Organized Chaos

One of my favorite things about working in the Montessori classroom is when I am able to take a step back and look at all the things that are going on in my classroom. Now there are totally some days when I look and see kids running, using the red rods as boat oars, books being read upside down and golden beads rolling everywhere. However, that is one of the beautiful things about Montessori, the controlled chaos. When I see a student running I am reminded that they are really excited about the works in our classroom and simply talk with them about why we walk in our classroom and have them re-try. The children who have created a boat with oars out of the red rods, I first am amazed by their imagination because I would have NEVER thought of that. However, I use this as a teachable moment to remind my students that we need to respect our materials or they can become damaged or broken. And the golden beads rolling all over the floor, man oh man how many unit beads have been lost over last year still amazes me. They seem to just vanish. Although I will admit seeing them roll all over the floor bothers me, the fact that almost all of the other students are willing to help and find them makes it almost a pleasure. It reminds me that even though there are days when I feel my classroom is simply chaotic, it is an organized chaos in which all of my students thrive.