Voices in Montessori Podcast

Dr. Catherine McTamaney joins the Voices in Montessori podcast to talk about reclaiming the essence of Montessori’s vision: centering the spirituality of both the child and the adult.

With all the pressures Montessori Guides face—from state regulations and accreditation standards to parental expectations—Catherine challenges us to hold those pressures at bay rather than allowing them to determine what we do with the child in front of us. Centering curiosity over judgement affects the way we prepare ourselves, the way we prepare the environment, the way we observe children, and the way we interact with our colleagues. She describes the commitment to authentic Montessori practice as an “act of civil disobedience”—albeit one of the most peaceful kinds. It is an invitation to pause, return to Montessori’s deepest principles, and trust what we know about the child rather than allowing external pressures to dictate our practice.

Anna Perry joins the Voices in Montessori podcast to discuss what it really means to be a prepared adult in Montessori education. In this thoughtful conversation, our host, Tamara Sheesley Balis, and Anna discuss how self-awareness, humility, and reflection transform not only our teaching, but our relationships with children, families, and colleagues.

Anna shares practical stories from the classroom that illustrate how letting go of the ego allows us to respond with empathy instead of defensiveness. The conversation explores why conflict is not something to avoid, but an opportunity for growth, connection, and deeper understanding. They also examine the common misconception that "education for peace" means the absence of conflict, when in reality, peace is cultivated through honest communication, courageous conversations, and learning to resolve disagreements with grace.

Whether you're a classroom guide, school leader, assistant, or parent, this episode offers practical strategies for developing emotional intelligence, navigating difficult conversations, fostering healthy school cultures, and embracing the ongoing work of personal transformation.

Jess Davis joins the Voices in Montessori podcast, hosted by Tamara Sheesley Balis, to discuss the need for explicit instruction on executive functioning for Elementary and Adolescent students in order to set them up for success.

Executive functioning skills are cognitive (thinking) skills that support the processes needed to thrive in all areas of life- socially, physically, and academically. They help us plan, organize, and complete the tasks for basic needs and self-actualization. They help us control our emotions (vs. be controlled by them), actively engage in activities, make good decisions, and complete tasks.

Without strong EF skills, students will struggle to attend to lessons, follow directions, keep track of materials, retain content, and complete tasks. In addition, low EF can mimic a lack of motivation, comprehension, or memory and can be misinterpreted as intentional misbehavior or refusal.

If these challenges sound familiar when thinking of certain students in your classroom, you are not alone. In recent years, executive functioning skills have been an increasing concern for classroom teachers. Jess walks us through what to look for in the classroom, how to address EF deficits, and ways to work EF practice into daily routines. She explains the three categories of executive function, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control, and how these link to innumerable daily tasks. This is a great introduction to Executive Function and systematic ways to support the children in our care who need extra EF support.

Allison Jones and Elizabeth Slade join the Voices in Montessori podcast, hosted by Tamara Sheesley Balis, to discuss the invisible structures that keep a well-run Elementary classroom humming. After realizing that they each had spent years inventing and tweaking various structures and practices that were not explicitly taught in training, Allison and Elizabeth decided to write Finding Ground: Building Strong Elementary Practice, in hopes of saving other Elementary Guides years of experimentation (that often comes at the expense of the children). The book is filled with practical tools and resources to support and ground Elementary Guides.

In this conversation, we focus on just one small part of their shared wisdom: implementing systems for shared accountability. As Montessorians, we know that intrinsic motivation and the use of the Montessori materials are essential. AND...the second plane is also a sensitive period for developing the skills of time management and materials management - skills that are essential for their longterm development.

So what does this look like in practice? How do Guides keep track of what students are working on? How do the students keep track? And do we create these systems and tools to support students' self-reflection rather than rushing through checklists? We discuss the use of work journals in depth. Join Allison and Elizabeth for this fascinating discussion.

Ginni Sackett joins the Voices in Montessori podcast, hosted by Tamara Sheesley Balis, to discuss the important of meeting each child without expectations that they conform to a particular profile for success. (And then doing the same for ourselves and our classrooms!) She reminds us that Montessori method was designed for the child that doesn't necessarily "fit the mold." We must allow ourselves to break free of what the "ideal" Montessori child, Guide, and classroom "should" look like, to actually meet the children where they are. Yet focusing on the needs and interests of each particular child, as well as the group as a whole, can sometimes be a creative challenge for the Montessori Guide. Ginni shares guidance from her long career as a Montessori Guide, trainer, and consultant.

A culture of self-driven work among Elementary students doesn't emerge spontaneously. It needs to be carefully cultivated and maintained by the adults in the classroom. This takes intentional planning and effort, especially at the beginning of the school year. And the culture must be defended vigorously.

Jamie Rue joins the Voices in Montessori podcast, hosted by Tamara Sheesley Balis, to talk about ways to establish the expectations to support the cultivation of a strong work culture in the Elementary environment.

Andrée Rolfe joins the Voices in Montessori podcast, hosted by Tamara Sheesley Balis, to share what she has come to understand to be essential truths about successful inclusion based on her 50 years of experience as a special educator and 13 years of experience as a Montessorian. Andrée suggests that rather than thinking of these guidelines as new set of “tools for your toolbox,” they are better viewed as broader beliefs that inform what you do and how you do it. In other words, these guidelines enable the adult to transform in a way that enables us to serve more children well.

Cassi Mackey joins the Voices in Montessori podcast, hosted by Tamara Sheesley Balis, to discuss creating and living our values as an organization. As Montessorians, we live from a strong pedagogy, but embodying these values consistently can be challenging. Do our choices, actions, words, and interactions align with our Montessori values, especially in moments of stress, conflict, or uncertainty?

Cassi explains that operationalizing and socializing the community's values is critical so there is a strong understand of "what we do at this school." How do we show up, what do our words sounds like, what do our actions look like, and how do we hold ourselves accountable? These values are created through consensus; they become a shared agreement or "a promise to each other." Cassi walks us through the process of how a school staff creates their shared values.

Next Cassi talks about how to operationalize these values, which involves identifying your desired outcomes and defining how these values translate into observable behaviors. Cassi explains that we further reinforce these values by embedding them into the strategic direction, staff evaluations, staff meetings, and more.

This work can change the culture of your school. Cassi has so many specific examples and practical suggestions - you don't want to miss this!

Michelle Blake joins the Voices in Montessori podcast, hosted by Tamara Sheesley Balis, to share strategies Guides can use to help young children make a smooth transition to school. She will discuss things that Guides can do over the summer to build a relationship with the family, how to structure the child's first visit to the classroom, and what to do when children are experiencing a challenging time adjusting to school life.

Ann Epstein and Julia Volkman join the Voices in Montessori podcast, hosted by Tamara Sheesley Balis, to discuss the preliminary results of a research study examining the effectiveness of mentoring for Primary and Elementary Montessori Guides. Ann and Julia describe the structure of the mentoring program, the qualities of effective mentors, and the results of the study.