There is a question that has been bugging me, and I’ve been searching for the solution for years. It’s one of those trick questions where the answer is so simple that it’s the proverbial snake that would’ve bit me had I been looking at it the right way. The question however, is monumental: “What are…
As an adult immersed in a culture where I couldn’t speak the language, didn’t know how to eat the food, and being reliant on others to take care of most all of my daily needs, I felt like an infant, needing the care and compassion of others to meet my needs. The past…
“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.” -Jane Howard Just this morning I noticed a colleague posted one of those “Are you introverted?” quizzes on Facebook. You know the kind, one of those posts that…
Twenty-seven years ago, I stepped into a Montessori classroom for the very first time. The five year old boy that I was a nanny for forgot to collect the novel he was writing at school, so I parked my car and followed him inside to collect it from the 1970’s home converted into a school.…
Most Montessori schools around the world serve children within a unique education paradigm. Their families may or may not have the information about the benefits of Montessori, how it works, or how to raise their children congruent with the values that attracted them to the school in the first place. Getting primary care-givers on board…
I truly didn’t know that I had a “mathematical mind” until I was in college taking my first Montessori certification. I didn’t know because I thought I was “math stupid”. My early education not only didn’t promote my natural inclination to notice patterns, solve problems, and order chaos, it systemically subjugated my innate inner…
In the fall of 1969, I was three years old and my young adult cousin came to live with my family for awhile. Although there was at least a twenty year difference between us, his laughter and his gentle way with our pet hamster made a profound impression on me and I became his fan…
The Dual Nature of Screens There is a lot of concern in our culture over the quantity and quality of screen time, and its effects on children of all ages. Headlines regularly recount a litany of issues for children that result from the use of devices including depression, shortened attention spans, cyberbullying, obesity, addiction,…
Dear Miss Tammy (for that is the name that generations of your students will remember you by), I know you’re on fire with the fresh burning flame of Montessori that has opened your eyes to a whole new way of seeing your life, and I want to congratulate you on following your instincts and…
Montessori schools attract staff that are committed to respectful interactions with children and yet sometimes those same skills fail to translate into effective communication between adults. School staff climates can be mercurial and depend on several conditions to become healthy and effective, of which communication is at the top of the list! Yet many…