In many of the world's countries, being gay is punishable by death (Bearak and Cameron, June 16, 2016). And in the United States, there has been recent political opposition to gay marriage and gay rights. It is no wonder that, in today's world, a small but important percentage of our young people grow up confused, scared, and unsupported. A CDC…

When Barack Obama announced his run for the presidency, he seemed an unlikely candidate. Against all odds, he was able to defeat an apparently overwhelming opposition by relating to the electorate in a more horizontal, collaborative manner. What Obama did differently was to empower the new, digitally active, younger political class by involving…

In this article, the author profiles Dr. Elisabeth Caspari (1899-2002). As a teacher of teachers, Caspari traveled extensively for 50 years, sharing the wisdom she had gleaned from her training under Dr. Maria Montessori in Adyar, India, and from 4 years of frequent association with Montessori and her son, Mario, in Kodaikanal. The threads of…

Over the past 5 years, the author has visited scores of Montessori classrooms, most of them in the United States and Canada, and has observed many commonalities among them. For example, in almost every classroom, children freely chose their activities and engaged hands-on with material objects. They took care of the environment, wiping up their…

Ukraine had been under Soviet domination for 75 years. Its institutions, including its educational system, were guided by rules established in Moscow. When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, the country had opportunities to reinvent itself. In this article, the author discusses the Ukrainian Montessori Project, a successful partnership between…

This article presents an interview with Montessorians, namely Chandra Fernando, Ellen Selvidge, Sonnie McFarland, and Donna Kaiser. In an interview, these Montessorians discuss how they become involved with Montessori education and describe their involvement in Montessori over the years. They also discuss the impact of their Montessori training on…

The role of the Skalel family and their founding of Whitby School in 1958 were the spark that started the Montessori movement in the United States. Ann Skalel was impressed with the Montessori method, having seen it in practice in Ireland, that she wanted to start such a school in Greenwich, CT for her grandchildren. Tragically, Skalel and her…

Though Montessorians have existed in the United States for nearly a century, a distinctly American version of the system did not begin to take hold until the late 1950s. What was referred to at the time as the "second spring" was actually a remarkable moment not just for Montessori education, but also for American culture at large. For…