Why do so many families find this stretch of the school year so hard? The adrenaline of the new year has faded, but the pace hasn’t slowed down. In this episode, Terry Dubow talks with Siri Panday, Marin Montessori’s Director of Education for Toddler and Primary, about how families can navigate this stressful season with more grace, calm, and connection.

Key Takeaways:

• Why transitions often intensify family stress even after the “back-to-school” period.

• How consistent routines offer emotional stability for both children and parents.

• Why letting children experience age-appropriate struggle builds resilience.

• Practical tips to ease mornings, strengthen rhythm, and release the pressure of “perfect parenting.”

• How Montessori principles offer a humane, sustainable path for families during busy seasons.

Wonder is not a luxury; it is essential for raising curious, resilient, and joyful children. In this episode, Terry Dubow, Director of Communications and Strategic Initiatives at Marin Montessori School, talks with Tree Sturman, Director of the Junior High, about how modern childhood can crowd out wonder and how Montessori education creates space for children to stay curious and connected.

Key Takeaways

• How modern childhood squeezes out wonder
• Why Montessori intentionally protects curiosity
• The connection between wonder, resilience, and learning
• Practical ways parents can nurture wonder at home
• Why protecting wonder matters in an anxious world

About Tree Sturman

Tree has spent his career in passionate pursuit of a better world. After a decade leading environmental nonprofits, he co-founded Compass Montessori Junior High in Michigan and guided its growth for 11 years. A lifelong learner with a gift for connecting with adolescents, Tree brings deep experience, curiosity, and a love of hands-on learning to his work at Marin Montessori School.

While artificial Intelligence is changing schools, the most important work remains human. In this episode, Marin Montessori Head of School, Sam Shapiro, talks with Jenny Elliott, Head of Student and Academic Life at Choate Rosemary Hall, about what one of the nation’s most respected boarding schools has learned after a year of experimenting with generative AI.

Key takeaways from this conversation:

• Why Choate chose to engage with AI rather than ignore or ban it.

• How student-facing guidelines clarified expectations and built integrity.

• Ways schools can protect creativity and ethical reasoning in an AI era.

• Why “friction” in learning still matters and how to preserve it.

• How educators can model discernment and intentionality with AI use.

• Practical steps schools can take to engage parents and students in the conversation.

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This episode offers insights and encouragement for parents, educators, and leaders seeking to keep learning meaningful in a rapidly changing world.

For more about Choate's approach to AI, click here!

In a time when parents face rising pressure to get everything right, this episode offers something rare and essential: a deeply honest, poetic, and practical conversation about the transformative power of self-compassion.

Join Marin Montessori School’s Head of School, Sam Shapiro, and guest Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, celebrated poet and parent educator, as they explore what it means to parent with grace instead of perfection.

Drawing on both research and lived experience, Rosemerry offers a path toward parenting that’s emotionally sustainable—and deeply human.

Together, they discuss:

• What self-compassion really is (and why it’s not indulgent)
• How it benefits our health, motivation, and relationships
• The link between grace for ourselves and connection with our children
• The latest science from Dr. Kristin Neff and the field of self-compassion research
• Why embracing our own imperfections is a powerful parenting act

Whether you’re navigating daily struggles or simply looking to show up with more presence and care, this conversation is a powerful reminder: we teach our children not by being perfect—but by being real.

What if summer wasn’t just time off—but time well used? In this episode of Grounded and Soaring, Marin Montessori Head of School Sam Shapiro talks with Dr. Christina Carroll, an Elementary Guide and educational researcher, about how families can rethink the summer months as a powerful opportunity for curiosity-driven learning.

Drawing from years of Montessori teaching experience and her doctoral research on how teacher beliefs shape student outcomes, Christina shares practical, project-based ideas for summer—from baking and gardening to trip planning and self-reflection.

This episode is ideal for any parent looking to support their child’s growth this summer in a way that’s joyful, intentional, and deeply engaging—without relying on worksheets or screen time.

📝 Download the Montessori Summer Project Guide here.

Netflix’s Adolescence is more than just another teen drama—it’s a window into the risks, contradictions, and hidden struggles of today’s young people. In this special pop culture episode, Terry Dubow and Bill Sneed, Director of the Junior High at Marin Montessori School, explore the show’s emotional accuracy, why it hits a nerve for adults, and what it reveals about how we understand—and often misunderstand—adolescence.

The episode touches on sensitive topics and is intended for adult listeners.

Adolescence is longer—and more complex—than ever before. In this episode of Grounded and Soaring, Marin Montessori Head of School Sam Shapiro sits down with Dr. Laurence Steinberg, one of the world’s foremost experts on adolescent development. Together, they unpack the neuroscience of adolescence, the crucial role of risk-taking, and how parents can support their teens through this transformative stage.

Dr. Steinberg explores why adolescence now lasts into the mid-20s, how brain plasticity shapes behavior, and how parents can balance warmth with firm boundaries to help their teens thrive. Whether you're raising a teen or preparing for what’s ahead, this conversation offers critical insights into fostering independence, resilience, and responsible decision-making in today’s youth.

Tune in to hear why adolescence is both a vulnerable and opportunistic stage—and how we can better support the teens in our lives.

What if our education system prioritized deep learning over competition? In this episode of Grounded and Soaring, host Terry Dubow speaks with Scott Looney, Head of Hawken School and founder of the Mastery Transcript Consortium, and Bill Sneed, Director of Marin Montessori’s Junior High, to explore how Montessori and Mastery-based learning offer a compelling alternative to the traditional sorting machine of grades, GPAs, and standardized tests.

Inspired by David Brooks’ viral Atlantic article, How the Ivy League Broke America, this conversation dives into the flaws of traditional academic systems and highlights real-world, skills-based approaches that foster true intellectual growth.

💡 Why does the mastery movement matter now more than ever?
💡 How do Montessori and Mastery-based schools prepare students for an uncertain future?
💡 What can parents do to redefine success for their children?

Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion on the future of learning.