Early Bird Special

Don't delay, register today! The early bird special for the 2014 Refresher Course ends January 6th! Catch it before it flies away...

Also, we have contracted with the Westin Oaks Houston at the Galleria for additional rooms maintaining the $129 per night rate.

Additional information can be found on our website!

Refresher Course Brochure!

The Refresher Course brochure has made it's debut. If you haven't already received your copy via snail mail, keep an eye out! You can also download a copy through the AMI/USA website via the following link! 

Houston, we are ready for you!

It was a brisk, chilly morning here in Rochester, New York. When I got into my car this morning the temperature gauge read 35 degrees! Brrr...

As I sit here with a hot cup of tea, I can't help but dream of warmth and glowing sun rays. A quick glance at Houston's weather forecast tells me it is already a balmy 80 degrees. While I'm certainly not a meteorologist, I think it's safe to say that Houston in mid-February will be a welcomed relief from the chilling temperatures elsewhere. And I can only speak for myself, but I'd much rather view the great outdoors with the windows open and the sun streaming inside than through frost ridden glass!

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In any case, like many of my drifting thoughts, especially ones that are near the lunchtime hour, I often find myself thinking about food. So to make a long story short, today we are going to dive into the culinary mecca of Houston!

In my opinion, one of the best ways to understand and appreciate a culture is through their food. Houston is an urban metropolis, which lends itself to a variety of fare. Located in the deep south, it's only appropriate that Houston houses some of the tastiest fried chicken and BBQ in the state of Texas. I don't know about you, but the warm, buttery taste of crispy chicken sounds pretty delightful right about now...

It should also go without saying that Houston's proximity to the Mexico border lends itself to authentic Mexican dishes in a way many parts of the country are unfamiliar with. The same can be said about the city's fresh seafood. Situated close to the Gulf of Mexico, snapper, grouper and mussels are a must have in Houston. In addition, when the New York Times reviews a restaurant as a top spot, it's worth both a peek and a taste. 

Do you have any favorite Houston dining hot spots?

For a complete listing of the city's award winning restaurants, click here!

Bon appétite! 

Special Interest Workshops

Today we are pleased to share some insider details on the Special Interest Workshops, which will be held Friday, February 14th prior to the opening night panel. Three speakers will present in different areas of interest. Read on for more information! 



Leadership Workshop
Leading Successful Montessori School Communities
Presented by Ginni Sackett


Montessori education can be compared to a pedagogical ecosystem where all segments of the community are harmoniously interdependent and curriculum is based in human development rather than external, adult-driven standards. Open to all trained and non-trained heads of schools and teachers, we will help you explore how administrative leadership and policy work within that system to support best practice, effective teaching, and optimal outcomes for children, staff, and families.




Public School Workshop
Making It Work: Strategies for Success in the Public Sector
Presented by Bonnie Beste


As the landscape of educational experiences evolves in the U.S., and as more and more school and models are emerging, how can public Montessori classes continue to help support the child's developmental journey while adhering to the increasingly complex set of mandates and standards imposed in the public sector? Just as it is the teacher's responsibility to understand fully this changing landscape and to continue to demonstrate that Montessori education not only meets the needs of the developing child, but moreover meets the needs of this new educational environment.

This session will provide meaningful insights to teachers and administrators to better understand how authentic Montessori practice can be instituted in the public sector. It will highlight the growing need for high-quality Montessori offerings in public systems across the nation in both urban and rural districts; it will provide successful examples of how collaboration and alignments work to demonstrate the effectiveness of the curriculum; and it will address the universal nature of the child and how public districts and Montessori advocates can work in cooperation to ensure this value is paramount in our work.



Advocacy Workshop
Making Advocacy Work: Leveraging the Best Practices in Montessori's State Advocacy Work
Presented by Jaye Espy



This highly engaging session will focus on the national advocacy movement and what we have learned. In the first half of the session participants will hear firsthand accounts and reflections from Tier II states on various issues of advocacy implementation, including collaboration with pilot states, using social media, leveraging external partnerships, building consensus, identifying initiatives, and successes and challenges along the way.

The second half of the session will focus on "looking ahead." Interactive scenarios will be utilized to demonstrate best-practices approaches to advocacy. Participants will be invited to be a part of the conversation to develop a centralized message and vision of Montessori advocacy and to learn from the experiences of those already engaged in this important work.

Registration Is Now Open!

Register online now for the 2014 Refresher Course!!

New Year - New Features!

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Mahatma Gandhi once stated, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." As Montessorians we witness change throughout the days, weeks, months, and years that we spend in the classroom. We watch children grow, explore, discover, rationalize, and problem solve, as they continue to develop a strong sense of self through their experiences and expanding knowledge. It goes without say that change is important and an intrinsic part of our lives. It helps keep our perspectives fresh and our focus moving forward.

In keeping with this sentiment, we are happy to introduce a few changes to the 2014 Refresher Course. Next year's conference will feature an opening night panel rather than a keynote speaker. Moderated by Annette Haines, Ed.D. and joined by panelists, Lynn Gulick (A to I), Joen Bettmann (primary), Maryse Lepoutre-Postlewaite (elementary), and Laurie Ewert-Krocker (adolescent), this panel will focus on the child's journey and reinforce the importance of our role in preparing and guiding the child as s/he navigates through the natural phases of growth. We believe this new format will kick off the Refresher Course with much gusto!

In addition, we are also introducing a new format for Monday's closing sessions. The Refresher Course has been designed to provide all teachers with a greater understanding of where the child has been before entering their classroom and where they are headed when they leave. To that end, the sessions on Monday are uniquely planned to provide teachers at each level the opportunity to hear from pedagogues at other levels. Molly O'Shaughnessy and Silvia Dubovoy, Ph.D. will speak to the A to I guides; Allyn Travis and Jenny Höglund will address the primary audience; and Baiba Krumins Grazzini and Laurie Ewert-Krocker will present to the elementary group. The final closing address will be presented by David Kahn.

Stay tuned for more information next week when we will discuss the special interest workshops being offered on opening day Friday!

Why should you attend the Refresher Course?

Aside from the vast sense of community, creating new friendships and strengthening old ones, and of course, celebrating the AMI pedagogy of Maria Montessori, there are plenty of reasons as to why you should attend the 2014 Refresher Course.

You will have the opportunity to ascertain:

• methods of supporting cohesion between each level
• best practices for the classroom and school
• how to guide your children into normalization
• how to provide consistency between stages
• signs of readiness
• preparation of the environment
• how observation can be used to enhance the development of well-functioning classrooms
• how to identify the essential aspects of the prepared environment at each phase
• how to sharpen the management vision of Montessori
• the framework for successful Montessori school

Hotel registration is currently open. Conference registration will open soon!

Why Houston?

When deciding on a location for the 2014 refresher course, we couldn’t help but feel inspired by Houston. The southeast Texas city boasts a collection of art and entertainment, culinary indulgences, historic sites, and old-fashioned southern hospitality. Larger than the state of Maryland, this urban metropolis houses a world class museum district (with 19 galleries within walking distance), over 11,000 restaurants, and a plethora of resident professional performance art companies. 

Feeling a little more adventurous? A trip further south will lead you to the Space Center Houston and Galveston, the San Jacinto Monument, and even the beach. And honestly, who isn’t inspired by a little sand and water in mid-February?

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Welcome!

This blog was created to inform, inspire, and connect the many integral parts of the 2014 AMI/USA refresher course and our hosting city, Houston, Texas. In the coming months, we will feature posts covering a variety of topics such as, speaker bios, what’s new in 2014, registration information, lecture previews, and school tour information, among many others. So with our introduction behind us, let the cyber journey to the refresher course begin! There is no better place to start than the context of our inspiration for the 2014 theme…

The Child’s Journey, Navigating the Stages of Development

The child’s progression through the stages of development is best assisted by an informed adult, keenly aware of the preparation and guidance needed for each stage of the child’s journey. The child’s passage is marked by what Dr. Montessori described as a “continual state of growth and metamorphosis,” that exhibits itself in physical and mental changes through each stage of development. The magic is in how it all fits together.

Understanding the child’s acquisition of new powers, abilities, and sensitivities at every stage is key to optimizing the experience for the child in each Montessori setting. We must not only understand where the child we receive in our classroom has come from, but where s/he is going. It is the guide’s responsibility in a Montessori environment to facilitate the necessary experience a child needs in order to best support the successful continuation of his/her journey. This deeper understanding of the needs of each stage will be explored from both a practical and theoretical perspective.

Stay tuned for more information later this week!