In this article, the author states that it is a delight to walk into a Montessori classroom to the hum of children engaged in a variety of activities, especially when there is an accompanying feeling of joy and happiness. In desiring the peaceful calm of the classroom, educators may inadvertently hinder the joy, enthusiasm, and imagination that…

The author knew she would be picky about where her child started his schooling. After calling over 30 public and private schools within a 50-mile radius of her home, and then visiting more than 15 of them, the author chose Lexington Montessori School (LMS). However, when she tells friends and acquaintances about her son's fantastic school, she…

This article is the result of years of study, both formal and informal; hundreds of hours of traditional and Montessori classroom observations; reading and digesting articles and books on secondary education, Montessori education, adolescent brain research, leadership, and best practices in education; and most enlightening of all, 20 years of…

This author describes how her elementary students first became interested in studying ancient Egypt. Her students' interest in the ancient Egyptian studies began when a student checked out a library book on Egyptology that contained colorful images and was soon swarmed by interested classmates. Many of her students began practicing writing…

Montessori classrooms commonly integrate their learning across the curriculum, and participate in service learning projects. Both of these practices are authentic experiences for children. This article outlines examples of technology being used to create authentic learning environments, tasks, audiences, sources, and assessments. Technology…

My fellow teachers and I took a look at the use of tape and scissors in our 3-6 classroom. We had noticed children's over-reliance on these tools and wondered what would happen if we simply removed them. We decided to initiate a classroom research project in which the students worked for a while without scissors or tape. One goal of the project…

As a teacher of 11-to 13-year-olds, the author sees that her role definitely requires a sense of humor. A charismatic personality and the ability to lighten things up go a long way toward an enjoyable relationship with this age group. For Michelle Willard, a certain amount of levity in dealing with typical developmental issues is the key to…

The author believes that very young children are able to understand the abstract concept of peace. In her primary classroom she introduces the concept of peace to the children in a low energy environment with low lights, and soft music. When children feel at peace in their hearts, they relate peacefully to those around them. She begins with the…

This article focuses on role of music education. If the society has changed how it values music, it is certainly worthwhile to reevaluate the role music should play in the education and development of a child. Children are not predisposed to be able to understand one style of music over another. Rather they learn traits of the style of their…