A day in Cycle 1 at LIPSCHULE
Looking around the Cycle 1 classrooms at Seestrasse 561, you discover a wide variety of materials and not entirely traditional furniture. But what is a typical day like for the teachers and students? We asked Lana Toggenburger, who teaches at this level in English.
Lana Toggenburger, what is a typical day like in Cycle 1?
After they arrive, the students move around the Montessori classroom, which is already set up and has specific areas: there’s a corner for everything language-related, for improving sensory skills, for maths, and so on. The children can move around freely here and decide for themselves what they want to do. As teachers, we act as a connection between them and the learning environment. The programme changes a little in the afternoon. We visit different workshops where they can focus on art, sport or nature. When we have special projects, we move away from this routine entirely. For example, at the moment, we’re studying dances from different countries, which we’ll perform at the end of the school year.
What do you like best about this?
I really like the free work in the morning, which is when we experience the students as individuals. And the art workshops in the afternoon. I’m artistic myself and am always happy to pass on my positive experiences to the children.
What do you enjoy less about it?
Because there is limited space, we sometimes have to restrict ourselves to some extent in sports lessons. I’d like to have larger facilities, but I have to add that the school leadership is working on a solution for this.
How does LIPSCHULE differ from a public school or from other Montessori schools?
When I compare LIPSCHULE to a public school, it stands apart in particular because we have more time to respond to the individual situation of each child. I can’t make such a clear distinction regarding other Montessori schools as I don’t know them all. However, I can say that I find the school leadership at LIPSCHULE to be very trusting as regards the teachers – which isn’t something you find everywhere. This ensures a pleasant working environment, which ultimately also benefits the students.
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