Thoughts about all-class (24) gathering time at arrivals vs. going right to work? Reasons?

I found it most effective to offer gatherings based on children’s observed interests and energies rather than plan, in advance, to gather at a pre-set time. It is much more congenial to have a gathering because children show a need for a collective experience. This could happen at any time of the day. If children arrive and seem distracted and unfocused, a gathering could be perfect to help them towards their first choices of the day. However, a child who arrives ready to make their own choice of activity might experience such a gathering as an interruption or obstacle.

Children working in a Montessori classroom