Showing results by author "Susan Stephenson" in All Categories

The word "Montessori" is not legally protected and is used sometimes in ways that have little to do with authentic Montessori practices. In this book the author, who has almost fifty years of AMI Montessori teaching and consulting experience and work as an oral examiner for teacher-training courses, briefly presents authentic Montessori practices for ages 3-6 (the primary class), ages 6-12 (the elementary class), and ages 12-18. Here are ideas for using Montessori principles in the home. One mother put it very well, "This book is deep yet simple. Even my husband had the time to read it and ...

This book is based on 50 years of work in 30 countries, teaching, and observing and consulting with schools. Mindfulness is an ancient practice in the East, a great need for health and happiness in the West, and an everyday practice in Montessori schools. The author tells her own story of 45+ years of meditation and working in the Montessori field, and gives detailed suggestions for both parents and teachers to aid the development of this skill in themselves and in the children they live with. “Mindfulness Practices in Education: Montessori’s Approach” by Dr. Angeline Lillard, is ...

Información Montessori sobre desarrollo infantil al comienzo de la vida, para padres, adolescentes y profesionales. "The Joyful Child reflects the spirit and purpose of Montessoriin a way that makes the philosophy translatable to both new parents andveteran Montessorians. Featuring 282 pages and over 190 black and whitephotos, Stephenson's book explores the first three years of lifeand the importance of supporting the mental, physical and emotional needs of the child during this time." -The Association Montessori Internationale of The United States

This small book, 40+ pages, is the first title in the “Brief Montessori Introductions” created for busy parents and other educators. Being aware of the meaning of the concepts “Cosmic Education” and “Cosmic Task” is essential in understanding authentic Montessori practice, at home and in school. It is sometimes overlooked, and begins at birth. Susan Mayclin Stephenson tackles a large subject, cosmic education, which Montessori defined as a “unifying global and universal view of the past, present and future.” Stephenson takes the reader from birth to the end of the elementary...

This rich but brief introduction is based on the author's 50 years of experience as a teacher, parent, grandparent, school consultant, government consultant, speaker, and oral examiner for Montessori teacher training courses. Montessori guidelines presented here have held true all over the world, no matter what the culture of the child, for over 100 years and prove to be as true now as ever. It is the goal of this book to help parents look for, discover, appreciate, and support the mental, physical, and emotional needs of the child in the first three years of life, in their own culture. ...

In "Aid to Life, Montessori Beyond the Classroom," the author shares stories based on fifty years of Montessori work in thirty countries, first as a teacher of children from 2-13 in Montessori schools, then discovering new ways to use Montessori principles in a variety of situations—all aimed at inspiring, and providing practical ideas, to parents and teachers today. Here are some examples of her stories: preparing a group of elementary students in the Virgin Islands to run the class on their own; learning how to teach Montessori with no Montessori materials in a private girls school in ...

Susan Mayclin Stephenson, Montessori teacher, writer, consultant, and oral examiner, shares insights on the differences of how old age and death are prepared for, accepted as part of life, or ignored, in the various countries where she has worked in the last fifty years. She explains how elders are sometimes cherished, sometimes isolated, and how everyone needs to have a reason to get up in the morning and to have a valuable role in the family and community. Anne Kelly, head of the AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) Montessori for Dementia, Disability and Aging training program, ...

A fifteen-year experience of day-by-day, year-by-year, learning how to create an authentic Montessori education at home through elementary, middle, and high school. The main guide or teacher during these years had taken AMI teacher training courses for 0-3, 3-6, and 6-12 and had taught for many years. Even though this is not to be thought of as an instruction manual for Montessori homeschooling it is hoped that the book will be helpful for parents and teachers wanting to understand the value of a unique educational path, rather than thinking that all children should be educated exactly the ...

In this comparison of the Montessori birth-to-three practices with those of the tradition of Bhutan, as always I completely respect the culture and often benefit from traditional wisdom. In conversations with parents and grandparents around the world where I have explored these questions, it has been very satisfying to learn, together, just when the traditions are truly helpful, and when they might be an example of cutting off the end of the ham to fit the pan, or shaping the child to fit a pre-conceived plan. Montessori education is, and has always been, based on observation and continued ...

Information about “Montessori for Family and Community.” For over 50 years, the author has taught children and young adults—from age two to eighteen years, parents of children of all ages, and other adults, in over thirty countries. Everything she shares in her books is based on firsthand experience with families, school staff, government officials, and others. Only a tiny percentage of families can afford to send their children to a Montessori school, so, along with her other roles, the author works continually to make the most important elements of a Montessori education available ...

Today, discoveries in psychology and neuroscience back up what I have discovered, that the words “joy” and “purpose” are linked in the most successful examples of living life—throughout childhood and adult life. Having a purpose that provides physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual balance in one’s own life naturally results in a desire to contribute to the good of all. And a feeling of joy is often the result. The following pages contain first-hand observation and conclusions that foster understanding of, and support for, optimum development in the first three years of life....

(Second Edition, 2025) These science and arts "culture" lessons are taught in Montessori teacher-training course—physics, biology, history and geography, and the art. They prepare the child for the Cosmic Education of the Montessori elementary class, and are presented here in great detail. Also included are personal "filling in the gaps" assignments for the parent or teacher. During a lecture in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia I was asked to give explain Dr. Montessori’s idea of a cosmic task. I explained that, especially during the elementary (ages 6-12) years, when a child is introduced to the ...

This book is based on many years of lectures and workshops on authentic Montessori classroom practices in over thirty countries. In order to meet the needs of children in Montessori primary and elementary classes, the skill in observation, and keeping records of the children's progress, is essential. The author shares her personal experience, through basic practices and interesting stories, working with children and young adults, from age two through high school, in Montessori environments. The book ends with an enlightening chapter that shares the potential and needs of the adolescent. It ...

Super-sleuths Amber & Elliot are on the case in…The Mad Hacker Ash Grove Junior High goes on high alert when students Liz Elliot and Amber Mitchell discover they’ve been hacked! They won’t be able to enter Eastern Technology’s programming contest and neither will anybody else. When their friend Jonathan becomes the prime suspect, Amber & Elliot are determined to clear his name. But if they don’t find out who the real hacker is, it’s game over. Just as Amber stretched out her hand to turn on the computer, they heard the fire door slam at the end of the hall. Someone was coming! ...

Someone is determined to sabotage Ash Lake computer camp! But who? And why? Part time detectives and full time mischief-makers Liz Elliot & Amber Mitchell get themselves in way over their heads when an evil prankster threatens their summer vacation! They should be roasting marshmallows, not risking their lives! “Amber!” Liz clutched Amber’s arm. “Did you hear something?” The two girls stood perfectly still, ears straining, hearts thumping through the darkness… A shadow slipped across the floor. Soft footsteps sounded from the far side of the kitchen. The girls cowered against ...

Viajar con Susan Stephenson a través de su libro "El Niño Universal, Guiado por la Naturaleza" fue un placer. Ver como las prácticas Montessori se aplican a todas las culturas en la actualidad, y remarcar lo mencionado por María Montessori con la vivencia de Susan en varios paises, acompañada de las elocuentes fotografías que lo demuestran, generan en mí gran entusiasmo para seguir mi caminar por esta senda. Gracias por ser una fuente de inspiración.—AMI Montessori teacher, Paraguay y Colombia