Maintaining the integrity of the uninterrupted 3-hour Montessori work cycle is a big challenge faced by most schools.
Usually Montessori schools are open from 6:30 /7:00 am to 6:30/7:00 pm.
Children are either enrolled for school day(8:00-3:00) or full day(6:30/7:00- 6:30/7:00).
Montessori work cycle in most schools is from 8:00-11:00 am.
Usually 1/3 rd of the students are in class around 8 am, few come in around 9, few more around 10 am and so on.
Not all of the children arriving late walk in by themselves, they are in tears when their parents drop them off, have a hard drop off disrupting the flow of the classroom etc.
Most children arriving late take some time to socialize with their friends, settle down and find a work to do.
This affects the normalization or self-actualization of the classroom as a whole.
What to do
- Talk to the parents about the importance of the 3-hour work cycle during the transition meeting.
- Explain the importance of the 3-hour work cycle in the welcome letter and in the weekly class email.
- Explain the importance of receiving lessons and practicing them at the parent-teacher conferences.
- Share resources /articles about this topic with the parents.
- Have administration escort children to the classroom if they arrive later than 8:30 am.
Here are some resources:
3 hour work cycle in a montessori classroom
Montessori uninterrupted work cycle – AMS
Is this a challenge you face at your school ? What are some measures you have in place to fix this problem?
Please share in comments below.
MONTLE 
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