Montessori Parenting Series
We’re excited to offer a series of Parent Education online events, featuring guest speakers who are experts in applying Montessori principles to parenting. We know that children thrive when home and school work in partnership. We hope you will join us, ask questions, learn, and gain support for your journey as a Montessori parent.
Offered every Wednesday Evening on Zoom
October 4th through October 25th, 2023
- Eastern: 8:00 PM
- Central: 7:00 PM
- Mountain: 6:00 PM
- Pacific: 5:00 PM
Registration is free for parents associated with Montessori Thrive member schools.
October 4, 2023
From Yelling To Calm: Becoming an Emotionally Intelligent Family
Lorena Seidel
Are you tired of yelling and having constant power struggles with your children? In this session, parents will learn the art of joyful communication! Attendees will gain insights and strategies to:
- Develop a state of mind that allows them to speak with love, respond effectively, and rise above all challenges.
- Replace yelling, threats, punishments, and permissiveness with strategies that work and create connection.
- Use everyday challenges to grow their family’s emotional intelligence.
Positive discipline strategies offer parents effective tools for nurturing their children's growth and development in a supportive and respectful manner. By emphasizing cooperation over control, positive discipline builds stronger parent-child relationships, encourages emotional intelligence, and equips children with the essential skills to navigate challenges and conflicts constructively throughout their lives.
Lorena Seidel M.Ed. is a Social Emotional Learning {SEL} Consultant, a certified Montessori teacher, a trained Positive Discipline Educator, a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction MBSR}teacher, and a mother of three. She helps adults create a more positive relationship with young children and a more peaceful home and classroom environments.
Lorena has helped thousands of parents and teachers stay strong, calm, and remain effective even under the most stressful moments. She has guided them to develop their children’s social, emotional, and life skills. Lorena has transformed the home-life and the parent-child relationships of hundreds of families- for life!
Lorena is also the author of The Purposeful Child: A Quick and Practical Parenting Guide to Creating the Optimal Home Environment for Young Children. Lorena lives in Connecticut with her husband and three daughters.
October 11, 2023
Montessori In Real Life
Kristen Ancker
We all know how amazing our Montessori Schools are and the magic the teachers do in the Montessori classrooms. How do they get the kids to do what they do? How can we support Montessori parents at home….in the real world?
In this presentation, we will learn some simple strategies to support the Montessori tenets at home, growth mindset strategies to thrive, and communication strategies to gain connection and cooperation with our children. When we can set up our home environments to support our child’s independence and autonomy, we are building their confidence and self-esteem for life. Montessori is not just an educational pedagogy, it’s a way of life. When I became a Montessori Mom (after 10 years working in Montessori Schools) I had high expectations for what my “Montessori Home” was going to look like. Let me share with you the wins and failures of Montessori in Real Life.
My strong willed 3 year old is now a strong willed 14 year old and I am so grateful for the confidence and character that she displays. Sometimes when we can shift our mindset, slow down, reframe our “story”, and see life through our child’s eyes, we can experience our lives in a whole new (beautiful) way.
Kristen Ancker is a Parent and Teacher Empowerment Coach and Montessori School Consultant. She helps overwhelmed and exhausted parents build a deep connection with themselves, their parenting partner, and their children for peaceful and happy homes in her 1:1 and group coaching program: The Parent Empowerment Program. Kristen has been working with schools and families for over 2 decades as a Children’s House Teacher, Children’s House Director, Assistant Head of School, Teacher Mentor, and Accreditation Consultant.
She helps school leaders to create powerful home and school partnerships that promote healthy families and happy teachers. Kristen is a certified Montessori educator, Positive Discipline facilitator, and transformational mindset coach. Kristen lives in Weston, CT with her husband, 3 children (ages 14, 12 and 9) and dog Oscar trying to walk her talk and learning new things daily on this journey of motherhood. Join her in her free facebook group The Parent Empowerment Group or on Instagram @kristenanckercoaching if you are in need of some encouragement and empowerment and a parenting paradigm shift.
October 18, 2023
Implementing The Prepared Adult: They Key to Becoming a Montessori Parent or Educator
Heather Pratt-White
The key to introducing the principles of the Montessori Method as a parent or caregiver is to first prepare oneself. This not only includes learning about the approach and the methodology, but also undergoing what Dr. Montessori referred to as a spiritual transformation. Learn how to develop an inner awareness that facilitates the deep understanding of the child and the environment, empowering you to become the best Montessori parent or caregiver you can be!
Heather White, Ed.S., M.Ed., NCSP, is a Montessori educational consultant and content creator. She guides classroom educators, administrators, parents, and caregivers to better understand the Montessori Method in an effort to continue utilizing its wonder in their work with children.
Heather is a Content Creator for many Montessori organizations including the American Montessori Society (AMS), Guide & Grow, and Mirus Toys, and a Montessori educator for adult learners through the Center for Guided Montessori Studies (CGMS). She volunteers as an administrator and is a Facebook Manager for the Montessori at Home (0 to 3 Years) Facebook group. Formerly, she was a Montessori guide (Early Childhood 3-6 and Elementary I 6-9) and assistant (Elementary II 9-12), Lower Elementary Coordinator, and Associate Head of School for Lake Mary Montessori Academy for more than 12 years. She also has worked as a Montessori nanny and in-home educator for toddlers and has experience as a School Psychologist intern.
Heather is AMS credentialed (Early Childhood, Elementary I), holds her National Certification of School Psychology (NCSP), and has also obtained a Masters in Education with a Concentration in Montessori Studies in addition to her School Psychology degree. You can contact Heather at hpratt@stetson.edu.
October 25, 2023
Building Your Parenting Toolkit: Tips & Strategies to Help Navigate Early Childhood
Rupali Sharma
In a time where parents are seeking effective ways to engage with their children amidst busy schedules, this parenting session will offer invaluable insights and actionable strategies. Attendees will leave this meeting inspired, equipped, and empowered to implement Montessori principles into their parenting journey, fostering enriched relationships and holistic development in their children.
From observation and active listening, to hands-on activities, Rupali will share her experiences as a Montessori educator and parent. With the right engagement and activities, all children can be confident and independent.
Rupali Sharma, a Montessori student, mother and educator, is trained as an architect and now runs The T.E.C. Schools-Think. Explore. Create in Worcester. She is passionate about education and started Imagination Unbound and The T.E.C. Schools, two educational organizations, that lay early foundations for creative thinking and problem solving through hands-on learning experiences.
She is passionate about helping families bring Montessori into their lives and homes.