Maria Montessori Early Childhood Education

At the tender age of 14, I got my first job at a daycare center. I was not able to legally work at the center because by Maryland law you had to be 16 years old. But I volunteered at the center for two years and later went on to get my first paying job at a La Petite Academy. During my time at these centers I worked with all age groups from infants to school age children. I was constantly told by teachers and parents that I was a naturally teacher and that I should consider going into early childhood education. I believe that being a teacher requires certain characteristics. A good teacher must be patient, a good listener, a leader, kind, a constant learner, open minded and so much more. Teachers have just as much to learn from their students …show more content…
Some children require hands on instructions, while others are visual learners, some children thrive in group settings while others need independent studies. There is not one universal technique for teaching children. However there is one thing I find to be universal, children require respect. I found these to be a universal theme in all theories regarding education. One of such theorist who believed this was Maria Montessori. One of the first females to delve into the field of early childhood education Maria Montessori is an inspiration to me. Montessori believed that the foundation of education was respecting the children, that children learned through sensory experiences and that prepared environment were essential for learning. With Maria Montessori 's method toward early childhood development, children have a more active role in their education. Teachers provide guidance if needed, but children are allowed to have their own experiences. I believe that giving this independence is crucial to a child’s learning. Sometimes adults unknowingly try to correct children or tell them an answer without giving them the time to process or come to their own conclusions. The Montessori method is one that is still very popular early childhood centers. I believe that the method works because it is allowing children to learn in their own ways while still …show more content…
There may be students with special needs or children whose native language is different from the one that is spoken in class. There are many ways to accommodate these diverse learners and children with special needs. One way to address the needs of these unique students is by designing a quiet area in the classroom for children with special needs. Often times difficult moments arise that could possibly lead to tantrums or breaks downs for students with special needs providing a quiet space gives these students an environment where they feel safe and can regain their composure without the others interfering. As mentioned before, one way I would incorporate the different cultures of the students into the classroom is through the labeling of the classroom. Each section of the classroom will be labeled with English as while as all the different languages of the students. In doing so the students will learn the languages of their classmates if just through a few words. In addition to these labels, I will have one day a month dedicated to introducing a new culture to the students. Starting with the cultures already in our class. On the day we will listen to the music of that culture, view some of the toys that children of that culture play with, have some of the food that is indicative of that culture. If possible parents of these different cultures will be invited to class to discuss