To use a sports analogy, the Montessori Event is the Super Bowl of the Montessori world. Like fans who travel to the Super Bowl regardless of where it’s held that year, thousands of Montessori professionals flock to the Montessori Event sites across the country. The last time I attended one in person was at least ten years ago, when it was held in Chicago (and will be returning in 2027!).

So if the Montessori Event is like the Super Bowl, Montessorians from all over the country and around the world come to listen, learn, connect, and celebrate, much like Super Bowl attendees who come to revel in the pageantry and spectacle of the big game. I wanted to be a part of the Event for years, submitting my yearly application and hoping for the best.

Imagine how I felt when my submission for the 2026 Event was accepted. It was like not only going to the Super Bowl but also playing in it! Being a presenter at the Montessori Event is the unofficial “you’ve arrived” milestone, and I couldn’t be happier and more humbled that I get to join the pantheon of Montessori Event presenters who have contributed so much to the pedagogy and legacy of Dr. Montessori.

Add to the fact that it was held in Washington, DC, this year and that it was my first time visiting, and it already felt like it would be special.

What I didn’t expect was how memorable the journey itself would be.

The Journey There: A Road Full of Speed Bumps

From the very start, Murphy’s Law was in effect, and it felt like everything that could go wrong did.

At the park-and-ride, I missed the shuttle, so I had to take a Lyft. At the airport, I made it through the entire security line process, only to be turned away back to the start at the help desk because my information didn’t match my ID. That moment when your stomach drops and you think, "This is how I miss my flight.” At the last major conference I attended in Atlanta, the IMC conference, the airline cancelled the flight due to a mechanical failure, and the only replacement flight was more than 12 hours later. Thankfully, this time it was a simple clerical issue, and I was able to get to the flight on time.

Serendipitously, I was on the same flight as two of my colleagues from RPMS, so when we landed, we could take a rideshare together. One colleague was traveling with her husband, so I partnered up with the other for the rideshare.

We made our way to baggage claim and stood there waiting for my bag to come through.

I waited.

And waited.

I stood there watching the conveyor belt start and stop multiple times, thinking each time it would finally be mine. Nothing. Eventually, it stopped for good, and that’s when it really hit me that my bag might be missing.

After going to the baggage handling desk, they looked it up and said it was there. As I was leaving the counter, frustrated, one of the employees casually mentioned, " Did you check around the corner with the oversized bags?

Lo and behold, there it was.

Even the Hotel Had One More Twist

After getting a Lyft to the hotel, we checked in, and, thankfully, they let us check in early since it was supposed to be at 4 PM and we arrived around noon.

I went up to my room, eight floors up, to drop my stuff off and begin my sightseeing adventure.

The key didn’t work.

Back down to the concierge.

Turns out they gave me the wrong room number.

Back up again.

While everything ultimately worked out, it felt like driving on a road with a few too many speed bumps.

Day One: Walking Through History

I got in on Thursday specifically to give myself a day for sightseeing and a museum trip.

After dropping off my things, I walked about a seven-mile loop over the course of the day. While ultimately tiring, I was surprised by how much I saw in one day on foot. Washington, DC, is both a big city and a small one.

I began by walking over to the White House, which was disappointing because it was completely fenced off due to (unwanted and unnecessary) construction. The picture I took of it behind a chain-link fence seems oddly symbolic now that I look back at it. It was like looking at the White House through prison bars, maybe foreshadowing the future?

Next was the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which rivals the majesty of some castles I’ve seen in Europe.

Continuing on, I saw a building with a big red cross on it and thought it might be the Red Cross headquarters. I was happy to see a dedication carved into the front of the building honoring the brave nurses of the Civil War.

A block or two away was DAR Constitution Hall, and in the distance stood the Washington Monument. I took the obligatory selfie, and while I saw several people taking more creative photos using the monument, I thought better of it.

Next, I walked over to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which has a unique decorative trellising that makes it unmistakable. This building museum deserves a day for itself, and the lines were very long, so I decided to keep going.

Along this walk, I ran into a college friend, Alex, whom I hadn’t seen in 20 years. He was part of the first generation of Illini powerlifters who joined the club team after we started it. He had an insane deadlift to bodyweight ratio, almost like a literal Spider-Man. The odds of running into him on a random walk in a strange new city were akin to getting struck by lightning.

I had time to stop at one of the Smithsonian museums, the National Museum of American History. There were 8th-grade and high school students everywhere on their big trips, and soon our own middle school students will be doing their DC trip. As I was leaving, I saw one of the giant Olmec heads outside another exhibit, which was very cool to see in person.

My path then took me to the outdoor sculpture garden at the National Gallery of Art, where I walked among sculptures and early cherry blossoms beginning to bloom. We were about a week too early to see them in full action. It almost seemed like the cherry blossoms were refusing to bloom out of defiance. As I continued, I was impressed by the architecture of the Canadian Embassy. The National Gallery building itself looked like a giant capital H.

Walking past a reflection pool, I came across the statues honoring Ulysses S. Grant and Civil War soldiers. I finished my trek at the United States Capitol, took a few photos, and then made my way back, passing several Georgetown University buildings along the way.

At that point, it was time to find a local sports bar and watch some March Madness.

Day Two: Inspiration Begins

The next day started with a message of hope and encouragement from the AMS President, Munir Shivji, who was introduced by his young nephews, whose natural stage presence stole the show as they did a great job in front of thousands.

Before Munir began, I had the chance to reconnect with an old RPMS colleague, Diana Rose, with whom I co-taught for three years in upper elementary before transitioning into PE and athletic directing. We shared stories of our kids and how much they remember and miss each other. Since the expo is coming to Chicago next year, maybe Diana and her daughter will come, and Marshall and I can entertain and reminisce.

Then came the keynote from Clint Pulver.

His message centered around how a single moment can change the trajectory of someone’s life, something that we can all relate to. I’ve had several of these moments, but regarding Montessori, it was a conversation I had with the late Michael Dorer about the power of integration. Mr. Pulver told the story of Mr. Jensen, a teacher who recognized his potential when everyone else saw him as a nuisance. What most people would say was out-of-control ADHD, Mr. Jensen saw specifically as drumming ability. Midway through the talk, he revealed that the strange set piece onstage was actually a full drum kit and then delivered a performance to back it up.

He also shared how his dad introduced him to CDs by great drummers when he was growing up. My dad did the same thing when he returned from a conference in Seattle with a copy of Nirvana's Nevermind, which completely changed my taste in music. Especially inspiring to Clint was Def Leppard, which stood out because their drummer famously played with only one arm. Clint’s cover of Cherry Pie had a bunch of our Gen-Xers standing up to dance. He did a great job and got the conference started with a bang (of the drums)!

Learning, Connection, and AI Conversations

After the keynote, I attended a session by Sam Gleisten and Dana Anderson. Sam and Dana were informative, engaging, and pushed the idea that in the modern age, children need to be responsible digital citizens, which makes them better global citizens, which is at the core of Cosmic Education. One of the things I like most about their presentations is their ability to give the audience space to participate and reflect. Also, I had seen their presentation not that long ago at the annual AIMS conference, and this one had many notable changes, a lot of it because that is the pace of how fast AI technology is changing.

Before that session, I ran into Sarah Kennedy-Berge, who is a director at the European Montessori College and author of Montessori in the Digital Age. I was torn because I wanted to go to her session too, but it was at the same time as Sam’s, and I wanted to support my fellow RPMSers. Next time! Unfortunately, her session conflicted with my friend’s, but I would get the chance to hear her speak later during a panel, which I was really looking forward to. We talked as we proceeded to the presentation spaces, and if you get a chance to speak with her, you will instantly recognize and admire how gracious with laughter she is. We took a quick selfie to send to her husband, Halvor Berge, who has always been incredibly supportive of my work (and who I hope to meet in person in Chicago at the next Montessori Event?).

The standout of the day was Jared Cooney Horvath, author of The Digital Delusion. I heard so many good things about the first part of his presentation that I will certainly go back and watch the recording. He has the right mix of charisma and humor to make him an outstanding speaker, but what really stood out was his ability to make complex brain biology understandable. He used pictures, movie clips, audio cues, and interactive brain-teaser games to demonstrate broader concepts of attention and learning. It was not just informative; it was engaging in a way that modeled exactly what he was teaching. Simply fantastic and highly recommended.

After his session, I went to the exhibit floor to introduce myself to people I had only met online, including Patrick Oudejans from Montessori Sports. While my work primarily focuses on the physical education side of Montessori, our presentation at the Event was about starting a Montessori sports program at your school, which is exactly in his wheelhouse. He would later attend our presentation and had many nice things to say, including a possible future collaboration. I also met Yihao Lin, who is the project manager for several Montessori schools across Asia, and my impression was that he was a talented and impressive force behind such international outreach. I also spoke with Anneka Yang, the CEO at MOLO Montessori, and she would also attend our presentation because she created an amazing-sounding Montessori School in Barcelona that would have a soccer sports focus. It sounds like a wonderful oppurtunity for any avid soccer player! Finally, I had a nice conversation with Tim Seldin, President of the Montessori Foundation. I wanted to thank him last year for my experience presenting at the IMC conference, but he had a horde of people around him at all times, so I was glad that I was able to speak to him at the Event. Tim is also the stepfather of my good friend Dr. Robin Howe, with whom I completed my Montessori training many years ago.

Later that night, I had a nice (and maybe a little unconventional) dinner with Ben Blair, Debbie Senoff-Langford, and Carol Martorano. Debbie, besides being the president of MPPI and principal at Jarrow Montessori, was my former head of school at RPMS and was instrumental in my Montessori career. Carol, besides being RPMS’s upper elementary coordinator/teacher, was also serving in her role as the AMS Midwest Regional Action Commission. She is also an avid volleyball player and helps coach when she is not playing.

Presentation Day: The Big Moment

Saturday was the big day.

I started with coffee and spent several hours reviewing and refining the presentation. Editing, simplifying, reorganizing. I even handwrote all the notes, both as a backup in case the technology failed and because of Dr. Horvath’s point about how writing leads to better retention than typing.

Before presenting, I attended a session titled How to Hate Your Job. It was standing-room-only and exactly what I needed in that moment. I needed that laughter before my presentation to calm the nerves, but even more than that, it was a reminder of how effective satire is at getting a point across. Throughout the session, everyone in the audience could recognize themselves in at least one of the “bad behaviors” being presented. It was proof that no one is perfect, but also that we all have work to do.

The midday keynote by Jason Silva, who hosted the Brain Games on National Geographic, was energetic and centered around awe and inspiration. However, the pace made it feel overwhelming at times. I had to duck out early to make it to my presentation space and make sure everything was working.

Then it was time.

We had no idea what turnout to expect. It was a niche topic and a later session. But people came—around thirty attendees. One of the largest groups I’ve presented to, and for this very specific topic, was a real success.

I am incredibly grateful to my co-presenter, Ben Blair, not just for sharing the session and doing a great job presenting the head-of-schools side of the equation, but also for believing in my vision for our athletics program.

Afterward, I stayed and talked with attendees. Exhausted, but in the best way.

Closing Moments

I attended a global perspectives panel featuring Sarah Kennedy-Berge and others, and it was great to finally hear her speak after our earlier conversation. One of the more relatable stories shared was about the one-child policy in China and how that often resulted in six adults focusing on one child. The balance between support and independence felt very familiar, especially as a parent of an only child. There was a time when Marshall was the only grandchild for both sets of grandparents, so he got plenty of attention!

That evening, I finally slowed down, found a comfortable place to sit, reflected, and watched more March Madness.

The Final Day: A Perfect Ending

Before heading home, I stayed for a keynote by Michelle Norris, author of Our Hidden Conversations and former host at NPR. If you closed your eyes during her talk, it was like being transported back in time to sitting in your car listening to WBEZ 91.5 Chicago.

Her talk focused on the power of handwritten letters and the importance of slowing down. It resonated deeply, especially because, before our presentation, Sam had left a handwritten note for us with words of gratitude and encouragement. Everything she said about the impact of a handwritten message over a digital one felt real in that moment. She also shared this creative project where she left postcards for people to sum up their identity in six words or less. The constraint actually created clarity, and it led to interesting analysis and conversation about race, ethnicity, identity, and more. I am really glad I stayed for her keynote. I only wish it had been on Saturday so more people could have experienced it.

Reinvigorated

After the conference, I headed to the airport early, not wanting to carry my bags around all day, and sat at DCA writing this reflection. While writing this, something became very clear to me.

After this Montessori Event, I feel reinvigorated.

Mentally, I was ready to go back to school the very next day. Spring break might give me a little more rest, but after this experience, I am ready to dive headfirst back into the work. And dive back I shall as we head into our spring season with track and field and boys volleyball. I had a great time at the Montessori Event, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has the chance.