In my last article on a Montessori approach to discipline, I mentioned that we don’t use rewards, bribes or punishment in a Montessori classroom. And there is not a teacher at the front telling everyone what they need to do. Yet if you observe in a Montessori classroom, there is…
There is a common misconception that Montessori children are allowed to do whatever they like. And another that Montessori is very strict. In reality, Montessori falls in the middle of these two extremes. The word discipline doesn’t mean to punish. It is actually based on the root word “disciple" which…
You know the scene. Two children both want the same thing. Or one of them is hurting the other. Or they are complaining and nagging each other. We can’t help ourselves, we come to the rescue. “Why don’t you go first and then the other one can have a turn…
Dr Montessori believed in education for peace. I believe in peace. Right now it breaks my heart that people do not feel safe in their own skin. I’ve curated here the most useful resources I’ve found. Follow the links that feel good for you where you are on your racial…
If I ask parents what’s the thing they want to work on most right now, it’s most often wanting to be more patient with their kids. I had one father at the end of a workshop tell me that these Montessori ideas for being a more respectful parent are lovely…
One thing that is helping now more than ever is having a regular rhythm in your day. And at last I have permission from the publisher to share with everyone the beautiful routine cards made by Hiyoko Imai for my book The Montessori Toddler. How to use the cards When…
As I’ve parented two children into the teenage years, what has always helped me is hearing about how others have navigated the years ahead long before I was at this stage. So I thought it might be useful to share my experience navigating life with teenagers to remind you that…
In my ongoing series of conversations with my Montessori friend, Jesse McCarthy, we talk about what characteristics we find important in a Montessori teacher. What 3 or 4 characteristics would you pick? The things that came up for me were: curiosityenjoying to be with childrenbeing able to set kind and…
Are you done with feeling like there is nothing you can do when all we hear are negative stories in the news, politics and media? Here are 8 ways you can use Montessori not just with your children …. and change the world. As you maybe already know, I’m a…
Isn’t it funny how there seems to be one question everyone is asking at the same time. The last two weeks this is what I keep hearing… “We can’t afford a Montessori school"/"We don’t have a Montessori school in our area"/or similar – and do you think it’s ok to…
I’m going out of my comfort zone here. Usually I base these blog posts on what people have been asking me most in class during the last week. This is instead something that I want to share that resonated with people I spoke with while I traveled in the US.…
In my parent workshops, I ask parents if they remember a time when they were punished as a kid, maybe given a detention or not allowed to go out with friends. Then I ask if this made them feel more or less connected to the person who gave them the…
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