"If, like some, you regret that Montessori too rarely in her writings appreciated the humanity of teachers-their creativity, their curiosity, their doubts-this book stands as the perfect complement."-Jola-Montessori.com Evocative and unique, The Tao of Montessori offers a quiet balance to the noisy demands of teaching and parenting through a special blend of encouraging verse. Award-winning Montessori teacher Catherine McTamaney revisits the eighty-one verses of Lao-tzu's Tao Te Ching and relates them to the life and work of teachers, parents, and children. Originally meant to remind rather than direct and to show the way toward natural harmony in the world around and within us, Lao-tzu's verses find a new meaning through McTamaney's skillful mixture of spirituality and education. Take a moment to read a single stanza, then put it aside and muse upon its meaning. By revisiting one verse each day, you can relate its images to your life as a teacher, parent, or child. Whether you are familiar with the writings of Lao-tzu or are simply ready to explore a refreshingly contemplative perspective on children and teachers, The Tao of Montessori is a profound work of intellectual stimulation.

Charting the progress of twelve children in a real Texas classroom, educator Donna Goertz shows how positive change can occur given the proper environment. In each case she describes a child's transformation from destructive troublemaker to responsible citizen of the classroom community. Readers will learn how to apply Montessori methods to virtually any early elementary environment.

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Can we measure what we treasure? Can we build and sustain truly excellent schools focused on the ambitious goal of human flourishing? And can we hold ourselves accountable to the children and families we serve in ways that harness data to advance that goal? The National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector says “yes”! The Montessori Assessment Playbook shows us how to do it. Organized around 33 discrete tools, the Playbook provides a clear and actionable scaffold for building an assessment protocol that captures compelling student outcomes, such as perseverance, compassion, and creativity, and that links those outcomes to the investments we make to classrooms and schools. Emphasizing both coherence and precision, the Montessori Assessment Playbook shows us how to develop and implement a comprehensive assessment framework focused on human flourishing and, just as important, why such a framework is urgently needed.

This book shares the experiences and insight of a Montessori educator over the course of her 40 years as a Montessori teacher, administrator, school owner, and Montessori teacher trainer. It addresses the need for parents and educators to better understand the Montessori philosophy and to embrace it as a means to solve the problems inherent in the traditional structure of education in the United States. Despite the fact that Dr. Maria Montessori created this method over 100 years ago, most of her discoveries about how children learn and the effect of their environment on their developing brains have only recently been validated by current technology and specialists in brain development. These recent discoveries and the real-world success of numerous high-profile Montessori-educated entrepreneurs have helped the popularity of this educational philosophy. Turning Education Inside-Out: Confessions of a Montessori Principal shows the impact that the Montessori experience has on the developing child, clears up misconceptions about exactly what Montessori is, and helps prospective parents determine if Montessori is right for their child. Montessori educators will also find the author's insights into the challenges of successfully implementing the Montessori philosophy into the classroom and school to be helpful in their own journey.