Adults in the Montessori classroom need to work in sync with one another and need to establish a great working relationship to ensure their success & the students’ success in their environment.
The adults need to model the behavior they expect the children to have in the classroom – use quiet voices, walk in the classroom, be kind and respectful to one another, be consistent in following thru with the children, encourage “independence” in children etc.
Relationship between the Lead and the Assistant is a delicate balance- usually the Lead is a Montessori trained teacher and has a few years experience under his/her belt. Assistant may be familiar with the philosophy, in the process of training or someone who has childcare experience & is interested in working with children.
In all my years in a Montessori classroom and in different roles like intern, assistant, co-teacher, Lead – I have observed that some people just get it while some don’t. It has nothing to do with the training, degree etc.
Some people just believe in the Montessori philosophy – step back , observe and let the child learn on their own.
Here’s a nice article on this topic: Role of adult in Montessori
So, how do you establish a nice healthy relationship between the 2-3 adults in a Montessori classroom – Stay tuned for some tips/tricks that have worked for me in my classroom in my next post ….
Would love to hear your thoughts on this topic….
MONTLE 
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