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Montessori believed that early childhood is a physical and cognitive birth and adolescence is a social and psychological rebirth . She observed that teenagers: Feel uncertain about themselves Crave independence Are highly sensitive to judgment Long to belong to a community Want their work to be meaningful She wrote that adolescents need “valorization” meaning they need to feel valued through contribution. She explained classroom time and academics alone don’t meet these

Recently I had the opportunity to talk to Dr. Ross Greene and share with him what we are building at Unique Minds Unite. Dr. Ross Greene is a psychologist, author, and internationally recognized expert on children with behavioral challenges. He’s most famous for his books The Explosive Child , Lost at School , Lost & Found , and Raising Human Beings , and most importantly for creating the evidence-based Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS) model that helps families, sc

We are raising children in a time of unprecedented acceleration. And we don’t need to look further than the daily news to see that systems once considered stable are being questioned, reshaped, and in some cases, dismantled. Education is no exception. In Joyful Learning , Kerry McDonald writes, “Across the United States, parents, teachers, administrators, policymakers, and ordinary citizens are increasingly frustrated by the rigidity and standardization of modern schooling, a

Have you ever been told your child is checked out, unmotivated, or not engaging? For many families, those words come with a knot in the stomach. I know, because I’ve felt this too. You know your child is curious, but their school journey doesn't reflect that. And that gap can be painful and frustrating. But what if disengagement is a signal and an opportunity for change? Disengagement Is Often Communication Your child isn’t checked out. They’re telling you something about the

Middle school years are a time of profound transition. Internally, children are navigating hormonal changes that reshape how they experience their bodies, emotions, and inner worlds. Externally, their orientation is shifting as well. Peer relationships begin to matter more than ever and the pull for belonging is strong. The way early adolescents view themselves, others around them, and the world begins to change as they are trying to understand how they fit into the world aro

When I set on the path to open up a school, I started working with a trusted and recommended coach and education mentor, David K. Richards. Early in the process, David instructed me to write out the school’s vision. I knew I wanted this school to be a place where individual uniqueness was celebrated and honored, and as I began writing, my left brain quickly took over. I constructed a perfectly-sounding document carefully thought through and logically sound. I even used the he