William (Biff) Maier is Director of Faculty and Curriculum Development at Lexington Montessori School in Massachusetts. He co-directs the Montessori Elementary Teacher Training Collaborative (METTC) in Lexington, MA Biff also works with the Center for Advanced Montessori Studies in Vancouver, B.C. and the International Montessori Education Institute in Taiwan.
Involved with Montessori since 1974, Mr. Maier is a seminar presenter, consultant and mentor to Emerging Leader Fellows for the American Montessori Society. As former Chair of the AMS Teachers’ Section, he served on the AMS National Board of Directors. He received the AMS Living Legacy Award for 2020. Biff earned his B.A. in psychology from Duke University and his M.Ed. from Xavier University, where he also received his AMS Early Childhood and Elementary 6-9 credentials. He also earned an AMI 6-12 credential from the International Center for Advanced Montessori Studies in Bergamo, Italy.

Mr. Maier is married to a psychiatrist who practices privately in Arlington, Massachusetts, and they have two adult children who are Montessori graduates . Ida is a linguist and novelist living in Paris. Ted is a recent college graduate who works in litigation consulting in New York City.

Charlotte Cushman attended Lewis and Clark College, Portland, Oregon, where she received a B.S degree in elementary education in 1972. Immediately after graduation, she took her Montessori training from Lena Wikramaratne (a colleague and friend of Maria Montessori). She has: both AMI and AMS Montessori certifications, over 40 years teaching experience, and co-owned and operated two Montessori schools. She speaks to the general public on education and authored Montessori: Why It Matters for Your Child’s Success and Happiness, Effective Discipline the Montessori Way, and Your Life Belongs to You.

Simone Davies is the author of “The Montessori Toddler” book and popular blog “The Montessori Notebook”, host of “The Montessori Notebook podcast,” and currently runs parent-child Montessori classes in Amsterdam at her school Jacaranda Tree Montessori. She is also mother to two young adults. Finding Montessori helped her so much when raising her own children and it’s now her passion to help other parents introduce these ideas in their homes too. She is currently co-writing “The Montessori Baby” (0-12 months) and “The Montessori Child” (3-12 years) with Junnifa Uzodike

Inspired by Dr. Maria Montessori’s philosophy, Punum Bhatia, PhD has dedicated her life to Montessori education as a parent, teacher, and teacher educator for over thirty years. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature; earned Masters’ degrees in English Literature and Education from the University of Calcutta; and completed a certificate diploma in Montessori Pedagogy. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Colorado Denver in 2012 for her work on the Self-Efficacy of Montessori teachers. In her efforts to understand children and the environments necessary for them to grow and flourish, Punum focuses on Maria Montessori’s original philosophy and techniques. After teaching the Montessori method to cohorts all around the world, she is now the proud owner of her very own bilingual preschool, Montessori Casa International in Denver, Colorado. She is the author of The Montessori Difference: Creating a Children’s House, Cultivator of the Human Spirit: Revisiting Maria Montessori’s Journey, A Montessori Workbook, Volumes 1, 2, 3 and The Inspired Child. Book list available here.
www.mcidenver.edu / www.punumbhatia.com

Dr. Acker serves as principal of The Child Unique/Montessori Elementary Intermediate School of Alameda for 37 years. She holds degrees in education, Human Development and Culture & Spirituality. Cindy graduated from UC Berkeley with a doctorate in Educational Leadership. Cindy has served in public policy, as former VP of the National Child Care Association and policy adviser, representing Montessori schools. Cindy leads the Social Justice Task Force for the International Montessori Council, holding weekly IMC Town Halls on individual and systemic racism. She is a published author and an international keynote speaker, specializing in social justice and racism issues.

Ms. Letty Rising earned her B.A. in Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, obtained her State Teaching Credential through the California State University, San Marcos, and participated in AMS Montessori training for ages 6-9, before earning her AMI elementary diploma for ages 6-12 and M.Ed from Loyola University in Maryland. Ms. Rising moved into her first administrative role because she wanted a Montessori school for her daughters and there were none in existence where she lived, so she started one! She has held positions as a Homeschool Education Specialist, Montessori Elementary Teacher, School Director, Principal, Montessori Coordinator, Teacher Trainer, and Consultant with several different Montessori communities over the years, working in schools with children from infant through adolescence throughout the United States and worldwide. In addition, she frequently blogs for Montessori organizations and has developed online courses for Montessori teachers and homeschool parents.

Jana earned her B.A. in English Literature from Indiana University, New Albany, and obtained her State Teaching Credential with a Reading Specialist Endorsement from the state of Indiana. She earned her Master's in Education with an emphasis in Montessori Education through the St Catherine University, St. Paul, MN. Jana holds AMS 2.5-6 certification, an AMI Assistant´s certificate for 0-3, and RIE Level 1 from Ruth Anne Hammond and Deborah Greenwald, and participated in CGMS 6-12 training, and Administrative coursework through the Montessori Foundation. Jana started her Montessori journey when her children were infants, and led 3-6 classrooms from 1999 to 2015, before transitioning to a director position at one of the longest-running Montessori schools in Louisville. In 2001, she started as an instructor for an AMS/MACTE TEP. Today, she teaches for a number of MACTE teacher education programs in the US and Asia and is the Director of VMAT, a MACTE/IMC TEP in Hanoi, Vietnam. She has held positions as a long-term substitute, Education Specialist, Lead Teacher, Montessori Elementary Teacher, School Director, Montessori Level Coordinator, and Consultant. Jana has developed online courses for Montessori teachers and homeschool parents and offers continued support to parents and mentorship to teachers, which brings her great joy. She also cares for her infant granddaughter on weekday mornings, which is the best kind of training she could engage in at the moment.

Shawn Edwards received her B.A. in Psychology and Human Services, her AMI Elementary Montessori training and certification, her M.A. in Transformational Coaching and Leadership.  She is also a Positive Discipline parenting coach and trainer. She began her Montessori career at the Post Oak School in Houston, Texas. In 2006, she moved to Chicago to lead the Alcuin Montessori School, followed by a transfer back to Texas as the Executive Director of the Community Montessori School in Georgetown, Texas. Ms. Edwards has also served as a consultant to various schools and organizations across the country. She has been involved in various leadership training including school leadership courses offered through Independent School Management and the National Association of Independent Schools.  She is currently the Head of School at a LePort Montessori school in Solana Beach, Ca. and the owner of her newest initiative:  ToolHows – „How to Tools for Parents and Schools.“  www.toolhows.com.

Shawn has been married for over 30 years, has three grown children (all who attended Montessori programs), and is a proud grandmother of two Montessori children. When she is not working or studying, she enjoys hiking, camping, reading, writing, participating in and training for adventure runs, and spending time with family.

Paul is the educational director of Designs for Lifelong Learning. He has worked in education as an administrator, university professor, teacher trainer, classroom teacher, researcher, consultant, and author.

A highly regarded international and inspirational speaker, Paul brings transformative learning experiences to educators and parents throughout the world. He is the author of numerous articles and books including An Observer’s Notebook: Learning from Children with the Observation C.O.R.E. He is also the co-author of The 60-Day Montessori Observation Workbook and The Montessori Way, a definitive work on the Montessori experience.

His administrative experiences include working as a head of Montessori schools, and he brought the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program to one of the schools. Paul also works as a director and instructor of Montessori teacher education programs. He has been a Montessori classroom teacher in Montessori early childhood, middle, and high school programs.

Paul holds Montessori teacher certification in early childhood and secondary levels one and two from the American Montessori Society and his doctorate is in Cultural Anthropology.

My names is Wendy Kaneshige. I am at a point were my passion and my work is one. Working with the children in the classroom lights me up and fills up my heart with so much joy. But our work goes beyond the classroom. I found my purpose in helping families in their home setting, providing the tools to understand their toddler and his needs; as well helping other Montessori guides prepare their environments to fit the needs of the children. Being the support system needed to better themselves and better serve the families in their communities.  Creator of: Keystobloom.com 

Shamiemah Jassiem became involved in the Montessori Philosophy while working at a Montessori school as a university student. She simultaneously enrolled for the part-time Montessori training course and later took over the school. Shamiemah has over 7 years of experience as office manager and principal at Montessori schools. She also assisted in the management of two different schools, worked as a research assistant at the University of Cape Town and worked as a behaviour therapist assistant. She has presented at several conferences and conducted numerous Montessori workshops in both townships, villages and more affluent areas in South Africa and Ghana. Shamiemah was awarded a distinction for her Masters thesis on Montessori & Religion (University of Cape Town). Her other qualifications include Honours in Psychology (University of the Western Cape; and a B. Soc. Sci. Degree in Psychology & Organisational Psychology (University of Cape Town). She completed her Montessori Pre-Primary Diploma at the Montessori Early Learning Foundation in South Africa (2007), and is a Registered Assessor and Moderator. She has trained Montessori teachers on a full-time basis since 2010 and was awarded the ABSA South African Early Childhood Development (ECD) Best Trainer of the year Award in 2012. She is passionate about creating a world in which all children have access to good education, and believes that we begin by empowering women to offer quality ECD programmes. As a mother of 3, she has been inspired by the Montessori Philosophy and hopes to raise children who believe in themselves and are able to respect themselves, their communities and the environment. 

Author of How People Learn book and leading expert and consultant on brain-based learning design. She is the president of Instructional Design Inc., a company behind hundreds of successful corporate and educational programs both online and in-person, delivered in a variety of different languages. In addition to consulting with Fortune 500 organisations on learning projects, Olimpia is the founder of Book to Courses™ Online School whose main goal is to teach authors how to transform a nonfictional book into live courses or apps.

Maria Eva Chaffin is originally from Venezuela. She is married with three boys and two dogs. She is in the process of completing her Doctoral Dissertation in Organizational Leadership. She holds a Master of Science in Exceptional Student Education, a Master’s Degree in Business Education, a Bachelor’s in Special Education, as well as a Montessori Teacher Certification in early childhood. Maria Eva is the founder of Seeds of Life Montessori Academy and Challenging Children and Montessori, a consultant, and a Faculty member of Sarasota University, where she is a professor in the Montessori Master Program. She has over 21 years of teaching experience and has been in the Montessori field for 10 years. It is her great passion to work with children with special needs and since completing her Montessori training she has fallen in love with the method. With her background and experience, she is convinced that the Montessori method is the best way for children to learn.

Frank Leto is an early childhood educator, a musician, a composer and a Montessori teacher who has been working in Montessori schools through out the country for 40 years. He is also a professional musician, Orff music teacher and steel band director. He brilliantly combines his skills as both teacher and musician to create a sound that children love! Frank’s music for children is exceptionally popular with teachers and parents throughout the United States. His music is designed to encourage children’s participation through singing, dancing, fingerplays, games and exercises. Frank has ten interactive, multicultural CD’s, two of which have won educational awards. Some of his music is also available in Spanish and Mandarin. He also has a curriculum book, “Method to Music” which outlines his unique approach to music education. Frank Leto travels nationally and internationally, presenting keynote speeches and workshops at educational conferences including the Music Educators Association (MEA), the Association for the Education of Young Children (AEYC), the Chinese Montessori Society (CMS) and the American Montessori Society to name a few. Frank’s clinics promote his own approach to imparting the love of music on to children. His interactive workshops are designed for non-musicians. In the course of a single workshop, attendees are singing, dancing and playing instruments with a new sense of confidence. With newly learned skills, they enthusiastically return to the classroom and enrich the child’s musical environment.

Join my weekly virtual music class.

Michael Strong is the founder of Expanse, a virtual middle school based on warm peer relationships, including Socratic dialogue, team projects, and personal mentoring.  He is an experienced school creator whose projects include Moreno Valley High School, a charter school in New Mexico ranked the 36th best public school in the U.S. by Newsweek; Winston Academy, a school for highly gifted students in Florida who successfully completed AP exams; and The Academy of Thought and Industry, the high school model for the largest U.S. Montessori network. He is the author of The Habit of Thought: From Socratic Seminars to Socratic Practice and Be the Solution: How Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalists Can Solve All the World’s Problems.

An advocate for respectful and effective communication, Paula has worked in Early Childhood education in China for more than 20 years. An experienced Montessorian and teacher trainer for the 0-6 age group, Paula is also a parenting specialist/family consultant and a licensed Gordon Training International Parent Effectiveness Training (P.E.T.) Instructor. A sought after speaker at international conferences, Paula connects with her audiences through humour and anecdotal experience, drawn from both her years of working with children and their families as well as from co-parenting her own, cross-cultural family. Paula is intensely fascinated by the mind and the study of human behaviour and is an ongoing student of Interpersonal Neurobiology. She is also a children’s yoga and mindfulness guide and believes strongly in the importance of arming our children with the skills of mindfulness and emotional regulation. 

A TEDx speaker, Paula’s recent passionate talk on the importance of listening to children has been shared extensively throughout the world. Paula is the co-founder of Insight Education, a consultancy practice with a mission to nurture the healthy growth of every child through supporting schools, families and communities world-wide and currently works as the Director of Programs for Higher Ground Education/Guidepost Montessori, China.

Sara McCarty is the founder of Run Wild My Child, an online resource dedicated to getting kids (and their parents) outside and into nature, one adventure at a time. An attorney by day and mother of three (ages 8, 6, and 2), Sara started blogging over 10 years ago and wrote for several large publications on parenting. Her posts about her family's outdoor adventures while camping, fly fishing, hiking, and creeking were always the most popular, so she started Run Wild My Child in 2017 to help inspire other families to get outdoors with their kids and foster a love of nature. Run Wild My Child helps parents take the guesswork out of being outdoors by providing practical advice, fun and easy outdoor activities for kids of all ages, kid-friendly gear recommendations, family travel tips, and nature-inspired educational resources.  

Dr. Marlene Barron’s distinguished international career in Montessori education spans over 50 years. She founded the Staten Island Montessori School in 1965, and was Head of West Side Montessori School in New York City from 1979 – 2007 and co-director of its teacher education program until 2008. During this time, she earned a Ph.D. from New York University in early childhood education with a specialization in emergent literacy. On her retirement in 2008, she shifted her focus to workig with schools and teacher education organizations in China and Japan.

Her books for teachers and parents and her articles have been translated into Spanish, Japanese, and Chinese. Most recently, she authored a 4-book series for parents, 真正的蒙氏教育在家庭: 50 个经典语言游戏造就孩子表达能力 Real Montessori Education Happens in the Family, 2017, CITIC Press, Beijing, China.

Her other books for parents include the Ready, Set, Learn series published by John Wiley & Sons in 1995/1996, and I Learn to Read and Write the Way I Learn to Talk: A Very First Book about Whole Language published by Richard C. Owen in English (1990) and Spanish (1993). Her books for teachers include Recording and Reporting: A Comprehensive Recordkeeping System for Early Childhood 记录与报告: 一个全面的幼儿视察与记录系统(1985/2019) and Sensorial Ideas 感官教育思路 (1983/2019).

Dr. Barron has worked tirelessly throughout her career to bring the highest standard of education to children. Her organizational abilities, her attention to detail and her unwavering pursuit of excellence has had an undeniable impact on the spread of quality Montessori education worldwide.
Most important, she is a Montessori mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.

Shawn Edwards received her B.A. in Psychology and Human Services, her AMI Elementary Montessori training and certification, her M.A. in Transformational Coaching and Leadership.  She is also a Positive Discipline parenting coach and trainer. She began her Montessori career at the Post Oak School in Houston, Texas. In 2006, she moved to Chicago to lead the Alcuin Montessori School, followed by a transfer back to Texas as the Executive Director of the Community Montessori School in Georgetown, Texas. Ms. Edwards has also served as a consultant to various schools and organizations across the country. She has been involved in various leadership training including school leadership courses offered through Independent School Management and the National Association of Independent Schools.  She is currently the Head of School at a LePort Montessori school in Solana Beach, Ca. and the owner of her newest initiative:  ToolHows – „How to Tools for Parents and Schools.“  www.toolhows.com.

Shawn has been married for over 30 years, has three grown children (all who attended Montessori programs), and is a proud grandmother of two Montessori children. When she is not working or studying, she enjoys hiking, camping, reading, writing, participating in and training for adventure runs, and spending time with family.

Katelynn Johnson is the founder, director, and sole teacher at Germany's 1st Montessori early learning center. At her school, Montessori Mother ELC, 80 toddlers and babies attend 1-2 hour Montessori classes with their parents every week. Katelynn is an AMI-certified Assistant to Infancy. She has been teaching for over eight years and is specialised in multilingual environments and language development.

Pamela Green is the founder, owner, and teacher at Ananda Montessori, in the US, which is a Montessori Parent-Infant and Child program. Pamela has served as a childbirth educator, birth doula, and assistant midwife, since 1990, and guides parents from a Montessori perspective.  She is Montessori credentialed (Early Childhood, Elementary I -II, and as a Parent- Infant Facilitator). Her work in Montessori spans over 30 years, and she mentors and consults with parents, teachers, schools, and administrators, worldwide.

Margaret Whitley is a speaker, writer, Montessori consultant and lifelong learner.  After attending Montessori as a child and completing elementary teacher training in Italy, she spent more than 35 years in Montessori education, including teaching all levels of elementary and establishing the first Montessori middle school in Canada in 1988. She embraced many other roles in Montessori leadership including head of school, Montessori parent, teacher trainer and Director of School Accreditation.  Guided by her belief that all humans have incredible potential, she continues highlighting education that supports and celebrates community and individual’s uniqueness. Margaret is completing an educational memoir, A World of Difference.

Sandra Houston is a seasoned Montessorian with over 50 years of experience as a primary and charter school founder, Montessori teacher, administrator, teacher trainer and leadership consultant. She holds a BA in Education and various other certifications. She has trained under Dr. & Mrs. Claude Claremont, Ms. Lena Wikramaratne, Estella C. Palmieri and Mario Montessori, among others. Sandra has served as an evaluator for MACTE and NCA. She has founded, owned and operated nine primary schools and founded five Montessori charter schools. She has spoken at several conferences and published numerous articles in educational magazines.  Sandra has just launched her business, Montessori “N” More to promote various custom curriculum materials that she has created along with the lost Montessori curriculum that belonged to the Claremont’s.

Since 1983, Claudia Mann has been enchanted with Montessori education. Certified Elementary I, II and Secondary I, Ms. Mann has guided children and adults in classrooms and schools to be passionate learners, sustaining Cosmic Education as the heart and soul of the Montessori vision. After more than 25 years in the classroom, Ms. Mann was part of the founding team at Chaffee County Montessori School in Salida, CO. After nearly 10 years with CCMS, she and her husband relocated to southern California where she became the Head of School for LePort Montessori Encinitas. Ms. Mann currently coaches teachers and school leaders both onsite and online through www.fossilicious.com and www.inspired-learning-Montessori-education.com.

• Trainer of Montessori Teacher Preparation International (MTPI)&MTP OF WA
• Montessori Certificated Teacher from 0-12 years
• AMI Assistants to Infancy Certificated Teacher (0-3)
• AMI Montessori Institute of Atlanta Foundation course(3-6)
• AMI Montessori Institute of Atlanta Certificated Elementary Teacher (6-12)
• University of Leeds, UK - M.A. (Hons) in International Communication
• Communication University of China - M.A.(Hons) in Television Arts and Technology
• Communication University of China - B.A. (Hons) in Television Journalism
  Dad of 4 kids, Living in GA, USA

• Trainer of Montessori Teacher Preparation International (MTPI)&MTP OF WA
• Montessori Certificated Teacher from 0-12years
• Founder of Luna Montessori International(LMI)
• MIA Montessori Institute OF America certificated Teacher (0-6years)
• AMI Montessori Institute of Atlanta Foundation course（3-6years）
• AMI Montessori Institute of Atlanta Certificated Elementary Teacher (6-12years)
• Mom of 4 kids, Living in GA,USA

Meishan is a bilingual artist and educator who has a keen ability to see the distinct intricacies of the world around her. As a practicing artist, Meishan weaves her life experiences into her art. As an educator, Meishan has held numerous roles in primary and secondary educations as well as higher education. With her own international education experiences, she is eager to promote the creative learning through art globally. To simply bring more creative art experiences to more families and make art accessible to all. 

Pam Shanks has been involved in both Montessori and special education for her entire teaching career. In addition to her AMS 3-6 credential, Pam earned a master’s degree in special education from the University of Kansas and held licensing for early childhood education, early childhood special education, and severe multiple disabilities while teaching in Kansas. She worked as a lead teacher in a primary classroom at Raintree Montessori School, Lawrence, KS, for over 30 years. She coordinated the program of inclusion at Raintree while also serving as a supervising teacher for graduate practicum students from KU’s department of special education placed at Raintree. She served as a Field Based Consultant for the entire tenure of the Inclusive Network of Kansas (INKS) and was an instructor for the University of East Carolina's Deafblind Intervener Program for several years. She has presented at a variety of conferences including the Montessori World Congress in Portland; authored many articles on special education in Montessori environments; was a contributing author for 2 books; and authored several on-line modules on special education topics. She currently serves as the Associate Head of School at Bowman School in Palo Alto, CA where she continues to support Montessori teachers and inclusive education.

Anna Langstaff has spent the past fifteen years teaching in Montessori primary and elementary classrooms and working with teachers in training in the US and abroad. She is currently the Head of School at Whole Child Montessori Center in Portland, Oregon. She holds a BA from the University of Michigan and is Montessori credentialed for ages 3-12. She is currently a graduate student at Portland State University pursuing a Masters in Inclusive Early Childhood Education with a focus on special education and infant/toddler mental health. Anna is the parent of a six year old who has developmental language disorder and an intellectual disability. His years in the Montessori classroom have helped him thrive. In her free time she loves reading, hiking, trying new recipes and spending time with her family.

Anya, Montessori From The Heart, Esq. turned SAHM, a blogger, an author, and a mentor. I help families, teachers, and educators to embark on an enchanting path of Montessori living by igniting the love of learning, espousing intrinsic motivation, and fostering independent thinking and creative problem-solving. An attorney by degree, I am an educator by heart! After discovering the Montessori way of life, I have embraced it wholeheartedly, raising and homeschooling two of my children, "the Montessori way." Being passionate about little people, the Montessori method, and the love of learning,  I respect and follow the child while offering a supportive and sufficiently stimulating prepared environment which spurs enthusiasm and hands-on exploration!  

My goal is to introduce the Montessori homeschool education model to parents, bringing Montessori to any home, despite the size or resource limitations. Montessori is the way of life, and all you have to do is embrace it and live it! Anyone can do it! To learn more you can follow my blog where you can find my ebook .

Ruth Anne Hammond, consultant and author of Respecting Babies: A Guide to Educaring for Parents & Professionals  2nd Edition (Zero to Three 2019), is a RIE® Mentor, and past-President of Resources for Infant Educarers®. She was faculty in the Human Development Department at Pacific Oaks College & Children's School, as well as head of its Infant/Toddler-Parent Program. She currently leads RIE® courses for parents and professionals in the US and abroad and  studies affective neuroscience with Dr. Allan N. Schore.

Kira Solomatova has a Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development. Although both of her parents were engineers, Kira dreamed about working with children from the time she was seven years old. Having taught preschool for many years in Pasadena, Kira discovered RIE® and became a RIE® Associate because not only is it inspirational because it advocates for babies, but because it has helped her to become more authentic. She published her first book, Toby is My Bear, as part of a conflict resolution series for preschoolers, and she has a blog about conflicts with toddlers and preschoolers, ihadaconflicttoday.blogspot.com. She founded Our Parenting Place with a partner, designed to help parents be more effective, find support, acquire information and network (ourparentingplace.com) and has a wide following on social media. Kira teaches RIE® Parent-Infant Guidance™ classes, leads workshops, and offers private consultation in English and Russian.

Gabrielle Kotkov is the creator of the Multilingual Montessori website and Instagram. She is an AMI- trained 3-6 Montessori Guide and a native of New York City. She earned her AMI 3-6 Diploma at the Maria Montessori Institute in London, England, and has worked in Montessori schools in New York, London, and Austin, Texas. She holds a bachelor's degree from Vassar College and a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Certificate from Teachers College Columbia University. She was awarded a Fulbright Grant to spend a year teaching English to Italian high schoolers in Catania, Sicily. Gabrielle is fluent in English and Italian, and also speaks French and a bit of Spanish. She currently works as a Montessori Children's House Guide and is earning a Masters in Child Studies degree from Linköping University in Sweden. 

Dr. Philip Snow Gang is Founder of The Institute for Educational Studies (TIES) and its graduate programs in Integrative Learning and Montessori Integrative Learning. He is a pioneer in the field of integrative, systemic and transformative approaches to education. He is the author of Rethinking Education, co-author of Conscious Education: The Bridge to Freedom and developer of the mobile mind-mapping simulation, Our Planet, Our Home. His new book, Educating for Right-Action and Love: Extending and Expanding the Montessori Vision will be released later this year.

Lucie is a mum of two partly homeschooled multilingual kids and Montessori advocate. She is AMI 3-6 guide. She co-founded Montessori parental school in Italy. She has been for 3 years president of non-profit Montessori association there as well. She loves to travel and discover the world with her kids. She does Montessori consulting  for Montessorihracky.cz, Montessoriparenting.org and coordinates this wonderful conference.

Passionate about education, Barbara holds a PhD from Northwestern University. She also counts with a Montessori certificate from CGMS. Following her experience in academia, Barbara ventured into entrepreneurship. As the mother of two while living in Italy, she fell in love with the Montessori philosophy. Now the co-creator of Montessori Gym, Barbara is fulfilling her dream of contributing to child wellness and education.

After graduating as an Engineer from UBA University, Martin has dedicated his professional life to technology applied to health, sports and rehabilitation. His expertise and experience extend across the areas of physiological, biomechanical and cognitive training and monitoring, where Martin has worked with institutions such as Olympic committees, universities, professional sports teams, high performance athletes and young players’ academies.

Charlotte Snyder is Head of School at The Baan Dek Montessori in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She attended Montessori through Elementary in California, and completed the Primary training at Montessori Northwest in 2010, and earned a Master of Education degree from Loyola University Maryland. She particularly enjoys sharing Montessori  philosophy and building relationships with families on Baan Dek’s blog and podcast.

Kiran Paek has been in Montessori field over 30 years ago. After receiving her credentials in the early childhood level, she began her career as an assistant teacher and became a master teacher at Princeton Montessori School in Princeton, NJ. After over a decade of teaching at Princeton Montessori, she founded and became the director of Lawrence Montessori School in 2008. Upon finding an opportunity for a directorship at an AMS training center, she moved to Beijing in 2015. Subsequently, she moved to Shanghai to take a director position at a satellite AMS training center. Currently she is the founder and director of a MACTE accredited and AMS affiliated training center, Advanced Study Center for Montessori Community, for which she has developed a hybrid learning programs for early childhood and infant/toddler programs, in Wuxi, China. Since 2007, she has served as a site verifier for Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE) and American Montessori Society (AMS).

She holds Early Childhood AMS credential, Master of Early Childhood from Chaminade University of Honolulu in Hawaii, Master of Fine Art from Tisch School of Art in New York University. She loves to take a walk and sing in a choir. Her four children and two granddaughters have been her inspiration to be a part of Montessori Community. She hopes that the ripples of this small movement influence the lives of children, parents and educators in the global community.

I am stay at home mum from Malaysia. I have a bachelor´s degree from University Malaysia Sabah and Cambridge International Diploma for Teachers and Trainers from Methodist College Kuala Lumpur. I was a private secondary school teacher (in Malaysia) for 2 years,  teaching Physics and Additional Mathematics for upper secondary. 

My kids are aged 8, 6 and 4 years old. My 8 and 6 years old currently attending an  International School while my youngest is attending a Montessori 3-6 preschool. I am not trained in any Montessori program and I am not homeschooling my kids. I discovered Montessori learning principles and learning activities in 2017, and since then I taught myself how to prepare and present materials and try to create Montessori inspired materials and activities at home, since Montessori learning materials can be expensive.  

Creating Montessori inspired materials is quite fun and together with my kids, I am learning  new things too. All the activities that we do at home takes place in the evening (1-hour learning cycle).

See printables that I have created
My work on my social media: Instagram, Facebook

Lorena Tasker has served in the education field for over twenty years. She has been the Assistant Director at Miami Shores Montessori School in Miami, Florida for the past five years and has seventeen years of teaching experience. She began her career as a lower elementary teacher in Argentina and continued as an Early Childhood AMS certified lead teacher in Miami, Florida. She holds an Associate Degree in Elementary Education and a Bachelor of Science in Administration. Lorena is currently an adult educator and instructor at International Center for Montessori Studies. In recent years, she has become deeply immersed in the practice of Kundalini yoga and obtained an instructor certification, sharing ancient teachings to help others find their true essence and purpose. Passionate about children and holistic education, Lorena genuinely believes in self-development as a path for mental and spiritual growth that leads to serving others.

Sylvia Arotin has had over 10 years experience in Montessori teaching and is the founder and director of My Montessori (0-6 yrs) school in Sydney, Australia. Her passion for children’s learning and development, as well as supporting and educating adults, has been fundamental in developing her well-established Guide & Grow brand. Guide & Grow is the largest online Montessori support platform for parents/educators in the world with over 150,000 members in the village. Guide & Grow helps parents and educators to build their skill set through NESA accredited workshops, online resources & training seminars; specializing in the art of Montessori communication, guiding behaviour & building children’s skill set. Her wealth of knowledge and drive has helped paved her way to success throughout the years. She holds an International Montessori 0-3yrs training, 3-6 AMI Assistants training, an International Communications degree and a Masters in Teaching specializing in early childhood (0-5 yrs) (Honours) from Macquarie University. Sylvia is truly an inspirational motivator to all those who cross her path, be it educators, parents or the wider community and she looks forward to continuing her global mission of spreading authentic Montessori in the years to come. You can contact Sylvia through www.guideandgrow.com. 

Nathalie is a Montessori mom and Upper Elementary co-guide at Villa Montessori School, based in Punta Cana. She helps parents create opportunities for exploration, creativity, and independence at home through meaningful activities and tips inspired in the Montessori method.
As a former architect, as well as a Montessori child herself, she believes in the power of self-directed activity and hands-on learning.
She offers personalized consulting and workshops for parents who want to implement Montessori and respectful parenting practices. Connect with her through her Instagram page.

Susan Tracy McDaniel, M.Ed., Director of Learning Together Education, has made a practice of observing children for more than 30 years. As a consultant to many schools and social service agencies, Susan has applied Montessori educational methods in a variety of settings, including a Chicago homeless shelter, native American and migrant communities. Susan is a parenting coach and speaks frequently to groups of parents and educators. Since 1993, she has taught Montessori Philosophy and Child Development at Seton Montessori Institute. Susan has also taught numerous Montessori and Parenting courses in the US, Europe, and Asia. She is a former adjunct professor at Kendall College in Chicago. Susan has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Northwestern University and a Master’s Degree in Education from Loyola College in Baltimore. She has Montessori certificates from the American Montessori Society and the Association Montessori Internationale. She is also a certified practitioner of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), a therapeutic technique related to acupuncture. She insists that her real education has been through parenting five children and observing hundreds of others. She was a Montessori teacher for thirty years, working with children ages birth through six.

Susan speaks frequently, sharing anecdotes and observations with audiences large and small. She delights in the discoveries that children make every day and is driven by her resolve to help children by educating adults. Her goal is to make Montessori available in communities everywhere through Parent-Infant programs. She is currently supporting new programs in western Africa. Susan Tracy McDaniel may be contacted at Learning Together Education, www.LearningTogetherEducation.org, www.parentinfant.org 

Teri Canaday Freeman started her Montessori career in1973. She helped start the first AMS public Montessori school in Cincinnati, Ohio under the leadership of Nancy Rambusch in 1975.  Since that time, Teri has helped start several public Montessori schools and has taught in both small and large private Montessori schools.  She was Executive Director of the Montessori Early Childhood and Elementary School in Jackson, TN for 28 years, and Director of an AMS-affiliated teacher education program, MEINA that was conducted in Jackson. Teri had been a long-term member of AMS´s Executive Peace Committee and has worked on developing a peace curriculum outline for teachers.  Teri is currently working with IMC as a field consultant and on a task force to reflect on how to create Montessori teacher education programs that are anti-racist/anti-biased. She is passionate about helping others create a culture of peace within their schools and reflecting on how to create peace within ourselves.

Since 1983, Claudia Mann has been enchanted with Montessori education. Certified Elementary I, II and Secondary I, Ms. Mann has guided children and adults in classrooms and schools to be passionate learners, sustaining Cosmic Education as the heart and soul of the Montessori vision. After more than 25 years in the classroom, Ms. Mann was part of the founding team at Chaffee County Montessori School in Salida, CO. After nearly 10 years with CCMS, she and her husband relocated to southern California where she became the Head of School for LePort Montessori Encinitas. Ms. Mann currently coaches teachers and school leaders both onsite and online through www.fossilicious.com and www.inspired-learning-Montessori-education.com.