Choosing the right homeschooling approach for your elementary-aged child is a significant decision, and the Montessori method offers a unique and child-centered educational experience. To help you determine if Montessori homeschooling is the right fit for your family, consider these six aspects and ask yourself the following questions: Understanding the Montessori Philosophy: Question: Do you appreciate an educational philosophy that values independence, self-directed learning, and a child's natural curiosity? Consideration: Montessori education is built on the belief that children learn be ..read more

We live in a rapidly evolving world. Generative artificial intelligence, labor market volatility, demographic transitions – the changes keep on coming.  As parents, we want to fully prepare our children to thrive in this fast-paced landscape.  Traditional models of early education tend to prioritize rote memorization and preparation for standardized testing. Unfortunately, this leaves little room for independence or creativity, both of which are crucial to creating lifelong learners who are adaptable to the world’s advancements.  As John Dewey once said, “Education is not prepar ..read more

Preface: This essay is about screen time limits, which are different for every family.  But it's about much more than that, so if you are triggered by my family's limits, please ask yourself why before commenting. ********* "Half of my friends have their own iPhones," my 11-year-old son argued angrily. (Technically, only one friend has a cell phone, but such is the mind of the pre-adolescent.)  He continued: "My friend O can have as much screen time as he wants as long as he gets his school work done... And I only get two and-a-half hours of video games each week.  It's not fair ..read more

Ever since I can remember, my dreams have revolved around anger. I dream about standing up to the bullies in my life, loudly saying no, and asserting my needs. Ever since I can remember, during waking hours I do the opposite. I’m the good girl, conditioned to fit in, play nice, and get along. When I was two years old, a child psychologist told my mom that my crying spells were attempts at manipulation. Whenever I cried or got angry, she was to send me to my room. She eagerly followed his advice and I grew up with two mantras: “Crying doesn’t solve anything” and “Don’t get angry.” I now have a ..read more

If you’ve been learning about Montessori, you’ve probably read about sensitive periods, prepared environments, and observation.  But have you heard about the Human Tendencies? What are Human Tendencies? Human tendencies are drives that urge the child to interact with the world around him, thereby allowing him to adapt to (or be successful in) the conditions of his particular place and time (the Montessori term for this is “adaptation”).  The child is born with the potential to express all the human tendencies, but these manifest differently depending on the sensitive periods and deve ..read more

A transformation takes place around the age of six.  "What happened to my sweet, lovable, and dependable little five-year-old," parents often ask me. The transition from the first plane of development (the stage between birth and age six) to the second plane (the stage between ages six and 12) can be a challenging one if we don't take the time to understand who our children are and what they need from us and the world. Over the summer, I put together a short video to help adults begin to understand the second plane child.  This is only an introduction, but I hope it can shed light on ..read more

Montessori albums can seem overwhelming at first, so I want to help you understand how to use them to find a balance between structure and improvisation. To do this, let’s take a little trip. Imagine you and your child are planning this trip. You first have to decide on a continent. From there, you choose a starting country. And then, you start thinking about the cities you’ll visit and what you’ll see in each city. This type of planning is leading you from the whole to the detail, and it reflects the structure that Montessori uses to guide a child’s education. Now, let’s continue with the tra ..read more

Note: This essay was one of many that I wrote as part of my AMI elementary training in Bergamo, Italy.  You can find a complete bibliography at the end of the post. METAMORPHOSIS The child enters the second plane of development somewhere around his sixth birthday, and traverses that phase for approximately six years (through age 12). It is important to note that this development, like that which came before it and that which will follow, is transitory. Therefore, the changes the child experiences – both physically and psychically – will not be permanent. These changes come from within. A ..read more

My kids and I began homeschooling halfway through the school year when I left my Montessori teaching job, and at first I invested all my energy into re-creating a small classroom in my living room.  I had visions of my children happily engaging  in my inspiring lessons. But instead of harmony and joyful learning, there was apathy and avoidance of anything that remotely resembled what they knew as school. Humbled and defeated, I gave up my visions of my one-room schoolhouse. I wiped away tears of frustration (there were many!) and decided to just live and love without expectations.&nb ..read more