Our Blog: November 4, 2022
We’re so thankful for our family partnerships!
Twice a year, we ask our families to make other child care arrangements so we can host a company-wide Teacher In-Service Day. We appreciate the continued support because it allows us to invest in our teachers, hone their professional development, and ensure they’re providing the very best Montessori early education experience for the students at our schools.
Teacher In-Service Day is an important aspect of the care we provide. It includes comprehensive training, tools, and instruction for all our teachers. The bi-annual event is designed to further enhance employees’ professional knowledge and capabilities, emphasize safety and security, highlight classroom technology, and share evolving educational strategies.
This year’s fall event allowed team members to learn new skills, understand the importance of cultivating safety habit strength, effectively utilize family communication tools, and grow their career paths.
Here are a few key takeaways from each session:
- The Power of a Strong Safety Culture: We constantly strive to achieve our safety vision of "No One Gets Hurt." Teachers walked away with a better understanding of why policies and procedures are in place and how to reach habit-forming strength in their classrooms.
- Igniting your Potential, Growing your Career: Teachers were given the opportunity to think about their career goals and their own growth mindset. Team members were introduced to the term “self-efficacy” and why fostering it is one of the most important practices an educator can employ. Skill and knowledge development ensures children are getting a more meaningful, authentic Montessori experience.
- Creative Work, Process Not Product: Our teachers were inspired to reflect on the passion and excitement they bring to this area of the classroom. They received instructions and ideas on how to make creative work more accessible and engaging for all students.
- Un-Pinning Practical Life: Our teachers were encouraged to reflect on the “Direct Purpose” of the exercises of Practical Life in supporting the development of children’s independence, concentration, coordination, and order. Teachers talked about how we isolate the skills, scaffold the level of difficulty, remove and replace exercises when they are no longer necessary, and keep the shelves fresh and attractive. Exercises such as scrubbing the table offer more benefits than just a clean surface! And maintaining the Practical Life area of the classroom extends beyond searching out new ideas on Pinterest. Rather, as keepers of the Prepared Environment, we ensure the work meets the direct and indirect needs of our students.
