Ask a Montessori Teacher: Should I Use the Pink, Blue, and Green Language System?

 

One of the questions I’m asked most often — especially by newer Montessori teachers — is about language progression.

Specifically: Should I be using the pink, blue, and green system?
And if so, how strictly?

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This question usually comes with a deeper concern that isn’t always spoken out loud:
“Am I doing Montessori the right way?”

Where this system comes from

If you trained through an AMS program, you are likely very familiar with the pink, blue, and green language sequence.

  • Pink focuses on phonetic, CVC words

  • Blue introduces blends, digraphs, and more complex phonics

  • Green moves into irregular and challenging words that don’t follow simple patterns

It’s a clean, orderly progression, and for many children, it works beautifully. Once a child has mastered one level, they move on to the next. There is clarity — and clarity matters, especially when you’re learning to guide language work for the first time.

Why teachers are drawn to it

There is something reassuring about a system that feels complete.

When you’re new to Montessori, or returning to the classroom after time away, the pink, blue, and green sequence offers a sense of confidence: I know where to start, and I know what comes next.

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Are you needing some support with how to structure your classroom? As a Montessori teacher, I understand that feeling of overwhelm! I have created a detailed lesson plan to 'hold your hand' through each day.  These lesson plans can either be used to jump start how to create the rhythm of the classroom (monthly) or I have a full year plan that can then be used for a 3 year cycle.

Montessori Daily Lesson Plans 

Montessori INSPIRED Lesson Plans 

 

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A Day in the Life of a Montessori Teacher | Observations, Burnout & Choosing Balance

 

Today I’m sharing a very real look at life inside — and outside — my Montessori classroom.

From laminating alphabet materials at home before work… to navigating constant observations… to recalibrating my expectations as a lead teacher… to choosing joy on a scheduled day off.

This year has stretched me. I talk honestly about:

 Teaching uppercase vs. lowercase in Montessori

Working under frequent corporate observation

Managing a two-year contract

Carrying the invisible load of lead teaching

Resetting my expectations of assistant support

Why I’m building work-life balance on purpose

How faith anchors me in hard seasons

Why I’m experimenting with 4-day weeks

And then… I take a day off.

Coffee with a long-time friend. Taxes. Reselling. Substack writing. Cooking. A Valentine’s weekend.

Because if we don’t intentionally build a life outside the classroom… teaching will consume it. If you are a teacher navigating pressure, leadership tension, or burnout — you are not alone.

✨ I also share about my Substack where I’m writing more deeply about Montessori leadership and sustainability in teaching: 👉 https://creativityandwonder.substack....

⏱️ TimestampsAre you needing some support with how to structure your classroom? As a Montessori teacher, I understand that feeling of overwhelm! I have created a detailed lesson plan to 'hold your hand' through each day.  These lesson plans can either be used to jump start how to create the rhythm of the classroom (monthly) or I have a full year plan that can then be used for a 3 year cycle.

Montessori Daily Lesson Plans 

Montessori INSPIRED Lesson Plans 

 

LOOKING FOR ART LESSONS FEATURING DIFFERENT ARTISTS? 

Link to my FREEBIES

 

Ask a Montessori Teacher: Order Is a Form of Care: Dismissing for Lunch in Real Schools


Transitions are where classrooms unravel.

Children move from one environment to another — often quickly — and are expected to regulate themselves in spaces that feel louder, larger, and less predictable.

A Montessori Way of Seeing is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Lunch dismissal may seem minor, but it reveals how much intention a classroom holds.

Expectations are established before movement

I always set expectations before we line up.

Quiet in line is not about obedience. It’s about awareness. Hallways are shared spaces, and in the event of an emergency, children must be able to hear instructions.

Sometimes, especially early in the year, this means practicing. Sitting back down. Trying again.

This isn’t wasted time — it’s preparation.

Order reduces anxiety

Children relax when they know what comes next.

Knowing where to stand, where lunch boxes go, and who they are responsible to allows children to move through transitions without chaos.

Repetition isn’t rigidity.

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Are you needing some support with how to structure your classroom? As a Montessori teacher, I understand that feeling of overwhelm! I have created a detailed lesson plan to 'hold your hand' through each day.  These lesson plans can either be used to jump start how to create the rhythm of the classroom (monthly) or I have a full year plan that can then be used for a 3 year cycle.

Montessori Daily Lesson Plans 

Montessori INSPIRED Lesson Plans 

 

LOOKING FOR ART LESSONS FEATURING DIFFERENT ARTISTS? 

Link to my FREEBIES