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Toddlers (14 Months to Year
3)
Toddler
Teacher
Georgeann Franklin-Owens
| When Georgeann first moved to New Mexico in 1979,
she accepted a position as primary assistant at
GMS. She continued in that position until 1990,
when she graduated from Washington Montessori Institution
at Loyola College in Maryland with her AMI degree.
Georgeann began the Toddler program in August 2005
and has supervised its growth since that time. |
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Toddler
Assistant
Shanna Schultz
| Shanna Schultz has worked in the Toddler Program
the past two years and has run our Summer Toddler
Program. She has continued her training during
this period, and her professionalism and genuine
caring attitude for the toddlers is very clear.
Her son is currently in the elementary program
and her commitment to GMS is greatly appreciated. |
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Our Toddler Montessori classroom
is designed for children 14 months to 3 years old,
in a mixed-age group. The classroom provides a place where
children have freedom to choose their activities within a
carefully prepared and enriching environment.
The children
attend the school 5 days a
week as the consistency of going to school each day increases
the children's security with the classroom and aids the
child in developing a self-directed learning style.
Parents are asked to consider that this is
a three-year commitment to their child's education, as one
year's work builds upon the next in the classroom. The curriculum
and age span encourage beneficial social interaction, and
allow children to develop their skills year by year in the
same environment.
Typically, our school day goes something like this:
8:15 - 8:30 The children arrive. The
school day begins at 8:30
8:30 - 10:15 Morning greeting followed
by a work period in which the children choose activities
from a wide variety available to them. Much of the time
is spent in individual "work," but the children
may choose to join a small group game, sharing, or story
time. The teacher gives lessons to the children and supports
their work. Large motor activity is included in the schedule,
as well as music, rhythm, and creative expression. The
children gather together for sharing, stories, singing
and games.
10:15 - 12:00 The children actively
participate in the preparation and clean-up of a nutritional
snack each morning. The students have outdoor playtime.
The outdoor time includes nature walks and/or visits
to the garden and animals. Students in the Toddler Half
Day Program are picked up to go home at 12:00, while
children who are staying for the Toddler Full Day Program
return to the classroom for their lunch.
12:00 - 12:30 The children eat together
family style. This is a social time to learn the gracious
and courteous way to take meals together.
12:30 - 2:45 Preparation for nap time.
2:35 - 3:00 Preparation to go home.
3:00 Dismissal outside |
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