Someone asked me a question recently that began with, “When you parent…” When don’t I parent? For years, a poster hung in my house that…
For Teachers
Montessori Monday: The Grammar Symbols
Do you remember learning grammar in Elementary school? Did you memorize the definition of a noun (” a person, place, thing or idea,”)…
Teacher Talk: The Freedom to Interact (or Not) as Teachers
Our first goal as Montessori teachers is to prepare environments within which children no longer notice our presence. So, how come this…
Freedom to Interact (or Not) in the Third Plane
While the intrinsic drive to socialize and the supports needed to regulate that drive were prominent in earlier planes of development,…
Freedom to Interact (or Not) In the Second Plane
We know that one of the noticeable changes as children move into the Second Plane of development is their new interest in social settings…
The Freedom to Interact (Or Not) in the First Plane: 3-6
If you imagine a traditional preschool, you might think about children sitting together at circle time, singing songs all together,…
The Freedom to Interact (Or Not) in the First Plane: 0-3
The Freedom to Interact with Others reflects one of Montessori’s Tendencies of Humans: the Tendency toward Communication. We understand…
Montessori Monday: The Freedom to Interact (or NOT) in the Montessori Classroom
If you think of school as a place in which children are all lined up in their desks or sitting around the same circle, staring ahead at…
Teacher Talk: The Manipulative Teacher
Montessori identified the need to manipulate as one of the Tendencies of Humans, those core qualities that we share across cultures and…
Freedom of Choice in the Third Plane: 12-18
In some ways, protecting the Freedom of Choice for learners in the Third Plane of development can be the most stressful for parents and…