One of the best tools a Montessori Elementary teacher has is the weekly child/teacher conference.
Weekly conferences are when the teacher sits down with each child individually (or a few at a time; I let friends come together when they ask) to talk about the work they did the previous week and what they’d like to work on this coming week. Students can ask for specific lessons they would like, for refreshes on past lessons, or check in to discuss how things are going.
I typically review the child’s work journal with them (read this blog post about work journals if you need to become more familiar) to see what they worked on and discuss how it went. This is also a time I reflect on things I know this child needs to practice to continue their forward motion through the curriculum. If I note they have gaps in their work, we will talk about that, and I will help them find ways to fit those things in. We often write down ideas in the journal, with the understanding that these things aren’t assignments that must be done before the next conference unless otherwise specified.
When I first started teaching, I did not take these seriously. I felt like they used up too much of the work period, meaning I wasn’t giving as many lessons as I thought was needed. This resulted in my only meeting with students monthly, maybe less, and each time the conferences were very stressful. There always seemed to be not enough work done, too much work left to do, and the realization that I wasn’t connecting with my students in a way that helped me support their development.
I started to do them more often, closer to every two weeks, which began to help. But with 33 children, it would take a very long time to accomplish, and I would fall back into dreading them and feeling like they just took too much time.
In my seventh year of teaching, I had my daughter and left the classroom for what I had hoped would be a good long while. I was worried I couldn’t be the mom and teacher I needed to be. So I went into administration and worked as the business admin at the fantastic little school I had been teaching. Fast forward a year and a half, and I unexpectedly needed to head back to the classroom in Nov. 2019 to teach for the remainder of the year.
I had twenty children and told myself I would be doing weekly conferences come hell or high water–I was determined. It was actually a new teacher right out of training that inspired me. She was doing conferences every week, and I thought to myself, “Well damn it if she can do it, so can I!”
So began my journey into the world of student conferences. And let me tell you, friends: it is SO worth the time and energy to get it going.
As I kept up with my commitment, I have realized several things about these conferences.
1. I was making much better connections with my children than before.
When I started doing consistent conferences with the children, we settled into the routine of spending that dedicated time together. The children knew they would have time with me to share their work, desired lessons, what lessons they were having trouble with, or tell me how things have been going.
One time I had a child say to me, “I love conference time with you. It means I get to hang out with you.” Cue all the feels.
2. I was much more aware of what they were doing and what they could benefit from next.
Suddenly, I was much more aware of what each child had been working on throughout the week. We, as Montessori teachers, aren’t supposed to know everything going on in the classroom. One, it isn’t possible; two, it means we are way too involved in the children’s work, meaning they aren’t being offered an environment in which to work independently.
But I could better understand all the different students’ interests and the paths they were on. This awareness made it much easier to connect with them based on those interested, as well as to support the things they wanted to dive into that coming week. I was able to cater my next steps and lessons to what they were currently passionate about, leading to more in-depth follow-up work and lessons.
3. They were able to tell me what lessons they wanted.
I love it when students can tell me what lessons they would like to receive. It always makes for a better lesson when children are super excited to receive it. We as teachers might have an idea of the direction we’d like to go with lessons, but the children can often help us see other paths and journeys. If they ask for something they aren’t quite ready for yet, I tell them, “You know, there are some things we have to cover first before we get to that particular lesson, but I am going to start you on getting the things you need to get there.”
4. I could lesson plan while doing conferences, which changed how I used my time when deciding my loose lesson plan.
Discussing what the children had been doing, what they wanted to do, and what they needed help with would lead me to write down different lessons and work we could do that week. I was able to get a lesson plan in place that specifically catered to what the children wanted and needed. Of course, I would sprinkle new paths of interest in that plan, but the children created the bones.
It also would help nudge me out of any rigid academic progression I may have gotten swept into when thinking about state standards. It can be very easy to fall into a pattern of lessons that check off content in your head that you know you need to cover according to state standards. Yes, you absolutely need to keep these in mind, but you don’t ever want them to dictate everything you do. Connecting with the children will always keep you on the right path for them.
5. It made my job SO much more manageable, shockingly so.
Once I was connecting weekly with each child, my job suddenly began to flow at a manageable current. I had a pulse on the classroom. I had a solid plan in place. The children knew that I was interested and invested in their school journey.
I went from keeping my head above water to lightly treading. I was able to move through the curriculum and lessons more fluidly while keeping the excitement and collaboration strong. I was never at a loss for what to do or where each child was. It was a breath of fresh air.
6. It created an incredible culture of work in the classroom.
We, as trained adults, are the link to the environment. If we can connect to the children, they will be able to connect to all the classroom has to offer. These conferences help strengthen that connection to the teacher, helping to enhance the child’s link to the environment, which promotes a robust culture of work within the classroom.
The children in the classroom know they will meet with me, and I will ask them about the work they have accomplished. While they know they won’t be “in trouble” if the work is lacking, they know I will bring it up in the meeting, and we will devise a plan to avoid repeating the lackluster work week.
They have accountability. They have a meeting that they must prepare for and be ready to present information about their work week. They also know that they have a voice and will be heard when it comes to their feelings, thoughts, and possible reservations about the work they are doing. This keeps their stress down over the week and helps me stay on a path of work if they are having trouble staying on it entirely on their own.
Often in discussing what they want to do and chatting about what work they have done, different ideas come up that excite them and send them into the classroom with a hum and buzz of activity. I have had many instances where a student will get really excited about starting a work we have discussed and end up with a little following of fellow students who want to join.
It’s like a happy Montessori snow effect tumbling around the room after conferences, and it’s a lovely thing to watch.
If you still need to start having weekly conferences with your children, do it. I know it can feel daunting and scary but just do it. You will be so happy that you did. Need help? Feel free to reach out to me.
Do you already do them and have cool ideas and other benefits of their consistent use to add? Feel free to comment below! We can all learn from and be inspired by each other!