My life at work

Duties

My day starts by helping to prepare the nursery for the children's arrival. This involves checking each piece of Montessori equipment to ensure that it is complete and ready to use.

When the children arrive, we begin our two-hour work cycle. This is when the children are free to work with materials covering all areas of the curriculum. Some activities stimulate the senses; others involve practical life activities such as pouring and transferring. We try to use our outdoor space as much as possible in this session.

As a Montessori teacher, my role is to assist children in their chosen activity, present new materials and direct children towards new activities when they are ready to move on. During this time, I make a note of each child's achievements and later update their individual learning records with their daily progress.

At the end of the morning, all the children and teachers come together for a group activity such as yoga, music or circle time where we talk about our project work.

Twice a week I am responsible, along with my deputy, for the organisation of the afternoon activity sessions for two-year-olds. This involves us in careful planning, taking into consideration the children's younger age group.

Another aspect of my job, which is always a lot of fun, is project planning. After deciding on a theme - for example, transport - we make up mapping games, come up with ideas for counting games and get children to engage in practical life activities - like how to cross a pelican crossing.

Communicating with parents and carers is an important part of my role. We hold regular parents' evenings and keep them informed of their child's progress through reports compiled from the children's individual learning records.

Parents and carers are also free to talk to us about their concerns at the beginning and end of every session.

I am also responsible for implementing and keeping up-to-date with our equal opportunities policies and procedures.

Likes/dislikes

The best aspect of the job is the variety of experiences that it provides on a daily basis. Working with two- to five-year-olds is a challenging job and as the Montessori curriculum is a child-led one, you have to be ready for anything!

I can honestly say there isn't one part of the job that I dislike; however, it can be exhausting at times.

Best achievement

I think the best thing you can achieve when teaching is the knowledge that you are providing the very best care and education for all the children in your nursery. Watching the children's confidence grow as they learn new skills at the nursery is extremely satisfying.

Career path

After qualifying as an NNEB in 1996, I worked as a nanny for four years. I then decided to explore the possibility of expanding my career and look into becoming a teacher. Through my research into the teaching courses available, I found the Montessori course to be the most sympathetic to my own beliefs about children's care and education.

I joined Seedlings as a Montessori student in January 2000 and on completion of my studies in September (I gained a Diploma in Montessori Pedagogy from the Montessori Centre International in London), I accepted the position of deputy manager.

Career progression

Over the next few years, I hope to continue to gain experience of the management side of running a nursery. This is in the hope that one day I will be able to fulfil my aspirations of owning my own nursery.

Advice

If you are thinking of a teaching career you need to have a genuine interest in children's care and education. Patience and the ability to be flexible are personal qualities that I have found to be invaluable.

I feel that initially working as a nanny gave me a far greater understanding of the concerns of parents and carers.

For me, I felt it was important to understand the Montessori philosophy before working in a nursery, which is why I wanted to qualify first. However, it is possible in many nurseries to train while gaining a relevant qualification.

To find out about Montessori opportunities contact Montessori Education (UK) which will put you in touch with the Montessori Early Years Forum in your area. Local authorities can also put you in contact with early years settings.

Interests & hobbies

Out of work I enjoy all of the usual hobbies such as socialising, running and going to the gym.

I started a British Sign Language course last year and I am currently working towards the Level 1 qualification in my spare time.