Before becoming a successful teacher of any kind you should ask yourself the question “why do I want to be a teacher?”.
To become a successful Montessori teacher you should first understand what the characteristics of a successful Montessori teacher are.
Here, this is not an exhaustive list, but it’s an honest start line. A Montessori teacher should:
1. Be the connection between the kids and the materials-
If you do not have the skill or knowledge to use something, the students won’t either. Even when you’ve taken the training, you'll get out of practice on certain things that you do not use fairly often. Study and review, and be able to jump in and present work whenever it seems necessary. Another thing you can do to link the children and their environment is to show them the way to clean and look after the classroom.
2. Model correct behaviour for the kids-
There is an old saying that goes “Good behaviour is caught, not taught”. Children are watching our every move, and they will usually do things as we do and not as we are asking them to. Therefore, we should be polite to other adults, be honest, gracious and courteous. We should avoid complaining, gossiping, or acting in an annoyed manner when we are around young kids.
3. Be teachable and prepared to learn-
A person can never read or learn just enough or too much. Learning is an ever-going process that lasts a lifetime until you die. Only a person who understands this can become a successful educator. There may be many moments in your teaching career where you would feel stuck. There might be a sudden question that a student asks but you do not know the answer of or a new concept that you want to teach but cannot remember clearly. In such circumstances, you should be willing to readily do the research and study the concept before teaching your students about it.
Revising a concept or learning about something you didn’t know before does not diminish your credibility as a teacher. In fact, it makes you an even more refined educator.
4. Trust the Montessori Method-
We have set ideas for ourselves about what the children should be doing and how fast they ought to be growing and learning. We frequently expect children to ascertain things our way. When things are rocky, it’s easy to assume that the issue is with the Montessori Method itself. Trust never comes easy, not even for an educator.
What you need to do is to give yourself, and the children, time. The youngsters need time to become acclimated to a Montessori classroom and materials, which are different from anything they see within the culture around them. Also allow yourself some time to feel comfortable with presentations, classroom management, and take your time to create a special relationship with each child.
5. Lead the youngsters toward independence-
Being the only adult in a room full of young kids is often heady stuff. It is all about control, as traditional education is made around this. The teacher is at the front of the space, and therefore, is the centre of the classroom. The teacher knows and sees all that happens in the classroom. If you have any issue, you would first go to your teacher. Montessori flips this on its head.
The children, and not the teacher, become the centre of the classroom. The teacher has to sit with the children at a table or on the ground. The teacher blends into the classroom. In the Montessori system, you are the guide, directing them away from you and towards self-reliance.
6. Remain interested in everything-
Curiosity is often the most-effective drive behind self-education. It was the curiosity of a caveman that made him wonder what could be over the hill and that paved the way for human exploration and invention. Children are quite naturally curious, and adults often find that annoying. Montessori trained teachers shouldn’t. Instead, they ought to be delighted to form new discoveries with the students. Your own curiosity can bounce off of theirs, as you learn new and exciting things about the universe and every one the delightful things in it.
You would understand the true importance of Montessori teacher training once you start handling a class of your own. Being a Montessori teacher is not a small task at all. There’s a lot that is going to be required of you. But, it is all worth it, and considerably so. Montessori System will not only develop the kids, but it will also change you for the better. And the, together, you’ll be ready to change the planet.
