Learning Takes Flight

Hello! Welcome to the LTF Podcast! I am so glad you're here. In this episode I ramble on about routines; how to establish them and why they matter. This information can be applied to the classroom or at home. This episode is linked to the last episode about independence. Children are always in search of themselves, and who they are in the world, and we often get in their way. Establishing freedom within boundaries via routines will help the child to develop self-awareness, confidence feelings of safety, pride, and community all while building independence too. Routines are not bad! Only those charts and when we hold on to them so tight we refuse to adjust as needed. Thanks for listening! Email me at: Learningtakesflightmontessori@gmail.com or find me on instagram at: learningtakesflight

Hello and welcome to the LTF Podcast! I am so excited to welcome you to another episode in which I share some insights on understanding childhood better. In this episode, I explore the notion that your young child doesn't need you in the ways you might think they do and that sometimes, getting out of their way is the best thing to do for them.  I will be sharing some advice and ideas for you to facilitate independence for your child at home, what true quality time together means, and how all of this can lead to a life long relationship of trust, empathy, and love between you and your child. Enjoy! 

Welcome Back! Although let's be real, most of you have been back to school for a couple of months now. But better late than never I suppose. In this episode, I share with you ideas for how to help your child or your students adjust to the new school year routine. I honestly believe these ideas are for any time of the year and hold true for establishing new routines in general, not just for attending school. Also, my advice applies to homeschool, general education and Montessori school. I feel that a lot of these ideas are pretty universal. As always, we follow the child, meeting them exactly where they are. Thank you for tuning in! 

Hello and welcome to the LTF Podcast! I am so happy you're here. You must have chosen this episode because you yourself are experiencing the amazing wonder that is the young child and asserting their independence, finding their voice and their self realization that their actions have power! In this episode I share with you some of my insights and ideas as to why this is such a wonderous time in childhood, some coping strategies and ways to better assist your child during this time of self discovery as well as just letting you know that yes, it does pass.I hope that whether you're an educator or parent you will find something useful in this episode and that, in the very least, you will know that you're not alone. 

Love for your child is absolutely something you probably don't ever have to question or think about, right? In this episode I explore the definition of love, the aspect of attachment and how your love for your child could potentially be holding your child back in their development and quest for independence. I explore how our adult mindset and need for control can in fact be hindering our child's growth and possibly impacting our relationship with them. Often times we think that when we protect and provide everything for them, this is the greatest act of love...when in fact letting go...stepping back and guiding them towards independence is truly loving them. This is because when we step back, let go... we are acknowledging the child as an independent individual. We are supporting their future selves. I also give you ideas on how to achieve this level of freedom within boundaries in your own home today!Thanks for tuning in! Find me on Instagram @learningtakesflight

Hello and welcome to the Learning Takes Flight Podcast!In this episode I share with you ways to improve your relationship with your child and find balance in your life. The new year can inspire us to make positive changes in our lives. In this episode I share ideas for how to include include your focus on your child in any changes you are making this year. I also encourage you to broaden the idea of a new year's resolution... to think beyond one goal or dream. There are many simple changes we can make in how we view the child and prepare their environment to have big impacts on their independence and development. I hope this episode is inspiring and encouraging!Thank you for tuning in!Here are some links I reference in the episode: https://montessori-ami.org/resource-library/quotes/four-planes-developmenthttps://mymontessorimoments.com/montessori-grammar-boxes/https://www.1000hoursoutside.com/

Hello LTF Listeners! In this episode I explore how to create holiday traditions with meaning and purpose for the children in your life. I send out the message that at the root of all of your traditions should be love... and the harder truth that some traditions, might need to be let go of. Tune in to learn more about being present with your child and finding peace during this hectic time of year. Let go of the pressure! 

This episode is part three of my mini-series about building community within a school. This series is for educators and families from a variety of backgrounds. Though my specific field is Montessori education in a small, private school, I truly feel that anyone who works with children in the field of education can benefit from this series. This episode is specifically focused on building community among families within a school. I will share with you the reasons why it is so vital to make an effort to build community and some of the ways that I have learned how to build community within my school. Over my years in the classroom and as the administrator of my school I have witnessed time and time again the benefits of pushing past insecurities, fatigue, doubt, defensiveness and divisiveness to build positive relationships with the parents and families of the children in my care. I have never regretted making the effort and building a bridge between myself, the students, our classroom and their parents or guardians. I hope that you tune in because I am confident you'll find some useful information and also be reminded that none of us are alone in our effort to improve the lives of children. 

Hello LTF Listeners! This is episode 2 in my mini series all about building community within a school group, classroom or homeschool (psst... you also need to focus on building community within your family group too!). In this episode I share my thoughts, ideas and suggestions about building community among the adults in the children's lives. I share they reasons why building community is so important and how to build and maintain community among the adults. Because our focus in education should be the child, it is imperative that the adults take care of themselves and are the best models for the child on how to relate, learn and care for ones self and their community. As always, thank you for listening! Please feel free to always reach out, ask my questions and let me know if there is a specific topic pertaining to Montessori, child development or teaching you'd like to hear discussed on the LTF podcast. 

Hello LTF Listeners! I am so excited to be back with a new episode of the LTF podcast. In this episode I will share with you the reason why building classroom community is so important and how you can begin to build a classroom where children feel safe, accepted and truly part of a class family. This is the first episode in my mini series all about the importance of school community and how to build it! Each episode will focus on a different aspect of the school community: students, colleagues and families. Though my perspective is from a Montessori elementary classroom, I truly believe that there is something here for educators and parents of children with any changes and method of education. When we create a safe space for children to be themselves and build social skills, we are helping to make the world a more peaceful and empathetic place. Thank you for tuning in! Be sure to add this episode to your favorites and find me on instagram at: learningtakesflight

Hello Listeners!This week I will share with you the importance of how we move, speak and are when in the presence of children. Our phrasing, body language and what we model is more important than the most beautiful materials, classroom set up or "perfect" lesson. The children will absorb our presence and we will impress upon their young minds how adults are in their presence. Are we someone who will nurture, someone whom they can trust? Or someone who is frazzled or prone to outbursts? It can be exhausting to feel as though you're always "on" so to speak, so how do develop a lifestyle and boundaries for ourselves that allows us to be our best for our children, and what do we do when we make mistakes, have an outburst or lose our cool?Find out on this week's episode what you can do to be your best self with the children in your life, providing them independence, a safe space and modeling how to communicate in a healthy way. I also share my favorite moment of the week, a truly bittersweet one this time. As always, thank you for listening and following. 

The Montessori prepared environment can truly be a place of magic! By providing  the child with order, beauty and opportunities for  independence you can unlock the magic of the Montessori goal of  the child who is independent and thus happy! Confident! Self aware!This week I share with you the magic of the prepared environment i.e. the classroom, how to achieve this and what to do when things don't seem to be going how you planned. I hope you tune in, follow and find me on instagram! I am so happy you're here! “The first aim of the prepared environment is, as far as it is possible, to render the growing child independent of the adult.”— Maria Montessori

“When a child is given a little leeway, he will at once shout, 'I want to do it!' But in our schools, which have an environment adapted to children's needs, they say, ‘Help me to do it alone.'”—The Secret of ChildhoodThis week I will share with you the importance of escaping once in a while and some tips for setting up the Montessori classroom environment and when to switch your materials. It is important to remember that you don't have to have ALL of the things in order to have an environment that works for your child(ren).  Tune in to hear the foundation of setting up an environment that will truly support your child. Have a wonderful week and thank you for tuning in!

Welcome Back! I am so excited to bring you a brand new episode and a new season of the LTF Podcast!This episode explores some of the lessons I have learned in my many years of new school years! I will share my top three pieces of advice  for how to begin a new school year, setting your children and yourself up for a beautiful year of learning and growing together. I promise that “at the beginning is a good place to be”. 

This week's episode is a bit of insight into what led me to start my own school and my Montessori journey. I will share with you why I ended up on this path, how I even started my school and some answers to the question of is it necessary to begin your own school.I will share with you some of my struggles and triumphs and maybe even inspire you on your own journey. As always, thank you for tuning in! Please email me with any questions!

This week's episode is very dear to me and one that I truly cannot believe actually happened. This week I was able to sit down with a person who absolutely changed my life.  My friend Danica Allen, or Dani to those who know and love her, is one of those people you meet in life who not only change the entire trajectory of your life, give you wisdom and hope but also literal help. She hauled boxes, built furniture, polished floors, painted walls, taught children alongside me, enrolled families, chatted with inspectors and picked me up when I felt I just couldn't keep going. Along with all of her physical and emotional support, I have been even more fortunate in my chance meeting of Dani. She has stuck with me for all of these years, even though we have lived thousands of miles, oceans and even continents apart. Dani has helped me build two schools, she has inspired me with her experience and knowledge in education, Montessori, parenting and now Special Education. This episode has everything: friendship, heart, advice on how to build a school, teaching in all kinds of schools, homeschooling,  military life, the GED, surviving trauma, loving and supporting your children through change and the challenges of diagnosis... and on and on… There is SO MUCH HERE! I just know you'll be inspired! Oh, and this episode is extra special because Dani and her family are currently living in Germany and they were able to come and visit me in Idaho, and this summer is the ten year anniversary of our journey to build CHMS! As always, thank you for listening! Thank you for your support and thank you for helping me to build this community. Please reach out to me via email at learningtakesflightmontessori@gmail.com if you have any questions for myself or Dani. Here are just a few of the things Dani mentions:“Giving a child choice and voice does not take away your power… it makes you a better human.”“Neuro divergent children should be supported to exist within the society...but not forced to change who they are in order to fit in.” Podcast: Bright and Quirky

In this episode I share with you why traveling with children is so important. It is something to be enjoyed and not dreaded. I will share some ideas for how to make travel more enjoyable for your child and you. I truly believe that by sharing the world with our children we will help them to become citizens of the world, making the world a better place for all. 

Hello Podcast Friends!Welcome to another episode! In this episode I share with you some of my ideas and experience with making summer fun for everyone. This episode is almost like a part two to Episode 16, so if you haven't listened to that episode, you want might to give it a listen! I will share with you why routine remains important, even in the summer, even for your older child and why you don't have to have perfect activities to engage your child every day. I will also share with you the most important activities you can do with your child all summer to prevent the dreaded summer slide in their progress. So join me for a short and sweet summer episode! Make sure to find me on instagram and email me with any questions at:learningtakesflightmontessori@gmail.com Thank you!

Hello Podcast Friends! This week I share with you some harsh truth about Montessori: IT ISN'T PERFECT!What you might say!?! The reality is that sometimes Montessori is messy, imperfect and not how we planned.. Sometimes as parents and educators we say and do the wrong thing. I share with you some of my experiences and some ideas on how we can settle in, let go and not allow ourselves to become bogged down in the myth of perfection. As always, thank you for tuning in!

Hello listeners! This week I share with you  my message, which is Dr. Montessori's message that peace can come through education. I will share with you ideas on how to incorporate education for peace within your home and classroom. I'll give you a little hint on one of my ideas... it begins with BOOKS! Reading truly does help. I believe so much in building a community through this podcast and I want to encourage you to keep going in this vital work, you matter as an educator, parent and guide. You have a gift before you in the life of the child(ren) and an opportunity to help to make the world a better place, even when it seems an impossible feat. As always, thank you for listening and I wish you a wonderful week ahead. 

Hello LTF Listeners!This episode is all about how to have those difficult conversations with parents. I will share with you how to conduct a meeting, send a message and why it is vital that you do not avoid these conversations and how by speaking up you will truly be helping the child in need. I also share with you a whole lot of gratitude and reminders to set boundaries for yourself as you build your school and classroom community.

This week I share with you why providing art and crafting experiences for children is so important! I give some examples of how to make these opportunities more accessible, affordable and less daunting to provide. I will also share with you some of the things we should never do in regards to a child's creative efforts. This is one of those "tip of the iceberg" episodes... an entire podcast series could be dedicated to providing art for children. I hope that this episode is a launching off point though and provides some inspiration and support. If you have any questions about how to adapt your classroom to offer more opportunities for art and crafting, please email me at:learningtakesflightmontessori@gmail.comHappy Listening!

This week I share with you about what is often called "teacher burnout". I truly think though that anyone working with children (and remember, children develop until age 24!) can feel overwhelmed, uninspired, frustrated and fatigued. I will share with you my experience with these feelings and what you can do to try and get through them. The most important message this week is this:give yourself grace and know that you are not alone!I hope that you can find some helpful advice here and maybe just the reassurance that what you are feeling, especially this time of year while a pandemic rages on, is completely normal!

This week I am sharing with you about why Montessori education is unique. I share the four key elements of Montessori education and how they are implemented in the classroom and into the raising of children. I will also share with you how you can implement these four elements into your child's life whether they attend a Montessori school or not. Dr. Montessori wrote and spoke about education being the only way for us to truly reach lasting peace, and in this episode I share with you how achieving peace through education is possible with these four key elements of Montessori education. When we raise children with empathy, accountability and an understanding of their impact within their community, we will raise children who care about others and who will understand how they can make the world a more accepting, loving and peaceful place. 

This week I share with you the importance of helping children to develop self regulation. I will share a bit about child development, the four planes of development and some ways that we can support children in their development of self regulation. I have been reflecting a lot of how demanding the world is these days with constant messaging and influencing happening through media and cell phones and that we may feel pressure to respond to everything right away. Self regulation helps us to remember to pause, reflect and by practicing mindfulness and self awareness we can eventually reach a more impactful level of self care and quality of life. Our work with children is helping them to build a foundation for their entire lives and by understanding the importance of self regulation we can guide them towards a better sense of self and overall happiness, even through difficult moments. 

This week I share with you how to face big changes in a child's life. We have all had a big year of change with facing a global pandemic, and now we are facing more change as schools open back up as well as parents beginning  to prepare for sending their children to school for the first time. I also touch on how to navigate your school community through big changes such as a teacher leaving the school. There are a few basic things we can do to help children and families:Creating a  routine for your child, family and/or classroomListening and offering support Providing grace, empathy and understanding rather than being dismissive of someone's experience and feelings. There are several books about change for children, here are a few:A Kid's Book About Change by David KimThe Magical Yet by Angela DiTerlizziAnd the People Stayed Home by Kitty O'Meara 

In this week's episode I share with you why the term "classroom management" is grating to me and why children should not be viewed as people to manage i.e. control. I will cover a few reasons why classroom management in the more traditional sense doesn't actually work and how you can change you view and methods in order to improve your work with the children in your life. 

Episode 7: Go Outside:In this episode I share with you why children need to spend time outside, what it takes to be outside safely and happily, where to go and play and how to create a natural playscape of your own. I share my own experience as a parent of inadvertently allowing our child to take over our yard, dig holes, build a fort, climb old tree stumps, and how now, looking back, a perfect, manicured yard would not have allowed this and what a gift it was that he had this experience. I am asking you to dig deep and address your own fears or hang ups of allowing the children in your life to play freely outside and why risky play is so important. Children develop a lifetime of skills by being in contact with nature, working through social problems with their friends on their own, problem solving, overcoming small wounds and celebrating their own resiliency. There has been research connecting depression, behavioral problems, lack of self regulation skills and so much more in children in relation to a child's lack of access to nature and time spent outside. Join me in exploring ways to make going outside something you don't have to think twice about. Books to get you started:Rusty Keeler: Adventures In Risky Play: What is Your Yes?Richard Louv: Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder

In this episode I speak with Dr. Sarah Graham and Christine Jorgens. Both of these incredible women have experience with adoption, advocacy, parenting and bringing cultural competency and awareness to the forefront of conversations when working with school and parent groups. About Dr. Sarah Graham and Christine Jorgens:Dr. Sarah Graham is Associate Professor of Music at Lewis-Clark State College where she teaches courses in music and the humanities and conducts the Concert Choir. She has spent her entire career in music education working with students from kindergarten through the graduate level. A life-long church musician, Dr. Graham is also the music minister at the Episcopal Church in Lewiston.In 2010 she and her former husband adopted three children from Ghana in West Africa. The first five years with her children, she lived in Illinois, but has lived in North Central Idaho for the last six years. Dr. Graham  was the recipient of the President's Award for Excellence in Diversity and Cross-Cultural Understanding from LC-State in 2020  and has been working on a master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, where cultural competence is woven into the fabric of clinical mental health care. She was instrumental in forming a parent group for supporting parents with children of color in the Lewiston School District after racist incidents at school involved her children. Together they began an action plan to seek change in district policies. A little over a year later the district has implemented the changes that were requested. Christine Jorgens is a transplant resident to the LC Valley. She and her family moved here from Kailua Hawaii in 2007. After working for several years with the Lewiston School District with students with Visual Impairments, Christine took a position with the Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind, and works as a Consulting Teacher for the Blind.Christine is the mother of 4 beautiful children. She is a passionate advocate for Autism, Adoption, Foster Care, and Education.Christine's background includes finance/banking, probate trust distribution, professional doula, braillist, professional jazz vocalist, and a myriad of other ventures that she has enjoyed exploring - none of which she has mastered. Christine's life is lived by the principals of living boldly, and loving fiercely.In this episode you will learn about adoption, foster care, becoming an advocate and unlearning. We reference some fabulous topics and authors that might interest you:Ibram x Kendi and his book How to Be an Anti RacistDon't Touch My Hair by Sharee Miller Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry Hair Like Mine by Latashia M. Perry Terms:Transracial adoption: Interracial adoption refers to the act of placing a child of one racial or ethnic group with adoptive parents of another racial or ethnic group. Interracial adoption is not inherently the same as transcultural or international adoption. Find: Chad Goller-Sojourner online for advice, https://www.adoptivefamilies.com/author/chad-goller-sojourner/Attachment:  describes a developmental process and a relationship between a child and their primary caregiver. Attachment usually develops over the first two years of life. Bonding: is a response from an infant, usually within the first few months of life. The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction is the main international agreement that covers international parental child abduction.

In this episode I share with you how to give your child the opportunity to practice self control, learn confidence and how you can learn to trust them.

In this episode I have the opportunity to visit with Calli Stipe of Little Farm Montessori. Calli is a mom, Montessori educator and founder of Little Farm Montessori. LTF is a virtual resource for parents to find support and joy in parenting. She uses her knowledge and background in Montessori education to guide parents through virtual classes, handbooks and social media. I learned so much from Calli, it was wonderful to reconnect so many years after us first meeting when her Montessori journey began. You can learn more about what she offers through her website: littlefarmmontessori.com

In this episode I share with you some ideas and perspective about what Dr. Montessori called the spiritual transformation of the teacher. 

In this episode I share with you my journey to Montessori education and some parent and Montessori teacher questions. Please feel free to email me your questions for a future episode! Email questions to Megan at: learningtakesflightmontessori@gmail.com. 

In this episode we will discuss growing up with a Montessori educator for a mom, attending both public and Montessori schools as well as perspectives on high school and beyond.