There is an enduring quote about learning: “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn”. Attributed to Benjamin Franklin and to Chinese Confucian philosopher Xun Kuang, the idea that active engagement is key to powerful learning has survived for over 2000 years. When I was in junior […]
SERIES | Practical Life For Living
As I’ve come to a different stage of my life–as a grandparent–and I observe my grandchildren and their peers, I’ve seen the skills of practical life as key to living a happy life. These articles came out of my realization, too, that among my peers–fellow grandparents–the ones that were the healthiest and happiest practiced practical […]
First Comes Safety
As we look at education as a help to life, safety comes first in my mind. If we don’t feel safe, we can’t learn. When we are in the edginess of fear, it’s hard to enjoy our lives. How do we create places where safety comes first? Let’s begin by defining safety: Safety is the […]
The Real Work of the Adult: Practical Life
What should our children learn? Over the past posts I’ve tried to show that children need to learn, as a life-long foundation, the practical life skills that include care of the self, care of the environment, care of others, and care of community. The skills of practical life offer the child a way to build […]
Care of Community: Sowing the Seeds of Citizenship
Over the past few posts, we’ve been looking at the foundational lessons of practical life skills that are offered in a Montessori classroom for three-to-six-year-olds, but in reality these lessons should be offered in all classrooms and homes. The practical life skills of caring for oneself, caring for one’s environment, caring for others and caring […]
Care of Others: Another Step Towards Independence
As we consider the different areas of practical life exercises, we might see that care of others follows a natural expansion from the child’s activities in care for the self and care of the environment. Before we can truly take care of others, we need to know how to take care of ourselves, and at […]
Children’s Care of their Environment Creates Powerful Learning
One of the many universal learning and teaching principles used in Montessori education is the idea of the prepared environment. Created and maintained by the adults in that space, a prepared environment consists of four components: people, tools and objects, ideas and nature. What does a prepared environment look like? Let’s start with an example […]
Childhood Potential Conference 2026
As the year slowly comes to a close, many of us begin to reflect. On what worked.On what felt heavy.And on what we wish to do differently as we step into a new year. If you’re anything like me, January doesn’t feel like a time for pressure or resolutions. It is more of a month […]
Think Big With Montessori Education
It was a quiet September morning, sitting around drinking coffee. We were on vacation with friends and talking about what to do for the day. Then an email came in announcing that Jeff Bezos was investing $2 Billion for free Montessori-inspired preschools. All plans for the day were put on hold. The game began. The […]
Expert Montessori Tips
I’m pleased to let you know that Porch.com has added a lengthy piece into their advice section about using Montessori in your home. Contributions from fourteen Montessorians (me, too!) are included in this article entitled, Adapting Your Home and Life to a Montessori Lifestyle, Tips from the Experts.