becoming takes time: why the second plane requires trust
If you have chosen Montessori for your child, you have not simply chosen smaller class sizes, or a different curriculum, or just for the aesthetics. You have chose a philosophy. And philosophy only works when it is trusted. Upper Elementary – the heart of the Second Plane of Development (9-12) – is where that trust…
what happens when children don’t truly socialize
There is something different about children right now. Not their intelligence.Not their creativity.Not their potential. Their ability to be with one another. As a Montessori teacher, I spend my days observing children in community. Montessori environments are intentionally designed for social development: multi-age groupings, collaborative work, grace and courtesy lessons, conflict resolution, freedom within limits.And…
planning for a future that feels out of reach.
There is something deeply disorienting about being a teacher right now. Our entire profession is built on the assumption that the future exists — that it is reachable, shapeable, worth preparing for. Every lesson plan, every project, every carefully crafted unit is an act of hope. We plan because we believe these children will step…
teaching is inherently political – especially in Montessori
But that truth is impossible to ignore. When we talk about teaching being political, we are not talking about party lines, elections, or political campaigns. We are talking about values. We are talking about power, justice, responsibility, and the kind of society we are preparing children to live in—and eventually lead. Every day, teachers make…
the child in front of us.
There is a quiet, difficult truth many teachers carry: sometimes the biggest obstacle in a child’s growth is not the child, but the gap between who the child truly is and who the adults around them believe they are. Every parent dreams of a certain kind of child. A kind child. A respectful child. A…
the changing reality of the classroom.
Working with children has never been easy. Every classroom brings together a wide range of personalities, needs, struggles, and behaviors. What works beautifully for one child may completely miss the mark for another. One year you might have a calm group eager to learn; the next, a room full of children who would rather do…
montessori found me.
At twenty years old, my life had come to a complete standstill. I was stuck in a chapter I hadn’t chosen and didn’t know how to escape. Because of immigration issues, my future felt sealed shut. I couldn’t legally work. I couldn’t legally attend school. Everything I had fought for during my high school years—including…
the quiet burnout: what teachers are carrying right now.
Not enough is said about the emotional toll teaching takes—especially in times like these. We are living in an era where anger and division feel louder than compassion, where hatred often seems to be the prevailing emotion, and where the very people meant to lead us thrive on keeping us apart. Our children are watching…
we have so much to say.
Teachers always have so much to say. We carry stories—some joyful, some heavy, many unforgettable. We carry advice earned through experience, guidance shaped by trial and error, and truths formed in classrooms filled with children from every corner of the world. We have taught students shaped by different cultures, different parenting styles, different abilities, and…
Confessions of a Montessori Teacher 