Clark Montessori Junior and Senior High School was the first public Montessori high school in the US. Marta Donahoe and Dean Blase outline the roots and founding principles of Clark Montessori in the context of Montessori pedagogy. Woven throughout this discussion of the Montessori high school environment are guiding principles that Clark adopted…

Karey Lontz's article on learning how to "dominate by observation" (to master the practice of observation so as to use it most effectively for the benefit of the children) takes us from a general to specific understanding of observation. She begins with a look at the importance of observation in human history and in the history of…

Mary Verschuur writes about coming to America in 1962, recruited by Nancy McCormick Rambusch. In this article, she reminisces about the sheer sensation of practicing a new vocation in an unknown location with materials imported in wood crates from Europe and many materials needing to be handmade. A Montessori life in retrospect is worth telling,…

Cheryl Ferreira vigorously pursues the Montessori principles that are implicit for preparing a classroom where "children find all that is needed to work at self-formation and to maximize their inner potential." The Montessori philosophy is precisely conveyed as Cheryl Ferreira details the specific elements and principles, both physical…

Connie Black takes a broad view as she makes the case for the all-day Montessori. She assembles Montessori historical literature to give authenticity to a full-day program that is true to Montessori's "aid to life." The Montessori prepared environment provides "care" day in and day out and includes a focus on practical life as…

Tom Loew says that East Dallas Community Schools have been creating beautiful and functional environments for decades, but developing Bachman Lake Community School was more than creating a school. They also had to establish a community center, scale up staff quickly, service a wide number of families, leverage Montessori training and related…

Joachim Dattke inspires the reader to consider how a truly inclusive society is beneficial for both typical children and children with disabilities. Five essential components are defined for planning inclusive schools, and the key features of a Montessori model are discussed. The first inclusion-by-design school in the world (Munich, Germany),…

Nanette Schonleber makes a remarkable correlation as to why Hawaiian indigenous educators thrive with Montessori pedagogy. Compatible educators share values and goals, such as developmental learning, respect for parenthood, freedom of movement and independence, choice in learning, and specific individualized potential. Hawaiian language and…

Martha Urioste tells a compelling history of public sector Montessori in Denver, from its socially charged beginnings in the 1960s to 2009. She played a huge role in creating the first public Montessori school in Colorado that was launched as an integration model with bilingual classes and staff. This inspirational story begins with her early…

Emily Shubitz appreciates the Nido and all of its facets and is well aware of the pioneers--Adele Costa Gnocchi and Silvana Montanaro--as she emphasizes the Nido being a developmental force rather than just a babysitting source. Her list for creating a Nido environment is thoughtful, extensive, and inclusive: home-like wood furniture, soft rugs,…

The Kodaikanal years were from late 1942 to March, 1944, a period of internment for Maria Montessori against her will in India. Yet in these remote hills, a fanfare and training course emerged, and so did the inspiration for an in-depth unification principle for the elementary program which we now loosely call Cosmic Education. These two…

Although Montessori education is often considered a form of playful learning, Maria Montessori herself spoke negatively about a major component of playful learning--pretend play, or fantasy--for young children. In this essay, the author discusses this apparent contradiction: how and why Montessori education includes elements of playful learning…

Characterizes the Montessori work serving the first 3 years by recounting its genesis; describes early Montessori toddler programs, and the emergence of infant communities internationally in the early 1970s. Highlights ways parents can be supportive of the "spiritual embryo" in cooperation with the school. Suggests how parent education invites…

Discusses Maria Montessori's approach to educating and caring for young children, focusing on her early experiences with poor tenement children in 1907 and the development of the Montessori Method of exploratory, child-centered learning. Argues that children do not have an inner spiritual hunger but are themselves the essence of spirituality,…

Discusses the creation of Maria Montessori's glass-house "Casa dei Bambini" preschool at the San Francisco Panama-Pacific International Exhibition in 1915, which brought the Montessori method of child-centered, individualized, early-childhood education to national attention. Also highlights Montessori's career in Europe and the United…