Breaking the Paradigm

Why do we focus so intensely on child flourishing in Montessori schools while burning out the adults who make it possible? If we believe in human dignity as our core value, how should we evaluate and support teachers? And what happens when we apply self-determination theory—autonomy, competence, and relatedness—not just to children, but to the educators who guide them? These are the questions Caro...

If freedom is our highest democratic value, why don't we give young people freedom in schools? Ellen Roche, my latest guest on Breaking the Paradigm, brings a unique neuroscience perspective to this question. Her research reveals something that should shake us all: we arrive in this world with agency already intact. Babies aren't passive sponges; they're active meaning-makers from day one. So what...

If Maria Montessori started her work with children who had learning differences, why does modern Montessori have a reputation for not serving neurodivergent learners? If we're truly following the child, what happens when that child doesn't fit our preconceived notions of what a "Montessori child" should look like? These are the uncomfortable questions Christine Lowry forces us to confront in this...

What if efficiency is actually the enemy of deep learning? When we prioritize productivity over process, we rob both educators and students of the momentum needed for genuine discovery and growth. Real transformation happens not in rushed 45-minute meetings, but in the spacious conversations that allow ideas to emerge organically. In this thought-provoking conversation with Taylor Henry, lead guid...

What if the key to transforming education isn't new curriculum, but radical love? When we center radical love, hope, and relationality in our classrooms, we create spaces where every student can rediscover the beauty of who they are and can thrive. In this powerful conversation with three of the co-authors of Pedagogies of Voice , Marlo Bagsik, Dr. Sawsan Jaber, and Crystal Watson, we explore how...

What if stepping back actually helps students step forward? Sometimes our impulse to control becomes the very thing that limits learning. When we create space for uncertainty and exploration, students discover capabilities we never knew they had. In this thought-provoking conversation with Jason Blair, an elementary art teacher and prolific education writer from Columbus, Ohio, we dig into what ha...

What if the key to global peace and understanding is dignity ? When we truly understand dignity as our birthright, rather than something to be earned, it points toward liberation for all. In this profound conversation with Kathy Minardi, founder of the Whole School Leadership Institute, we explore how dignity work offers a paradigm shift toward genuine global peace. This conversation reveals the s...

When we talk about education- what do we really mean? Last week, I attended an alumni event called Education at a Crossroads put on by the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. The event began with a call to preserve democracy, emphasizing that education is key to a flourishing society. The presenters, Ivy League professors, argued for more equity and access in education, framin...

“Montessori is only for affluent children.” Have you heard that one before? It’s one of many myths about Montessori that is propagated in the US about a Montessori education. The logic goes that because many Montessori schools in the US are private schools, they must only be successful as private schools. Yet, such an understanding leaves out the significant history of Montessori, and in particula...

The language we use has power- to restrict or to liberate. Ideally, our language points toward liberation for all, reflecting the inclusive potential of a Montessori education. However, that’s not always the case. In this thoughtful conversation with Justin Tosco, his fourth appearance on Breaking the Paradigm, we dig into the importance of rethinking and reframing the language used in Montessori...

Which of these have you heard before? * “My teacher trainer told me to do X when I did my Montessori diploma, and that’s how I’ve been doing it ever since” * “I presented this lesson the same way for 15 years and it’s “worked” every time” * “If a child is not becoming adapted to my environment, it must be that they’re not a good fit for it.” I would wager a guess that any Montessori guide, and per...

What is your emotional response to students “cheating” using technology? The New York Times recently published an article titled “Everyone is Cheating Their Way Through College.” In it, the prospect of students using AI to complete assignments is seen as a largely negative phenomenon. In response to a similar article, I saw a commenter on LinkedIn write that she “requires all work be hand written...

We live in an era where the term “education innovation” is thrown around constantly. New tools, techniques, apps, and trends are nearly abundant. Yet, despite all of these “innovations,” we don’t see the actual system of schooling changing in meaningful ways. The reality is, new tools or technologies won’t change the status quo of schooling which is fundamentally hurting our children; we have to c...

In Montessori education, it’s commonplace to discuss how to support young people toward independence. We prepare environments that are designed to for children and adolescents to experiment, to try and fail as they learn about themselves and the world. Through this process, young people also become integrated into into their classroom communities in a meaningful way. What if we also built these en...

I’ve spoken and written at length on this Substack about how Montessori cannot be separated from social justice. Montessori herself was a social revolutionary. She believed that if we fostered positive human development that our natural human tendency to live in interdependence with one another would flourish. Montessori believed that human unity already existed, but that we merely socialized ours...

We are in a time where issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion are seen as “divisive” and “harmful,” and teachers and students across the country are being persecuted for engaging in DEI work. It’s why, in this moment, those of us with privilege, who have the safety to speak without the repercussions that many others face, need to speak up on the importance of DEI in our schools and our society...

In The Absorbent Mind, Maria Montessori wrote the following: “Love, like that which we feel for the child, must exist potentially between man and man, because human unity does exist and there is no unity without love.” When Montessori describes love, she’s not talking about a feeling. She’s talking about a cosmic force that pulls humans toward interdependence. The force which would give us the abi...

When you observe your students, do you react or respond ? This is not just a semantic difference. When we react to our students, we engage on impulse. We are not considering the impact of our actions outside of the specific moment in which they occur. When we respond to our students, we often start with a pause to ask ourselves the following: How does this student action make me feel? How can I re...

What do parents really want to know about their child’s Montessori education? As a Montessori practitioner, I could talk about the importance of a developmental education for hours, but I doubt parents would want to listen to that. In my recent conversation with Kelly Jonelis and Isabella Cai, founder of Y Montessori, we examined the question of what parents really want to know through the lens of...

When you look at the history of educational reform in the United States, it feels like we’ve tried everything: * No Child Left Behind * Race to the Top * Common Core State Standards * The “science of” fads ( which aren’t as scientific as they claim ) The one thing we haven’t tried? Giving meaningful autonomy to young people. I was honored to bring Dr. Mike Nicholson on my podcast to discuss why we...

How do we support the positive development of boys in our educational spaces? How does creating a truly gender inclusive classroom lift up all young people, including boys? In my last podcast with Tom Brown and Justin Tosco, we got our “section of the choir together” to discuss the crisis of boys in schools and how that manifested in the research and our own personal experiences. If you haven’t li...

When you interact with others, what are you expecting from them? If you asked me this question a few weeks ago, I would have said that I went into interactions with others without expectations. That completely changed with my co-host, Kelly Jonelis shared this phrase with me: Stop expecting you from other people This phrase stopped me in my tracks. I reflected back on interactions I had with adult...

Our boys are not alright. An ideal education environment support all children, and meets all of their developmental needs. However, we have a systemic problem in the US where many classrooms are not prepared to meet the developmental needs of young boys. We see this in all types of education, from traditional to Montessori. Both of my guests, Tom Brown and Justin Tosco, had boys who were counseled...

When I first observed in a Montessori toddler classroom, I was in awe. Children, as young as two years old, were handling glass plates and cups by themselves, they were engaged in solo activities, unaided by an adult, and were able to meet many of their basic human needs. The adults were either working with individuals or observing in the corner of the room. My jaw was on the floor because this re...

What happens when two former Montessori students, now Montessori administrators and leaders, sit down to have a conversation? You get a conversation that goes beyond the scope of a typical education podcast. In typical Montessori fashion, my conversation with Justin Tosco ranged from pedagogy and social justice to family histories and the lost era of 2000’s music. Broadly titled "Montessori for Al...