When a Classroom Lacks Structure: A Visit That Stirred My Reflection

Recently, I walked into a preschool classroom in a mainstream school.

It wasn’t my first visit, but this time, something about the atmosphere kept tugging at me.

The teacher had an assistant. The class size was manageable... ten children.
And yet, the learning environment felt… off.

After several visits, certain recurring scenes began to stand out.

🔶 The teacher often backed the classroom entrance while attending to a child. Some children sat behind her, by the door, waiting their turn — out of her sight.

🔶 There was no defined workstation ... no clear area that structured her interactions or anchored the pupils' attention.

🔶 While she worked with one child, her assistant worked with another. The remaining children roamed about, unattended.

🔶 Every few minutes, she paused her interaction to quiet the room before continuing again.

At first glance, it looked like a busy classroom ... active, alive, and “engaged.”

But as I observed more closely, what I saw was a space lacking structure, rhythm, and supervision.

And that’s a dangerous mix for any preschool classroom.

In early childhood education, the teacher’s positioning and movement in the classroom are not random choices ... they are strategic.

Research from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC, 2020) emphasizes that teachers must position themselves so they can see and hear all children at all times. 

When a teacher consistently faces away from part of the room ... especially the door ... blind spots are created.

In those few unseen moments, anything can happen: a child could wander out, engage in unsafe play, or simply feel ignored.

Supervision is the invisible safety net of every early childhood classroom.

A well-organized classroom speaks ... not in words, but in cues.

Children learn routines faster when spaces are predictable. A defined “workstation” helps both the teacher and the pupils know where focused interactions happen.

According to Montessori (1967) and Reggio Emilia scholars (Edwards et al., 1998), children thrive in environments that are intentionally prepared ... where every space tells them what is expected.

Without this, chaos slowly replaces calm.

So, when a teacher keeps moving from spot to spot, children receive mixed signals. They lose the sense of structure that anchors their behavior and engagement.

On paper, two adults for ten preschoolers sounds ideal.

But in practice, when both adults focus on one-on-one work simultaneously, it leaves the rest of the children unsupervised.

That’s not teamwork ... that’s parallel teaching without coordination.

Research-backed frameworks like ECERS-3 (Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale) highlight that effective supervision requires engaging all children, even when individualized attention is happening. Assistants should facilitate group participation, maintain routines, or support transitions ... not duplicate the teacher’s task.

It’s not just about teaching; it’s about ensuring every child is seen, heard, and guided.

When children keep wandering or talking during lessons, and the teacher repeatedly pauses to restore order, learning becomes fragmented.

It also signals a lack of environmental and behavioral management systems.

Studies (Weinstein, 1981; Jennings & Greenberg, 2009) show that classroom structure directly influences both engagement and teacher stress. A noisy, unstructured environment doesn’t just affect children ... it drains the teacher emotionally and mentally.

From my observation, this teacher’s struggle wasn’t about effort or attitude ... she was clearly trying.

What was missing were foundational skills in:

🔶 Classroom management

🔶 Early childhood pedagogy

🔶 Child safety and active supervision

These are not “nice to have” skills; they are the backbone of quality early years education.

☘️

Dear School Leaders,

Passion is beautiful, but passion alone cannot hold a preschool classroom together.
Structure does!

Understanding child behavior does.

And a well-prepared environment ... designed for safety, engagement, and flow,  makes all the difference.

When we fail to equip teachers with these foundations, even the most loving classrooms will struggle to deliver consistent learning experiences.

Takeaway for Preschool Teachers

• Always position yourself where you can see all children.

• Define and maintain a workstation or anchor space for focused activities.

• Use your assistant strategically ... one teaches, the other supervises or manages transitions.

• Design your classroom to guide behavior, not just decorate it.

Because effective classroom management isn’t about control;
it’s about creating an environment that teaches alongside you.

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