Upper Elementary Observations in Primary

Happy May 1st! This school year is winding down quickly, with many fun events on the horizon, including the sixth year graduation! As an exercise in reflection and preparation for this transition, the sixth-year students at Villa di Maria have been going back to their roots and participating in observations in the Primary classrooms. Below, some reflections from the sixth-years before and after observing the Primary students. Villa di Maria: What are your thoughts going into this observation?Kat: I remember a lot about Primary. I really liked it. I've never observed before, so I'm going into it with an open mind. Luke: I'm going to stay curious. I've been in Montessori my entire life. I remember my Primary classroom in Chicago really well. I especially liked the bells.Cameron: I don't have any memories off the top of my head; I'm just planning to see what the classroom is like, to see if I can relate to the Primary kids.The observations, which took place for an hour, left the sixth-years with an excited buzz on their way back to Upper Elementary. From identifying an overlap of materials to noticing how busy the Primary children were, to their shared amusement with the children who were curious about them, or the sheer amount of spilled water there was to clean up - the Upper Elementary children had plenty to say about their observations.Luke: There was so much I had forgotten about, things I had forgotten even existed, like the button frames and the smelling bottles...Kat: There were a lot of the same materials between Primary and Upper Elementary. These kids learn the materials at such a young age! I remember really struggling with safety pins when I was that age; I could never get them open, I guess because I didn't have the hand strength yet. Now it's easy for me. I have no idea when that happened...Cameron: I think some kids outside of Montessori could get really bored if they couldn't work ahead. The independence allows us to work at our own pace.Kat: I prefer working independently. I observed a lot of kids who wanted to work on their own, at their own pace. I'm still that way.Thank you, Kat, Cameron, and Luke, for letting us in on the observation! We can't wait to hear your graduation speeches later this month!