The 2018 Speaker Series: Meet Margaret Whitley
We sit down with Montessori expert Margaret Whitley about her upcoming talk and some rapid-fire ice-breakers
The Guidepost Team
We're thrilled to have had Margaret Whitley lead off The 2018 Speaker Series at Guidepost Montessori. Her talk, 'Why the Modern World Needs Montessori,' delves into the benefits of the 100-year-old education method that continues to gain recognition, because it embraces creativity, cognitive flexibility, and an ever-changing world as part of its basic DNA.
Margaret is an AMI elementary-trained Montessori educator and leader. She has taught all levels of elementary, established the first Montessori middle school in Canada in 1988, and was head of Montessori Academy of London in Ontario, Canada, for 13 years—the school she went to as a child.
Margaret Whitley – Montessori consultant, writer, lifelong learner
How Would You Describe Montessori Education In One Sentence
Montessori is about discovering the best and supporting the best in each individual child.
Favorite Montessori Exercise To Teach
So tough! There are so many! Likely the Story of the Star along with the Trinomial Cube at its highest level, or the human geography lessons on the interdependencies of humans.
Unexpected Lesson Learned In The Classroom
It is okay to not know everything. The students will teach me.
Books that Have Influenced Your Life The Most
- Maria Montessori's To Educate the Human Potential
- Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindberg
- Jane Silcott's Everything Rustles
Darndest Thing A Student Has Said
When teaching our middle school program 26 years ago, we were discussing human sexuality. I was about 6 months pregnant and one of the students looked at me with a smirk and said loudly to the whole group, 'I know what you and Mark have been doing!'
Most Insightful Social Media Account You Follow
@DrTonyWagner on Twitter and @MontessoriDaoshi on Facebook.
Bucket List Work Project
Learn the ukelele and get my book published.
Dream Place To Start A New School
In one of our indigenous communities in Canada but only at their invitation.
Advice To First-Time Parents
- Relax, I have made lots of mistakes as a parent and both my children are thriving and not sleeping on my couch.
- Don't do guilt, it is a useless emotion.
Advice To Your 21 Year Old Self
Start running. It is brutal to start in your fifties!
Editor's Note
Attending Margaret's talk in-person or on Facebook Live? She wanted to pass along three brief, yet fascinating articles that she plans to incorporate into it. We particularly enjoyed the first and third articles:
- (3 Minute Read) The Surprising Thing Google Learned About Its Students—And What It Means For Today's Students by Valerie Strauss, Washington Post
- (4 Minute Read) Education for the 21st Century Economy by Mauricio A. Flores, JD
- (7 Minute Read) Montessori & Creativity by Laura Flores Shaw
The Guidepost Team
The Guidepost Team is a group of writers and educators dedicated to helping demystify all things Montessori.
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