Montessori education has been around for hundreds of years and is becoming increasingly popular in the U.S.. In this conversation with long time Montessorian, Patty Barshay, we explore Montessori Philosophy and Methodology. We breakdown each topic into Approach, Classroom, and Age Planes. Montessori schools are exceptionally successful, so why aren’t there more of them? Patty thinks it might be due to a lack of teacher training centers.

Patty is Montessori Certified from birth to 6th grade and has been a Montessori teacher since 1974. She has over 37 years experience and has had the good fortune to teach two of her grandchildren. Patty currently spends her time volunteering at the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum where she is still using her Montessori education. In addition to classroom education, she is also a Field Consultant for Teacher Interns and she also serves several schools as a Montessori Consultant.

Since Montessori has been around for awhile, there are plenty of adults who were Montessori students as children. You may recognize some of the following famous names: Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon + owner of The Washington Post, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, co-founders of Google, Sean Combs, famous rapper of Bad Boy Records, Juila Child, first TV chef, George Clooney, Academy Award-winning actor, Anne Frank, Writer, and Prince William and Prince Harry, British nobility. Toward the hour mark Patty recalls a story of one of her former students, Sergey Brin, whom she let him do his work under a table.

You can connect with Patty via email at [email protected].

Patty’s recommended reading: