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.

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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.

 READ MORE

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

 

The Classroom Is Never Finished

 

There is a moment many teachers are working toward.

The moment when the classroom is finally ready.

Shelves are set.
Materials are in place.
Everything looks the way it is supposed to look.

And then the children arrive.

What I have come to understand is this:

That moment never really comes.

Not in the way we expect it to.

Because the classroom is not something you complete.

It is something you enter into.

At the beginning of the year, you prepare as best you can.

You set out what you believe will meet the children.

You organize the space with care.

You think through the flow.

But the real work begins after that.

When the children start showing you who they are.

What they reach for.
What they ignore.
What they struggle with.
What they repeat again and again.

And slowly, the classroom begins to change.

READ MORE

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

 

 

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