space with care.

You think through the flow.

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But the real work begins after that.

When the children start showing you who they are.

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What they reach for.
What they ignore.
What they struggle with.
What they repeat again and again.

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And slowly, the classroom begins to change.

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Are you needing some support with how to structure your classroom? As a Montessori teacher, I understand that feeling of overwhelm! I have created a detailed lesson plan to 'hold your hand' through each day.  These lesson plans can either be used to jump start how to create the rhythm of the classroom (monthly) or I have a full year plan that can then be used for a 3 year cycle.

Montessori Daily Lesson Plans 

Montessori INSPIRED Lesson Plans 

 

LOOKING FOR ART LESSONS FEATURING DIFFERENT ARTISTS? 

Link to my FREEBIES

 

 

Montessori Teacher Reset: Book Haul, Rainbow Writing & A Real Monday

 

A real week in my Montessori classroom — choosing authentic books, rolling out rainbow letters, managing busy Mondays, and trying to protect work-life balance as a teacher.

In this vlog, I share:

• How I choose books for the classroom (and why we avoid cartoon-style characters)

• A simple rainbow letter & number writing activity

• Bringing back cutting work & the Montessori ellipse • Honest reflections about tech-wired Mondays

• A little teacher life reset (concert plans, reading, coffee, bowling night)

• The book that’s reminding me why storytelling matters

Teaching 19 children while training a new assistant and working four-day weeks has stretched me — but I’m learning to focus on the lives right in front of me. If you're a Montessori teacher, preschool educator, or just someone trying to balance meaningful work with real life — you’re not alone.✨

 I’ve also started writing weekly long-form posts on Substack about Montessori life and mentorship. It’s free — link below if you'd like to read along.

Thanks for spending the weekend with me.

Are you needing some support with how to structure your classroom? As a Montessori teacher, I understand that feeling of overwhelm! I have created a detailed lesson plan to 'hold your hand' through each day.  These lesson plans can either be used to jump start how to create the rhythm of the classroom (monthly) or I have a full year plan that can then be used for a 3 year cycle.

Montessori Daily Lesson Plans 

Montessori INSPIRED Lesson Plans 

 

LOOKING FOR ART LESSONS FEATURING DIFFERENT ARTISTS? 

Link to my FREEBIES