Elementary students transferring from traditional education classrooms to a Montessori school lack executive function skills (EFS) and struggle with academic performance and disrupt classes. The specific problem is the lack of strategies and support from school administrators to address an overwhelming number of new elementary Montessori students…

The word spirituality has a variety of meanings. Maria Montessori explored different facets of spirituality in her writings. Though she did not explicitly define "spirituality," she focused on the spiritual nature of the child and of the teacher-child relationship, as well as the spiritual preparation of the teacher. During her lifetime,…

The child's emerging sense of identity is deeply informed by their culture. Teachers who are called to work with children 0-3 know and understand that their role in the children's lives is to create a kind of second womb for them in the Infant & Toddler years; this second womb is created with the carefully prepared environment. After the…

In this third article in a series exploring diversity and inclusivity in Montessori, the authors build upon their previous treatises on why this work is imperative and how identity formation sets the stage for supporting the nuances of diversity. As a Montessorian educator, there is a need, as adults, to be willing to lean into one's own…

This is the first article in a series about diversity and inclusivity in Montessori environments. The series addresses the necessity of intentional, anti-bias-oriented teachings and practices and highlight some of the movers and shakers the authors have identified as working for social justice in Montessori. For the first article, they invite…

This article examines how the preschool child is enabled to withdraw from the peer group and create a private, individual space within the institutional collective. The question under consideration is, "What factors are necessary to enable a child to create and maintain a withdrawal space in the preschool?" Data were collected through…

One of the few constants in the author's life since beginning work at a Montessori school, in 1968, is that people are still asking why more children, especially children from low-income families, do not have access to high-quality Montessori programs. The problem of creating free or low-cost opportunities has been a struggle since the first…

The concept of a ready-made block of knowledge does not exist in the Montessori classroom. Instead, the teacher's knowledge and the learning abilities of the child interact. The teacher brings what she or he knows about the world, and the child brings his or her desire to learn more about the world. In this article, a Montessori teacher uses her…

In this powerful collection of personal accounts, successful and respected teachers from across the country reveal how recent education policies have played out in their schools and classrooms in negative and counterproductive ways, and offer teacher-led alternatives for providing equitable, engaging, and empowering education. Framed by critical…