Adolescence, Decoded: What Netflix Gets Right About Teen Life
What can a Netflix drama teach us about the teenage years? In this conversation, we explore what Adolescence reveals—and what schools and parents can do better to support teens.
The Adolescent Brain: Risks, Rewards, and Resilience
What’s really happening inside the adolescent brain? Leading expert Laurence Steinberg joins Sam Shapiro, Head of Marin Montessori, to explore the science behind teenage risk-taking, learning, and resilience. Discover how Montessori education aligns with what research tells us about helping teens thrive.
Teaching Safety: Empowering Kids Through Independence and Preparation
In December, our community faced an unexpected challenge when a 7.0 magnitude earthquake triggered tsunami warnings. Amid the uncertainty, our students and staff exemplified calm and resilience, turning a potential crisis into a testament to our Montessori principles. This experience underscores the importance of fostering a culture of trust, preparation, and independence. To further support our community, we’ve developed Montessori-aligned safety tips tailored to each developmental stage, empowering children to navigate challenges with confidence.
Why the Final Year of Montessori Primary Matters: Building Lifelong Confidence and Independence
The three-year cycle of the Primary classroom culminates in what is often referred to as the kindergarten year. This final year is transformative. It’s a time when children apply the foundational skills they’ve been building since they were toddlers, step into leadership roles among their peers, and fully embrace the joy of learning independently.
Digital Natives: Parenting in a Connected World
How do we raise digital natives to navigate the online world with empathy, resilience, and self-awareness? In this episode of Grounded and Soaring, Sam Shapiro talks with Dr. Devorah Heitner about mentoring kids in a connected world. From setting boundaries to building trust and empathy, this conversation offers expert-backed strategies for parenting in a hyper-connected age.
Grateful Families: Lessons from Japanese Psychology for Everyday Life
In this Thanksgiving-inspired episode, Sam Shapiro and Naikan expert Greg Kretsch explore how parents can cultivate a family culture of gratitude. Learn practical reflection techniques to counter negativity, strengthen relationships, and foster appreciation in daily life.
How To Nurture a Positive Self-Image From the Start
Young children are innately curious about their own bodies and the people around them—and how we answer their questions matters. According to research, children start developing ideas about their bodies as early as age 3, making our early conversations especially important. As parents and educators, we have a responsibility to create a space where body talk is honest, kind, and rooted in appreciation.
Why Steve Jobs’ Motto Matters Even More Today
In an era of AI and rapid change, thinking differently is more important than ever for education. Explore four ways to break conventional assumptions and better serve our children’s futures: multi-age classrooms, viewpoint diversity, hands-on learning, and honoring individual potential. Discover how these approaches can combat student disengagement and support mental health while preparing kids for an evolving world.
The Lost Art of Play: Addressing Childhood Anxiety in the Digital Age
Unstructured play in a curated, prepared environment gives children the opportunity to “develop what psychologists call an internal locus of control,” Gray explains, “which is an internal sense that I’m competent to take charge of my life. Something can happen to me, and it’s not a disaster. I can take care of it.”
Walking Their Own Path
We as parents can help pave the path our children will walk down, but we can’t control the way they maneuver that path. They may barrel down the road or cautiously avoid some of the stones we hoped they would fully embrace. They may decide to not even take our path at all, choosing instead to tromp out into the unknown with no clear destination. Either way, the path ahead offers them endless opportunities to display and reveal their colorful personalities to the world.
Recent Posts
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Adolescence, Decoded: What Netflix Gets Right
April 2, 2025 -
The Adolescent Brain: Risks, Rewards, and
March 12, 2025 -
Teaching Safety: Empowering Kids Through Independence
February 13, 2025