Systems, Systems, Systems

Every year when the children come bounding into the building, ready to start off a new school year, we are thinking of all the ways that we are going to make this year the best one yet! And typically, every year is better than the one before. Either by chance or by force, we have leveled up our skills, routines, know-how, and grit than earlier versions of ourselves, and we have a better toolbox to support the needs of the children (and adults) with whom we work. One thing that I have found to make the most difference in how well my days, weeks, months, and year goes is how robust my systems are.

When I was a young Montessori guide, I thought I had all the tools to be successful. I had just finished my training and was venturing off to work in a beautiful setting with about 28 eager 2.5-6 year-olds in a public magnet Montessori school in Connecticut. I was so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I knew all my lessons. I made several sets of aprons and mats by hand using coordinating fabric. My mother had had about 60 place settings hand-sewn in beautiful fabric and mailed to me. My sister had outfitted me with a stockpile of beautiful wooden boxes, straw baskets, and glass vases from her travels worldwide. I had poured through piles of National Geographic magazines to create robust geography folders that were diverse and beautifully laminated. I had everything ready...or so I thought.

From day one, I found it the hardest thing I had ever done. I was confronted with SO many situations that I had no idea about. I did not know how to support children who had elevated needs. I was unskilled in gathering the whole group together. I could not keep track of progress. I didn't know what to ask my assistant to do to help me. I didn't know how to do interventions, get children to specials on time, hold conferences, share information in IEP meetings, or even manage my discomfort with what I didn't know. By the end of my first year, I felt like a complete failure. I almost quit the field entirely based on what I didn't know. I took some time off of teaching and then joined a much smaller, independent school in Illinois a couple of years later. There, I had about 30 children, but I was determined to find success because I loved the idea of the work, but I didn't know how to do it well. So, I started to create systems for everything challenging for me. I created systems for things like:

• how to track sandpaper letter lessons

• how to track progress with interventions

• how to send work home

• how to follow through with challenging behaviors

• how to communicate with families (as a community and individually)

• how to line the children up

• how to rotate materials

• how to track lessons and progress

• how to share progress, challenges, and goals in conferences

• how to align work to state standards

Everything came together! It was such a breath of fresh air to feel like I had a handle on everything. My system creation made me the most successful person at my school (parents requested their children join my class, and I am still in touch with many of those families today). It also led me to bigger work at larger schools and eventually into other roles (coordinating, coaching, and being an administrator).

As an administrator, I immediately leaned into the necessity of solid systems to create a robust school culture. Systems help ensure equity of practice for the school. It helps to eliminate the need for families to request specific classrooms. It helps faculty know they are asked to do the same workload and ensures that new folks are onboarded appropriately. It builds trust in your program and community amongst the group. When leading a school, I put systems in place everywhere, but some of the less obvious places were:

• meeting note templates (see my Toolbox tab for the template)

• level meeting topics to cover (such as assessment data dives, Lesson Study, Following the Child sessions, or feedback)

• environmental checklists to make sure children had access to the same things no matter their environment (such as a library with books relating to all identities in the space, a setup that required accessibility too all parts of the room for all children, or art that was representative of various mediums and cultures)

• conference note templates (to ensure all families got the same types of content & opportunity to share)

• systems for coaching (to ensure everyone had access to a coach)

• systems for upward feedback (so people could share feedback about their supervisors and school leaders without fear of retaliation)

• systems for family engagement/involvement

There are so many more, but again, using systems is one surefire way to ensure that your program functions with integrity.

If we consider the Montessori philosophy, we know that children thrive with systems, right? They do well when they know what to expect. They know that lunch comes after recess, so they know to visit the snack table before the bell rings. They know their finished work goes in a work tray, and then it will make its way home. They know that an empty paper tray means a particular work is unavailable. It is the same for adults. Sound systems build trust in the environment, in the institution, and in you. So, as your year is beginning, please consider what systems you can implement to ensure everyone thrives, especially you. Be well, and call me if you need anything!

In partnership,

Hannah