What does it mean to create a space where people truly belong?
Under Dr. KaLinda Bass-Barlow’s leadership, The Association Montessori Internationale USA (AMI/USA) is reimagining what it means to honor Maria Montessori’s legacy while meeting the evolving needs of our time and place.
In this conversation, Dr. KaLinda shares the intentional work happening at AMI/USA: opening the annual conference to all Montessori educators regardless of training, visiting over 20 schools in four months to listen and understand needs, and building partnerships across Montessori organizations.
Despite a tradition among Montessori organizations of competing with one another, Dr. KaLinda’s focus is clear and refreshing- we cannot keep competing with each other if we want to create the peace that Dr. Montessori fought so hard for in her lifetime. We must collaborate for the benefit for our children, teachers, and our world at large.
Dr. KaLinda’s moral compass is clear: serving children requires courage to challenge the status quo, ask difficult questions, and move beyond “this is how we’ve always done it.” From her journey stumbling into Montessori in Kansas City Public Schools to now leading AMI/USA’s transformation, she demonstrates what happens when leaders suit themselves with the right tools and let their values guide strategic action.
We have been so grateful to partner with AMI/USA to offer Provocations Magazine at a discount to AMI/USA Members and we will be having our first live podcast booth at the Montessori Experience: Refresher Courses and More in San Diego in February!
All these insights on transformation, belonging, and courageous leadership in this episode of Breaking the Paradigm.
Thanks, Dr. KaLinda, for a great conversation!
Note: The reference to the Core Principles Course is an AMI course, not an AMI/USA course
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