Balancing two classrooms that span six grades
My practicum was quite unique in the fact that I was split between six different grades at the elementary level. Initially when asked if it would be ‘OK’ to have two Montessori practicum classes I had no idea what that would entail, physically, mentally or emotionally.
I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to engage with two very inspiring and amazing educators as my school advisors and to have worked with 50 students. Working in two different classrooms has been an amazing experience that has allowed much exposure to the elementary public school system. This is not to say it hasn’t been challenging.
A usual day in my practicum experience involved greeting my younger 1/2/3 class in the morning, doing poetry and work choice/cycle (Montessori philosophy), followed by human fundamental needs. I would meet with the knitting club at lunch, depending on the day, and then trek up to the third floor of the school for my afternoon of yoga and science with the older 4/5/6 Montessori class.
The biggest challenge or obstacle was the mental shifting of gears from one class to the next. Not only were these two different physical classrooms, each classroom spanned three grades. The language I used with my little ones is quite different than the language I used with my older ones. The scaffolding and modelling required for my littlest grade 1 student was drastically different than my average grade 6 student. I often lamented about not having enough time with either class, although I would never give up one class for the other.
During my practicum I was often asked which grade I prefer. Honestly, with six grades to choose from, that’s a hard decision. From the little experience I have, both the primary and intermediate classroom have amazing opportunities for learning. At this point in my career I cannot say I would choose one over the other. My time in the primary classroom was not shadowed by my time in the intermediate classroom and vice versa.
With this experience, I am a firm believer that multi-age classrooms build the strongest communities. I was impressed by the level of respect, leadership and patience the older children have with the younger ones. The younger ones are pushed academically and socially by being immersed with older, more mature students.