In this episode, I interview a former teaching team about their time working in a bilingual Montessori classroom together in Oaxaca, Mexico!
Charlotte Peck is a 3-6 Montessori educator and certified Positive Discipline Parent & Early Childhood Educator. Charlotte has over 13 years of experience working in non-profit youth organizations, public and private education, and Dual Language Montessori programs in the U.S. and Mexico.
Guadalupe Tinoco, or Lupita, is a 3-6 Montessori educator living in Oaxaca, Mexico. Lupita has worked in Education for almost 20 years and now runs a own Montessori program in Oaxaca called Ambiente Montessori with a dear friend.
Charlotte and Lupita met when they were the English and Spanish teachers, respectively, in a bilingual Montessori 3-6 classroom in Oaxaca, Mexico. During our conversation, they shared the structure of their bilingual classroom, what worked and what they needed to adjust as they went along, and what their co-teaching experiences were like. Charlotte also shares what life outside the classroom was like for her as an American living in Mexico, and Lupita shares what it has been like to start her own Montessori program.
Follow Charlotte on Instagram: @montessoricharlotte
Follow Ambiente Montessori on Instagram: @montessori.ambiente
Follow Multilingual Montessori:
Website
Consultations
Today’s conversation is the third in a series of check-ins with my good friend and new bilingual mom, Samantha. We previously checked in when Samantha’s daughter was 12 months and 15 months. If you missed our first two conversations, you can go back and hear them (they are episode 50 and episode 56).
We recorded this update back in the spring, when Samantha’s daughter was 18 months old, right after her family returned from a trip to Italy to visit her partner’s family.
I hope you enjoy this 18-month check in with Samantha!
Follow Multilingual Montessori:
Website
Consultations
Mariana Bissonnette (she/her) is an internationally recognized speaker, author, AMI 0-6 trained Montessorian and AMI 3-6 Trainer-in-Training working with parents, teachers, trainees, and school leaders in implementing Montessori on either side of the classroom doors. She is also the founder of The PEACE Program (Parent Education and Child Empowerment) where she supports families, Montessori educators, and Montessori schools. Mariana’s work centers on the depth of the Montessori method in service of the child’s liberation from oppressive systems that constrain their ability to develop as they are trying to.
Our conversation today focuses on language development, particularly in the first 18 months of a child’s life. Mariana talks about the three trimesters of language development, which I found endlessly fascinating. She also shares her own experiences learning multiple languages and raising Montessori children with her husband, who is also a Montessori educator. We also talk about her book, Babies Build Toddlers, and how we can best support children in the early years.
Follow Mariana:
Follow Multilingual Montessori:
Website
Consultations
Nichole Holtvluwer is a mom and Montessorian with over two decades of experience working with young children. Nichole currently lives and works as a Montessori Toddler Guide at Hala Kahiki Montessori School on the island of Lāna’i, part of the Hawaiian archipelago, with her husband and their 3yo daughter and 7yo dog.
You may know Nichole as Radicle Beginnings on Instagram, where she shares lots of information and inspiration about supporting babies and toddlers using Montessori principles. Nichole is a hopeful enthusiast who believes when young children are respected and understood by the adults who surround them, they have the power to change the course of our world.
We recorded this conversation back in February, and we covered topics including toddlers, multilingualism, and moving halfway around the world for Montessori.
Episode 19: Siri Panday, Director of Education for Toddler and Primary at Marin Montessori School
NPR Codeswitch Podcast: Saving a Language You're Learning to Speak
Follow Nichole:
Follow Multilingual Montessori:
Website
Consultations
Today’s episode is the second in a series of check-ins with my good friend and new bilingual mom, Samantha!
In our first conversation, I introduced you to Samantha and her one-year-old daughter, who is learning both English and Italian at home. We talked about the joys and challenges Samantha was experiencing with her daughter’s bilingualism, and what her daughter’s language use was like as she turned one year old. So if you didn’t get a chance to listen to that first episode, I encourage you to go back and listen to that one first! That was episode number 50, from November 1st, 2023.
Today’s episode is our next check-in, for 15 months old! Since our last check-in, Samantha and her family traveled to Italy to spend time with her in-laws, and her daughter got to experience Italian culture, food, and language in Italy for the first time.
I hope you enjoy this 15-month check in with Samantha!
Follow Multilingual Montessori:
Website
Consultations
My guests for this episode are Simone Davies and Junnifa Uzodike, the authors of the upcoming book, The Montessori Child. They are both accomplished Montessorians and authors, and just generally lovely people. We had a great conversation about their work and their upcoming book, and I know you’re going to enjoy it.
Simone Davies is the author of “The Montessori Toddler” and co-author of “The Montessori Baby” and “The Montessori Child” books, comprehensive guides to raising children in a Montessori way. Simone is an AMI Montessori educator based in Amsterdam. She also has a popular blog, instagram and podcast “The Montessori Notebook” and is mother to two young adults. Simone currently runs parent-child Montessori classes in Amsterdam at her school Jacaranda Tree Montessori.
Junnifa Uzodike is an AMI 0–12 trained teacher, a wife, and mother to four children, all raised with Montessori principles from in-utero. Junnifa is the founder and head of school of Fruitful Orchard Montessori school in Abuja, Nigeria, serving children from 15 months to 12 years old. She is the co-author of The Montessori Baby and The Montessori Child books, and sits on the board of Association Montessori Internationale.
Their new book, The Montessori Child, comes out on March 5th, 2024, and is now available for pre-order. And if you pre-order it, you can get access to digital bonuses through the publisher that include a collection of poetry and songs curated by Simone and Junnifa, illustrated clothing labels for drawers, an observation sheet for when difficult situations arise, and more.
And if you would like to win a copy of the book, be sure to take my podcast listener survey! As I enter a new year of podcasting, I would love to learn more about you, the listener, and what you'd like to hear from the podcast - even if this is the first time you’re listening!
To thank you for taking the podcast listener survey, you'll be entered to win your choice of e-book from guests on the Multilingual Montessori podcast, including The Montessori Child by Simone and Junnifa.
Alexandra Torres Guerrero is the Interim Principal at Latin American Montessori Bilingual Public Charter School in Washington DC, where students learn in both English and Spanish.
Alex was born in Bogotá, Colombia and has lived in the DC area since 2007. She is AMI-trained at the 0-3 and 3-6 levels, and is currently doing her AMI Administrators Certificate training. She has worked at LAMB for the past 12 years and recently became the school’s interim principal.
LAMB is a really unique school because it is a public Montessori charter school, and so I was excited to have the chance to chat with Alex about the dual language structure of the school, how they serve the student and parent community, and the joys and challenges that come with joining the Montessori method with the public and charter schools frameworks.
Take the Podcast Listener Survey (and be entered to win one of three e-books written by past and future podcast guests!)
Follow Multilingual Montessori:
Website
Consultations
Trisha Moquino is a member of the Cochiti, Kewa, and Ohkay Ohwingeh Tribal Nations. She is the Co-Founder, Education Director and Elementary Keres Speaking Guide at Keres Children's Learning Center, an Indigenous Language Immersion Montessori school in Cochiti Pueblo, NM. Trisha also helps in the continued development of KCLC’s Indigenous Montessori Institute, an anti-racist teacher training grounded in our Philosophy of Indigenous Education.
In this conversation, Trisha shares what it’s like to be a part of a heritage language immersion school and why language revitalization efforts are so important for the Cochiti Pueblo community and other Indigenous communities. She also shares why she felt that Montessori was the best pedagogical fit for the language revitalization efforts of the Keres Children’s Learning Center, and why it was important to create a training center for Montessori guides that is grounded in anti-racism and an Indigenous philosophy of education.
Follow Multilingual Montessori:
Website
Consultations
Zil Jaeger (they/them) is a Montessori educator, consultant and coach, with a passion for literacy and a commitment to anti-bias, antiracist education. They are Montessori trained at the 3-6 and 6-12 levels, with multiple literacy certifications. They believe that classrooms should be spaces of joy, critical engagement, and community-minded learning. An advocate for literacy learning, Zil is devoted to translating research into effective classroom strategies. They love supporting teachers, caregivers, and schools to empower children in their learning.
In this conversation, Zil shares insights into the sciences of reading, and how we can support literacy learning in Montessori environments according to the latest research. They also share their memories of going to Montessori school as a child, and their experience being the parent of a child attending a public Spanish-language immersion elementary school in Portland, Oregon!
Zil is offering listeners of the Multilingual Montessori Podcast a 15% discount on their shop with code LITERACY.
Follow Zil:
Follow Multilingual Montessori:
Website
Jasmine Williams is the Race and Equity Specialist at the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector. Jazz provides race and equity guidance and education, and delivers Montessori theory and practice instruction for the NCMPS Montessori Teacher Residency.
Jazz has worked in bilingual Montessori programs for 12 years, including 8 years in a public program, as a classroom teacher, reading interventionist, Montessori coach, and academic director.
Jazz has lived in, volunteered in and traveled to 48 countries, most recently returning from four years in China. She is passionate about equitable and joyful Montessori education, and her dream is to bring free, socially justice centered Montessori training and education to marginalized communities throughout the world. Jazz is currently earning a doctorate in Education for Social Justice at the University of San Diego.
Follow Multilingual Montessori:
Website
Consultations
Today we’re doing something a little different! This is the first episode of what will become a series of check-ins with my good friend and new bilingual mom, Samantha. In this first conversation, I’ll introduce you to Samantha and her one-year-old daughter, who is learning both English and Italian at home. We’ll talk about the current joys and challenges Samantha is experiencing with her daughter’s bilingualism, and what her daughter’s language use is like right now. Then we’ll check in again in another 3 months to see how things have changed! I’m excited to share Samantha’s journey with you and have the opportunity to follow up with her throughout the next year.
Follow Multilingual Montessori:
Website
Consultations
Elizabeth M. Castillo is a multilingual poet, writer, teacher, and parent. Her childhood was split between the Congo and England, and she spent her adolescent years on the tiny, tropical island of Mauritius. She now lives in Paris with her family and two cats. Elizabeth homeschools her two daughters, and writes a variety of different things, in a variety of different languages, and under a variety of pen names. She also runs a handful of small businesses, dabbles in charity work and teaches languages part-time.
In her writing Elizabeth explores the different countries and cultures she grew up with, as well as themes of race & ethnicity, motherhood, womanhood, language, love, loss and grief, and a touch of magical realism.
In this conversation, we talk about language, identity and how that can shift at different points in one’s life. We also talk about Elizabeth’s multilingual homeschooling journey with her daughters, and her work writing multilingual poetry and children’s books, as well as her forthcoming podcast!
Follow Elizabeth M. Castillo:
Follow Multilingual Montessori:
Consultations
Today's Frequently Asked Question is from a listener: What if my child switches between langauges?
I'm back with another Frequently Asked Questions episode - a quick, bite-sized episode focusing on one frequently asked question about language acquisition, Montessori language development principles, or multilingualism. I alternate these episodes with the longer-form interviews parents, educators and experts in their fields on topics relating to Montessori and multilingualism that you’re already familiar with.
If you have a question about anything related to Montessori and multilingualism that you’d like me to answer on one of these episodes, you can send me a message on Instagram or email me. You can also submit a voice message, and you might hear your voice on a future episode!
Show notes: https://multilingualmontessori.org/what-if-my-child-switches-between-languages/
Follow Multilingual Montessori:
Bianca Solorzano is a Montessori guide and consultant for Baby Tour Guide. In the past Bianca has run her own Montessori Infant Classroom, otherwise known as a Nido, and has also held roles in Admissions and School Administration. She now supports parents and educators through her Montessori Babies Podcast, the Montessori Babies Course, and on her Instagram account, @babytourguide.
In our conversation, we talk about what Bianca loves about working with babies and their parents, and what it has been like raising her own son in their bilingual English-Spanish household. We also discuss how parents can support their babies by incorporating Montessori into their parenting, and we discuss the question Bianca is asked most often about raising Montessori babies. Hint: it has to do with the floor bed!
Take 30% off the Montessori Babies Course!
Follow Baby Tour Guide:
Follow Multilingual Montessori:
Consultations
Today is a very special day: I started this podcast exactly two years ago, in September 2021!
Since then, I’ve interviewed over 40 educators, parents, authors, researchers, professors and experts about Montessori and multilingualism.
A few months after I first started the podcast, in December 2021, I put together this bonus episode with advice from the first ten guests that I interviewed. At the end of each episode, I invited each guest to share some advice that they had for listeners, and I compiled all that advice into one episode to share with you.
Whether this is your first episode or your fiftieth - thank you for listening to the Multilingual Montessori Podcast!
Follow Multilingual Montessori:
Consultations
Jenna Clark Embrey is the Literary Manager and Dramaturg at Lincoln Center Theater in New York City. Jenna develops plays and supports playwrights alongside serving as the Executive Editor of the Lincoln Center Review. She received her MFA from the American Repertory Theater/Moscow Art Theater School for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University.
Jenna is also the mom to a two-year-old named Amelia, who attends a German immersion preschool in New York. Jenna studied German as an adolescent, and now is re-learning German along with Amelia. We talked about how they utilize the time and place method at home to structure German into their day, and what the experience has been like for Jenna to observe Amelia’s language development in both English and German. We also talk about Jenna’s experiences studying in Russia during her masters program, and how her work as a dramaturg intersects with language and translation. Jenna is a fascinating person and a wonderful human - I know you’ll enjoy this conversation!
Follow Multilingual Montessori:
Consultations
If you've ever wondered about Montessori at the adolescent level, this is the episode for you!
In this episode, I speak with Hannah Ewert-Krocker, a former Montessori child who worked as the director of the farm school program at the Denver Montessori Junior/Senior High School for seven years. Hannah shares incredible insights about Montessori at the adolescent level, the joys and challenges of running a public Montessori program, and what she loves about working with adolescents.
Hannah also shares her thoughts about what it was like growing up with a mother who is a trained Montessorian, and her experiences teaching a bilingual English/Spanish yoga class in Denver, Colorado.
This episode originally aired on October 20, 2021.
For more information: - AMI Montessori training for teachers at the adolescent level, visit https://www.montessori-imti.org/ - Hershey Montessori School adolescent community: https://hershey-montessori.org/programs/adolescent-community - Denver Montessori Junior/Senior High School: http://dmhs.dpsk12.org/
Follow Multilingual Montessori:
Jacqueline Ménoret is an American living in Paris. Jackie graduated with a Master’s degree in Human Rights from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She works in higher education in Paris, coordinating French-speaking study abroad programs. Jackie founded the Immigrant Book Club in 2020, and is also the co-founder of a new bilingual magazine called Revue Version Originale, available this fall. Jackie grew up in Wisconsin and now lives in Paris with her husband and her cat.
In this episode, Jackie talks about learning French with her dad as a child and adolescent, and her experiences studying abroad in France and England. She also talks about the decision to start a book club in Paris focused on reading exclusively immigrant authors, as well as the new literary magazine she founded with our mutual friend, Maria Laura Ribadeneira, who you may remember from episode 18 of the podcast.
Warning: this episode may make you want to drop everything and move to Paris!
Pre-order Revue Version Originale
Listen to Episode 18. María Laura Ribadeneira, Polyglot in Paris
Follow Jackie on Instagram: @jacquelinereadsparis
Follow Maria Laura on Instagram: @myparisbookshelf
Follow Multilingual Montessori:
Have you ever wondered about what Virtual Montessori school is like? Not Montessori schools that temporarily held virtual classes during the pandemic, but an academic program designed to be a fully remote Montessori school?
In June of 2022, I graduated from Linköping University in Sweden with a Master’s Degree in Child Studies. For my final thesis, I conducted a qualitative study about teachers’ experiences, and their impressions of their students’ experiences, in a virtual Montessori program that started at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
My good friend and former coworker Claudia, an AMI 0-3 trained Montessorian, joined me back on the podcast to interview me about the master’s program and the contents of my thesis research. You might remember Claudia from episode 15, where I interviewed her, and episode 20, where she interviewed me about starting Multilingual Montessori.
In this episode we chat all about virtual learning - both in the contexts of the master’s program, and my research on virtual Montessori preschool, what my biggest takeaways were from interviewing virtual Montessori teachers, and what the future of virtual Montessori school might be.
Full text of Gabrielle's thesis, Virtualizing Montessori: Experiences of teachers working in a fully remote Montessori preschool (click "fulltext" in upper right corner)
View Gabrielle's research poster from the 2023 American Montessori Society conference
Episode 15. Claudia Lundahl on Montessori with Toddlers
Episode 20. How Multilingual Montessori Came to Be: An Interview with Me!
Episode 32. Linda McGurk on Outdoor Living with Children
Follow Claudia:
Follow Multilingual Montessori:
Consultations
Today's Frequently Asked Question is: What’s the best way to raise a multilingual child?
I'm back with another Frequently Asked Questions episode - a quick, bite-sized episode focusing on one frequently asked question about language acquisition, Montessori language development principles, or multilingualism. I alternate these episodes with the longer-form interviews parents, educators and experts in their fields on topics relating to Montessori and multilingualism that you’re already familiar with.
If you have a question about anything related to Montessori and multilingualism that you’d like me to answer on one of these episodes, you can send me a message on Instagram or email me. You can also submit a voice message, and you might hear your voice on a future episode!
Listen to Episode 31: Can I Teach My Child a Language That Isn’t My Native Language?
Follow Multilingual Montessori:
