2026 Conference of the AMI Montessori Affiliate in the United States, AMI/USA
In 1907 the first Montessori primary class, casa dei bambini, opened in the slums of Rome, Italy. Over the next twenty years people from around the world visited and took what they could back to their own country; the attempts were not always successful so in 1929 Dr. Montessori and her son created AMI, Association Montessori International, to support authentic Montessori practice. Today there are AMI affiliates in 40 countries. For more information on the vision and mission, CLICK: AMI
Over 850 of us met in San Diego, California, February 13-15, 2026. Montessorians and non-Montessorians alike were welcomed to three days of learning, reflection, and connection. The theme was Montessori as an Aid to life: Embracing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in Everyday Practice.
The First Day: World Café and More
Dr. KaLinda Bass-Barlow, Executive Director of AMI/USA, and her colleagues did a wonderful job of creating this conference. For the first morning she invited a few of us “Montessori elders” to speak at the World Café. We each held two sessions, telling personal stories and answering questions. I was quite surprised that the first question I was asked in both groups was about transcendental meditation! Asking why, the teachers said that TM was mentioned in my bio. I have been meditating since 1971, (inspired by Hilla Patell, my Montessori trainer in London and previous Executive Director of AMI, and Silvana Montanaro, MD, creator of the AMI 0-3 diploma course.) It was clear that these teachers understood the value of deep concentration for children and young adults in Montessori classes and wanted to learn more about providing such an experience for teachers.
Over the weekend I was pleased to meet up with friends from Paraguay (above picture), Russia, Colombia, Romania, Mexico, the Netherlands, the UK.
Throughout the first day, as people arrived from around the country and beyond, there were sessions on AMI school consultants; school administrators, human rights and social justice; autism inclusion; school safety; Kumeyaay indigenous presentation and display of artifacts; MPPI or the Montessori Public Policy Initiative, and even school visits.
The Keynote
On Friday evening the keynote speaker was Donna Hicks, a humble, entertaining, and extremely valuable font of wisdom for the Montessori movement. Often over the years I have been asked, “Our children in Montessori classes become calm and kind and caring. But why are we, the adults, not this way?” (for example: competitive rather than supportive of each other). I reply that most adults did not benefit from a Montessori-type childhood and so have not gone through the process we call “normalization” (AI definition: a natural developmental process where children, through engaging with a prepared environment and work, move from a state of distraction or disorder to one of deep concentration, self-discipline, kindness, and joy). Donna has taught courses in conflict resolution at Harvard and Columbia Universities and facilitated dialogues in efforts in the Middle East, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Colombia, Cuba, Libya and Syria. Her books on dignity have a lot to offer all of us.
The 2-Day, 12-hour Refresher Workshops
Saturday and Sunday several of the topics begun on Friday continued, and the AMI Refresher Courses began! Today many people try to learn how to “do” Montessori from books, blogs, the internet, or brief training courses. This weekend offers a chance to learn from people trained by the organization that Dr. Montessori created in 1929 to keep practice at the highest level. AMI is not a stagnant organization and keeps up with current research.
Here is a list of the topics and AMI trainers for each level:
—Age Birth to Three: A Montessori Guide to the First years: Nurturing the Child’s Natural Potential (Ale Rosas)
—Age Birth to Three: The Best for the Smallest; Heeding Montessori’s call for Excellence in Our Work with Children from Birth to Three (Erin Smith)
—Primary, Age 3-6+: Spontaneous Reading: A Joyful Journey (Gretchen Hall)
—Primary Math: The Power of Pattern: Uncovering Your Innate Love of Math (BethAnn Slater and Nia Seale)
—Elementary, Age 6-12: Our Common Home: Geography and the Interdependent Mindset in the Elementary (Allan Nguyen)
—Adolescents, Age 12-18: A Celebration of 30 Years of Adolescent Work: Where have We Been? What Have We Accomplished? What Lies Ahead (Laurie Ewert-Krocker and John McNamara)
All the leaders of these courses speak from rich experience. For example, the process of becoming an AMI teacher trainer takes a minimum of ten years after earning a bachelor’s degree, and most AMI teacher trainers also have graduate degrees, including PhDs:
—Earn AMI diploma in one level, 0-3, 3-6, 6-12, or 12-18
—Teach for a minimum of five years at one level
—Apply to become an AMI teacher trainer
—An observation is carried out to be sure of the teaching quality
—Three years, minimum, active participation in learning all the aspects of giving a course
—The writing of lectures and research papers
The Adolescent Session
I have been interested in the needs of adolescents since before discovering Montessori because my first “teaching” work was as a Latin tutor for high school students. So, I attended the 2-day course for this age. There was a zoom presentation with David Kahn, another with the mathematician Geoff Bigler, and valuable information shared by John and Laurie. John’s work as a 6-12+ teacher has inspired me for years and is quoted in at least one of my books.
At the end of our adolescents workshop the group were asked to come up with a beginning list for the creation of a “Developmental Rights of the Adolescent” document, which will continue to be researched. Some of those rights shared by Laurie are: valued responsibilities in care of self, others, and the environment; study and work that has real meaning and purpose in the community with real problems that do not have prepackaged answers or solutions; the experience of production and exchange that is not based on making money but on the awareness and appreciation of everyone’s contributions to the lives of others; the experience of genuine social organization—collaborating with others to meet the needs of the community; integrated study and work that is truly adolescent-centered and not adult-driven and controlled; the opportunity to make individual contributions and efforts that are also collective—the role of the individual within interdependence; freedom of choice; sanctioned time to process issues and challenges that arise either between individuals or within the group
We formed groups at the end of the second day to discuss specific topics. Our group focused on the spiritual preparation of the adult. We shared practices we use to be able to be the best models for this age group which is called the first stage of adulthood.
The real preparation for education is a study of one’s self. The training of the teacher who is to help life is something far more than a learning of ideas. It includes the training of character, it is a preparation of the spirit.
—Montessori
Another blog post about this age, CLICK: Farm School in Sweden
A Well-planned Three Days
The physical, mental, and spiritual needs of the conference participants were well-considered. For example, there was a yoga class for interested parties each morning. Healthy midmorning snacks were provided, and buffet lunches on the decks overlooking the water.
The right to solitude: Personally, I am used to working in solitude and silence, and the valuable but intense conversations from 8-5 each day were more than I could handle. I discovered a quiet booth in the back of the restaurant each evening where I could begin the processing of all that I had experienced during the day (and thrilled with the dinner choice of a vegan bowl!). And I noticed others with similar needs walking alone on the beach. Because of my own need for solitude, I have provided it for all my students with the same need throughout the years; and they have been very grateful.
My Montessori Books
I loved seeing my books on the Nienhuis Montessori materials table, the colorful covers next to the boxes of colored pencils. A highlight was when a woman I had never met turned to me (holding the book “Montessori and Mindfulness” in her hands) and said “I do not know what level teacher you are, but if you have never read this book, you should. It is the best!” She was so excited to find out that I was the author; and I was so happy to learn that it had been helpful for her. More information, CLICK: Montessori and Mindfulness
The Value of Sharing Montessori with All
There is a place in this Montessori educational field for AMI diploma holders to gather to share with other diploma holders; but over the years I have found that the best way to help people understand the richness of AMI Montessori training and practice, is to share our own experiences. Here is one example. In 2022, I lectured at three different colleges for training teachers in Lima, Peru. CLICK: Peru
At the end of the talk at the third place, Escuela de Educación Superior Pedagógica Pública Monterrico, the two women who were the directors of the institution came to me thrilled because what I had shared about Montessori practice in schools from preschool through high school completely matched what they had always hoped for but didn’t know how to explain to teachers in training. Next, a group of these teacher-in-training came to me excited because, and I quote them exactly, “You have given us ideas that we can begin to implement on Monday morning!” I have had the same results in many countries. All teachers want more for their students than academics and many easily take to the ideas, and want to learn more, about Montessori.
Special Time with an Old Friend
Lynne Lawrence, the Executive Director of AMI, and I have met up many places over the years—England, Judi Orion’s 80th birthday in Amsterdam, walking the stages of the cross in an underground church built in an abandoned coil mine in Colombia, with the Dalai Lama in Sikkim, EsF (Educateurs sans Frontières) in Thailand, Canada with Adele Diamond and Gabor Mate, and now the USA. Sometimes we wear our Tibetan necklaces and have a picture taken, documenting our growing and changing.
A miracle: Lynne was so busy that we only had about 10 minutes to talk together. Then, guess what happened! The day after the conference ended, I was flying home to Trinidad, California, and she to London and we ended up at the same terminal in San Diego and only four gates from each other. We had time to finally catch up. What a gift.
Blessings,
Susan
NOTE: All my books have been written in response to a need of many different groups of people. CLICK: books
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