Very interesting read capturing what Montessori is and gives many insights into this philosophy of learning. I was particularly interested in expanding my knowledge of Montessori and learning strategies to implement it at home since my child is still quite young, there is a small chapter on incorporating Montessori into home life which I found insightful.

This was a very informative dive into what Montessori is and is not. I requested this audiobook because I was interested in applying it’s principles to my classroom. However Montessori is so vast and detailed that it isn’t something you can just flippantly add without research and training. I am grateful for this audiobook in helping me understand more about Montessori.

This was a great audiobook, teaching about the montessori philosophy. While Montessori is usually thought of in a preschool/early years context, there were things that I took away from this book even as a grade 3 teacher. There were many ideas related to looking at a child's potential and discussion of how we interact with young people and what impact that has on them learning. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in learning more about this educational philosophy. Thanks to Netgalely and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

A great starting point for any parent wondering about the best ways to invest in their child's development and to prepare that child for the world that awaits them beyond their home. As a product of the standard education model and a new mother, I am motivated to unlock the potential touted by proponents of The Montessori approach to education. With countless articles about industry leaders and titans who have benefited from attending Montessori schools grabbing headlines and our attention, it is easy to get excited and overwhelmed while exploring the topic. Preschlack's book does a fine job of explaining the history of Montessori and how it can benefit children. It's easy to follow the logic that with the right learning materials and a thoughtful approach children can be recruited to be enthusiastically active participants in their own education. Specifically, notions regarding child-sized learning materials designed to appeal to their senses, allowing children the autonomy to move and act freely, and use their creativity and problem-solving skills appeals to most parents, too. Teachers take on the role of guides, supporting the children without coercion. The overarching theme of mutual respect is one that appeals strongly to me, which I hope to foster, including through the methods described in the book.
What is less clear from the book is how to find an authentic Montessori education in one's own community; the name Montessori has come to be regarded as a status brand with lots of providers claiming to provide a Montessori education without necessarily having the appropriate accreditation. Parents desperate to provide their children with the best possible education may not always have the time or interest to investigate whether the school is applying the principles consistently.
An interesting area for future exploration would be how to properly adapt authentic Montessori for the 21stC to reflect the rapidly changing nature of technology and its embedded presence in our lives, the way we learn and how we work.
I would recommend listening to this book to get better acquainted with Montessori methods, but supplementary readings will be required if you want to learn how to apply principles in your own home, or how to support that learning outside of school hours.

I requested this ARC because I was intrigued by the subtitle, "How to Foster Independence, Respect, and Joy in Every Child." After reading, I struggled with how to rate and review this book.

As a homeschooling parent, I expected to glean information about Montessori's schooling principles to incorporate into my own experience. While this book paints a pretty picture of what Montessori can be (though only a couple of schools' experiences are shared), and the author is clearly knowledgeable about the subject, it reads more like a bureaucratic treatise about Montessori. The chapter about adapting Montessori principles to home life was somewhat insightful, but the rest of it wasn't particularly useful to me.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for gifting me with an audio ARC to review!

As a former Montessori student and current parent and teacher in a conventional school I really enjoyed listening to this. I found it to be informative and also validating in what I already knew about Montessori as well as in what my trepidations are with conventional schools. I particularly enjoyed the parts about how Montessori can be incorporated at home and the fact that it doesn't have to be done perfectly in the home in order for it to be effective. I will definitely recommend this book to parents and educators alike!

While the reader of this book wasn’t necessarily my favorite, the topics covered were interesting and I think challenge a lot of the issues we are seeing in traditional schooling today. I think one of the biggest takeaways from early in the reading was that fostering and teaching focus is something we aren’t utilizing in todays education models. I wholeheartedly agree with this and can see how coming from a Montessori background myself, as a parent and educator what skills I want to work on for my children to become resilient, lifelong learners. I think grabbing a hard copy of this audiobook would be beneficial because it’s a book I’d want to highlight and take notes all over. I think that fostering and advocating for a Montessori based learning in schools is a great way to try and reform in a different direction.

First and foremost, I'd like to thank Paula Lillard Preschlack for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.
Secondly, I have three kids to of which are now Seniors/Juniors in college with one going into 11th in high school. The first two completed the primary program at Wyoming Valley Montessori School in Kingston Pennsylvania.
In addition, I have a younger brother who also attended Montessori school and graduated Ivy League from Brown University in Rhode Island and now resides in California with his newly married wife.
My two kids are all honors both academic/athletic and my eldest son born med disabled with vater syndrome graduated with perfect school attendance in high school even after requiring reading comprehension, speech/physical therapy, and was told he'd be developmentally delayed. My son graduated with his Associates in Criminal Justice and this May with his Bachelors with high honors, dean's list, and numerous other accolades and honor societies.
My daughter plays volleyball and she too was just awarded the CSC Academic All District as well as the 2022 MAC Fall Academic honors roll and has done so for both her Freshman/current Sophmore year.
So, if you're to ask me as a parent of two & sister of one who attended I'd say that your arguments are valid indeed.
It's true that Montessori is expensive but does teach life goals, career endeavors, the basics of independence and forming good decision making processes.
We could go so far as to say that it fosters/nurtures curiosity, helps to realize one's full potential, creates independence/empathy, forms a bond with respect, attention to detail, and the ability to self guide while striving for quality rather than quantity.
However, Paula also stressed the other side of the grading system and how it's unfair towards Montessori's teachings because they do not teach memorizations skills as you might find in public schools and testing standards.
The idea is to allow kids the freedom to form their own choices while developing naturally through conceived boundaries.
Using the pillars and the traits prescribed through Montessori's teachings the idea forms a cohesive union between organization, collaboration, sustained focus, understanding spacial organization, respect for peers/adults, resourceful, in a prepared home environment or school program.
What I may not agree with is two fold.
Both my son/my brother agree that while the notion that you must sustain yourself and not rely upon anyone else is provided the 'teach' yourself idea isn't necessarily working as it was developed to occur.
This is do to the fact as Paula notes that many of these teachers aren't watched nor have continued with the educational requirements and philosophy teachings.
Therefore, these kids are left to teach themselves. For my son at now 22yo he told me specifically while other kids were learning to count to 10,000 he was still on counting with the beads to 100 just to please the teachers and receive the credit for working in class. He did this since K -2nd grade if memory serves me correctly and felt he wasn't learning anything new just pleasing the teachers in getting the same thing accomplished.
It's also extremeley expensive as my kids went on to a private Catholic school upon leaving the Montessori teachings.
This book did touch upon many of the key ingredients necessary in fostering independence, respect, and joy among every child and in so doing accomplished the goal.
The highlights using other personal stories was a nice touch and was made even more enjoyable via audio.
I'd highly recommend this audio version.