Sarasota University

(FREE) Montessori Colloquium: Bringing Visual Arts Literacy into the Montessori Classroom with Spramani Elaun!
2026-03-17 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Join us on Tuesday, March 17th, at 7:00 p.m. ET for an exciting webinar on How to Start Thinking About Visual Arts in the Montessori Classroom with Spramani Elaun!
Event Description:

Join Spramani Elaun for an engaging webinar exploring what visual arts literacy truly means within the Montessori classroom. This session will provide foundational insights into how schools can understand art literacy, what a meaningful curriculum looks like, and how to begin implementing it with clarity and intention.

Participants will gain practical, actionable guidance for making thoughtful shifts in their environments, along with resources for continued learning and a dedicated Q&A to address specific questions. Educators will leave informed, inspired, and equipped to begin integrating visual arts literacy in their environments.

Please register in advance for this meeting, and feel free to share the registration link with your friends and colleagues:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/YZ9XL5RIQca6wqKU_fogDQ#/registration
About Spramani Elaun:
Spramani Elaun is an art educator, author of The Way Children Make Art – The Science Art Method™, and founder of Nature of Art® and the Art Teaching Blueprint® Certification Program. She works with Montessori educators to integrate visual art literacy into the classroom in ways that honor child development, independence, and Montessori principles. Her Science Art Method™ provides a research-informed, process-based approach that positions visual arts as a distinct and purposeful domain of learning.

Certificate of Attendance
Upon the completion of this session, all attendees are welcome to fill out our 3-2-1 form and receive their certificate of attendance. If you missed the live session, you may watch the recording from our YouTube channel and complete the 3-2-1 form at a later date.
Receive My Certificate of Attendance

(FREE) Montessori Colloquium: Guidance and Support to Honor the Child: A Montessori Perspective on Neurodivergence and Family Partnership with Tristan Kladzyk & Seslie Recker!
2026-04-21 19:00 - 20:00
Join us on Tuesday, April 21st, at 7:00 p.m. ET for an exciting webinar on Guidance and Support to Honor the Child: A Montessori Perspective on Neurodivergence and Family Partnership with Tristan Kladzyk & Seslie Recker!
Event Description:
This presentation invites Montessori educators to reconsider how we understand and support ADHD and autistic children in the first plane. Rather than offering prescriptive solutions, we focus on shifting perspective: from deficit to dignity, from compliance to connection, and from child-centered intervention to family-centered partnership. Grounded in Montessori philosophy and lived experience, this session encourages reflection on how we prepare ourselves and our environments to truly honor the child.
Please register in advance for this meeting, and feel free to share the registration link with your friends and colleagues:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/YZ9XL5RIQca6wqKU_fogDQ#/registration
About Tristan Kladzyk:
Tristan Kladzyk has been a Montessorian since first attending Rainbow Montessori School in Sunnyvale, CA, in 1987. She is certified in both early childhood (Caspari Montessori Institute, 2007) and Infant-Toddler (CGMS, 2020). She worked at Mariposa Montessori School in Austin, TX, from 2009 to 2022, where she met and co-taught with Seslie Recker in the Toddler Community. Tristan also has 17-year-old twins who attended Mariposa Montessori from the Infant Program through Upper Elementary. She is currently an instructional guide, practicum advisor, and field consultant for both the IT and EC levels for CGMS.

About Seslie Recker:

Seslie Recker is a passionate educator and a graduate of The Center for Guided Montessori Studies’ Infant-Toddler program. She lives on the South Island of Aotearoa (New Zealand) with her partner and two children. After years in the classroom, Seslie now works directly with families. She founded her region’s first Montessori parent-infant playgroup and offers Montessori-based postpartum doula support. Her work is intentional and centered on helping families feel confident and supported in the early years.
Certificate of Attendance
Upon the completion of this session, all attendees are welcome to fill out our 3-2-1 form and receive their certificate of attendance. If you missed the live session, you may watch the recording from our YouTube channel and complete the 3-2-1 form at a later date.
Receive My Certificate of Attendance

(Free) Montessori Colloquium: Healing Through Connection Amidst Chaos Montessori Philosophy: A Response to Trauma with Maati Wafford!
2026-05-19 19:00 - 20:00
Join us on Tuesday, May 19th, at 7:00 p.m. ET for an exciting webinar on Healing Through Connection Amidst Chaos Montessori Philosophy: A Response to Trauma with Maati Wafford!
Event Description:
Join Montessori educator and clinical social worker Maati Wafford for a workshop exploring how Montessori philosophy naturally aligns with trauma-informed teaching and self-care. This session highlights the importance of spiritual preparation, mindful observation, and creating trauma-informed environments that foster psychological safety and promote healing for children affected by vicarious trauma or adversity. Participants will discover practical strategies for integrating neurobiological insights with Montessori’s core principles, ultimately building learning spaces where both children and the communities that support them can thrive together.
Please register in advance for this meeting, and feel free to share the registration link with your friends and colleagues:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/YZ9XL5RIQca6wqKU_fogDQ#/registration
About Maati Wafford:
Maati is a licensed social worker, equity practitioner, spirit-led, Montessori-credentialed teacher, and educational consultant and coach. She is the founder and principal consultant of Radiant Mind Solutions, holding Montessori credentials in Early Childhood, Elementary I & II, and Administration.
Maati fiercely infuses critical reflection and a sincere love of learning into her interactions with children, parents, and fellow educators. For nearly two decades, she has created brave spaces for educators and school leaders to expand, build, and make more justice in the world. Maati is a firm believer in divine intelligence and understands that we all sit at the very center of that space!
Maati’s unique approach integrates community development, social-emotional learning, and key elements of social work practice to enrich the educational equity landscape. In her practice, she uses cognitive and somatic tools to bolster the deep inner work of justice and equity. Getting proximate to the parts of ourselves that hold biased thinking and belief systems allows us to engage in the radical truth-telling needed to dismantle injustice, which all begins in the psyches of individuals.
Certificate of Attendance
Upon the completion of this session, all attendees are welcome to fill out our 3-2-1 form and receive their certificate of attendance. If you missed the live session, you may watch the recording from our YouTube channel and complete the 3-2-1 form at a later date.
Receive My Certificate of Attendance

(Free) Montessori Colloquium: The Prepared Adult as Environment: Dignity, Diversity, and the Discipline of Deference in the Montessori Community with Regina Dyson!
2026-06-16 19:00 - 20:00
Join us on Tuesday, June 16th, at 7:00 p.m. ET for an exciting webinar on “The Prepared Adult as Environment: Dignity, Diversity, and the Discipline of Deference in the Montessori Community” with Regina Dyson!
Event Description:
What if equity, access, and belonging are not outcomes we pursue—but conditions we create? This symposium invites educators, leaders, and practitioners into a deeper inquiry: How do our daily interactions, structures, and decisions shape whether dignity is protected, difference is honored, and voice is shared? Moving beyond individual character and into collective responsibility, this experience reframes dignity as a cultural practice—one that is enacted clearly, consistently, and carefully across adult communities. Through dialogue, reflection, and real-world application, participants will explore: How dignity, diversity, and deference function as a continuum—not isolated ideas. The conditions that cultivate or compromise equity, access, and belonging. Practical shifts in language, structure, and leadership that make these values lived realities. This is not a session about ideals. It is an invitation into discipline, design, and daily practice—where the prepared adult becomes the environment.
Please register in advance for this meeting, and feel free to share the registration link with your friends and colleagues:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/YZ9XL5RIQca6wqKU_fogDQ#/registration
About Regina Dyson:
Regina Dyson is a lifelong educator, organizer, and advocate whose 35-year journey has been rooted in community, justice, and Montessori education. She discovered Montessori in 1992 at an Afro-centered school in Atlanta, an experience that shaped her commitment to creating learning environments where freedom, dignity, and belonging are central. Over the years, Regina has worn many hats—Executive Director, HOS, classroom assistant, afterschool coordinator, summer camp co-director, consultant, and developmental coach—each role deepening her expertise in organizational transition, curriculum design, parent partnership, and community building. Today, she serves as Board Chair of Montessori for Social Justice and works closely with schools and organizations as instructional and admin coach, program development and capacity-building. Passionate about justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging (JEDIB), Regina works to advance intergenerational coalition building, restorative justice, adolescent leadership, cooperative enterprise, and environmental stewardship—always centering the power of education to transform lives and communities. She is also a parent of three, ages 31, 25 and 19 and now GiGi to a grandson!

Certificate of Attendance
Upon the completion of this session, all attendees are welcome to fill out our 3-2-1 form and receive their certificate of attendance. If you missed the live session, you may watch the recording from our YouTube channel and complete the 3-2-1 form at a later date.
Receive My Certificate of Attendance

(Free) Montessori Colloquium: Montessori in the Digital Age with Sarah Kennedy-Berge!
2026-07-21 19:00 - 20:00
Join us on Tuesday, July 21st, at 7:00 p.m. ET for an exciting webinar on “Montessori in the Digital Age” with Sarah Kennedy-Berge!
Event Description:
How can Montessori education remain deeply human, developmentally grounded, and ethically strong in an increasingly digital world?
Sarah Kennedy-Berge shares insights from her research, classroom practice, and international teacher education work to explore what Montessori in the Digital Age truly means. Rather than focusing on devices or trends, the session centers on the prepared adult, creative technology as a form of expression, and meaningful integration across the Montessori curriculum. Participants will be invited to reflect on how thoughtfully chosen digital tools can support creativity, agency, collaboration, and cosmic education while remaining firmly rooted in Montessori principles.
Please register in advance for this meeting, and feel free to share the registration link with your friends and colleagues:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/YZ9XL5RIQca6wqKU_fogDQ#/registration
About Sarah Kennedy-Berge:

Sarah Kennedy-Berge is a Montessori teacher, teacher educator, researcher, and author. She is the Director of European Montessori College and has worked internationally in Montessori teacher education, curriculum design, and professional development. Her work focuses on integrating creative technology into the Montessori curriculum in developmentally appropriate and philosophically grounded ways, with a strong emphasis on the prepared adult, creativity, and cosmic education. Sarah is the author of Montessori in the Digital Age and regularly speaks and writes on Montessori education, transformation, and the future of learning.

Certificate of Attendance
Upon the completion of this session, all attendees are welcome to fill out our 3-2-1 form and receive their certificate of attendance. If you missed the live session, you may watch the recording from our YouTube channel and complete the 3-2-1 form at a later date.
Receive My Certificate of Attendance

(Free) Montessori Colloquium: Rewilding Stewardship: Montessori Leadership in Late Stage Capitalism with Frank E. George IV !
2026-08-18 19:00 - 20:00
Join us on Tuesday, August 18th, at 7:00 p.m. ET for an exciting webinar on “Montessori Leadership in Late Stage Capitalism” with Frank E. George IV!
Event Description:
Together we will explore our freedom and responsibility for building equitable structures in our schools and developing economically transgressive models of operation. Through imagination activism, emergent strategy, and rewilding, we will explore what it means to move toward a “decapitalized” Montessori approach, examining how emergent strategy and community-based models of system building are the answer to our movement’s challenges in an age of economic and human crises.
Please register in advance for this meeting, and feel free to share the registration link with your friends and colleagues:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/YZ9XL5RIQca6wqKU_fogDQ#/registration
About Frank E. George IV:
Frank E. George IV is a lifelong educator, community builder, and advocate for children. He is AMI certified as an Administrator and Montessori Guide (3–6 and 6–12) and holds an Oregon State K–12 English Language Arts Teaching Credential. He currently serves as Head of School and Primary Guide at Rock Creek Montessori School.
His work blends authentic Montessori practice with a strong commitment to justice and equity. He believes Montessori education is a powerful vehicle for nurturing independence, dignity, and compassion — and that strong communities are built when we intentionally amplify diverse voices and support one another in meaningful work.

Certificate of Attendance
Upon the completion of this session, all attendees are welcome to fill out our 3-2-1 form and receive their certificate of attendance. If you missed the live session, you may watch the recording from our YouTube channel and complete the 3-2-1 form at a later date.
Receive My Certificate of Attendance

(Free) Montessori Colloquium: Beyond the Classroom: What Montessori Can Teach Us About Meaningful Work with Dr. Katie Keller Wood!
2026-09-15 19:00 - 20:00
Join us on Tuesday, September 15th, at 7:00 p.m. ET for an exciting webinar on “Beyond the Classroom: What Montessori Can Teach Us About Meaningful Work” with Dr. Katie Keller Wood!
Event Description:

Montessori education offers a remarkably hopeful vision of human work—one that extends far beyond the classroom. In this engaging presentation, USA Today bestselling author and Montessori educator Dr. Katie Keller Wood explores what Montessori’s philosophy can teach us about meaningful work, purpose, and human flourishing throughout adulthood. Drawing on Montessori’s writings, adult development research, and practical experience working with educators and leaders, Katie invites participants to reconsider common assumptions about work, success, and well-being. Together, we’ll explore how timeless Montessori principles can help us cultivate more meaningful careers, make wiser decisions about our commitments, and create lives in which our work contributes to—not competes with—our overall thriving.

Please register in advance for this meeting, and feel free to share the registration link with your friends and colleagues:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/YZ9XL5RIQca6wqKU_fogDQ#/registration
About Dr. Katie Keller Wood:
​Dr. Katie Keller Wood is a TEDx and international keynote speaker, USA Today Bestselling Author, and University of Virginia instructor recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on Montessori education for adolescents and adults. She blends a deep understanding of how people learn with expertise in adult development to help professionals stay engaged in meaningful work while living lives that feel whole.
As longtime director of CMStep, Katie has trained and mentored hundreds of educators across the globe, and is widely regarded as a pioneer in Montessori programming for both adolescents and adults. In March, she was recognized as the 2026 Innovator of the Year by the American Montessori Society.
Beyond the classroom, Katie brings her insights on learning and human development to diverse audiences: from graduate students to entrepreneurs, leaders, and change-makers seeking new ways to flourish in work and life. Her book Alignment: A Montessori Approach to Reimagining Work-Life Balance builds on this work, helping professionals discover that work and life don’t have to feel like opposing forces.
In her work with adults, Katie weaves Montessori principles, psychology, and personal experience into practical strategies that empower individuals and organizations to stay engaged in meaningful work, without losing themselves. She believes we can create a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world together—one aligned life at a time.

Certificate of Attendance
Upon the completion of this session, all attendees are welcome to fill out our 3-2-1 form and receive their certificate of attendance. If you missed the live session, you may watch the recording from our YouTube channel and complete the 3-2-1 form at a later date.
Receive My Certificate of Attendance
