If you believe what you see on TV, you might think that adolescents are selfish, narcissistic, and judgmental of adults, their siblings, their communities... basically anything around them. While adolescence certainly does come with windows of chaos and conflict, we shouldn’t presume that young people are either incapable of gratitude or inattentive to the many things around them for which they are thankful. Instead of presuming them to be ingrates, offer them opportunities t

By the time your child is in the Second Plane of Development, so many qualities of their personalities have emerged and focused. You know their quirks and their strengths, their sense of humor and their anxieties. It's a goofy, playful, loving, serious, earnest mix of yet-to-be-ness, and it's a great time to help your children build a practice of gratitude. Children in the Second Plane are far more focused on their social groups and on issues of justice and fairness than they

As we approach the American Thanksgiving, it's a time to be aware of the things for which we are grateful. But how do we "teach" a virtue that we hope will come from within? As with all of the Montessori environment, we do so authentically and in a way that reflects what we know about children's development. For toddlers, modeling gratitude sets the foundation for children to express it themselves later. Teaching and parenting toddlers is all about modeling the care and atten

If you believe what you see on TV, you might think that adolescents are selfish, narcissistic, and judgmental of adults, their siblings, their communities... basically anything around them. While adolescence certainly does come with windows of chaos and conflict, we shouldn’t presume that young people are either incapable of gratitude or inattentive to the many things around them for which they are thankful. Instead of presuming them to be ingrates, offer them opportunities t

By the time your child is in the Second Plane of Development, so many qualities of their personalities have emerged and focused. You know their quirks and their strengths, their sense of humor and their anxieties. It's a goofy, playful, loving, serious, earnest mix of yet-to-be-ness, and it's a great time to help your children build a practice of gratitude. Children in the Second Plane are far more focused on their social groups and on issues of justice and fairness than they

As we recover from American Thanksgiving, it's a time to be aware of the things for which we are grateful. But how do we "teach" a virtue that we hope will come from within? As with all of the Montessori environment, we do so authentically and in a way that reflects what we know about children's development. For toddlers, modeling gratitude sets the foundation for children to express it themselves later. Teaching and parenting toddlers is all about modeling the care and atten

It's the American Thanksgiving, and across the country, families are gathering together to acknowledge the things for which they are grateful, to share abundant meals and family traditions, honoring the harvest and hearth, what we reap and what we sow. Today, I am grateful for Montessori, and for the thousands of teachers and parents across the globe who are committed to asking more of ourselves in the name of the Child. Much is made about the educational promise of Montessor

If you believe what you see on TV, you might think that adolescents are selfish, narcissistic, and judgmental of adults, their siblings, their communities... basically anything around them. While adolescence certainly does come with windows of chaos and conflict, we shouldn’t presume that young people are either incapable of gratitude or inattentive to the many things around them for which they are thankful. Instead of presuming them to be ingrates, offer them opportunities t

By the time your child is in the Second Plane of Development, so many qualities of their personalities have emerged and focused. You know their quirks and their strengths, their sense of humor and their anxieties. It's a goofy, playful, loving, serious, earnest mix of yet-to-be-ness, and it's a great time to help your children build a practice of gratitude. Children in the Second Plane are far more focused on their social groups and on issues of justice and fairness than they

Montessori's Grace and Courtesy lessons are a beautiful component of our Early Childhood environments, offering engaging, playful ways for children to learn the customs of social graces and to care for each other and their community. You'll notice them at work when you visit and are offered a freshly brewed cup of tea, or when you see a child gently place their hand on a teacher's shoulder to interrupt, and when children pass each other freshly baked bread. We protect childre