Montessori Deep Dive: Teacher Cassandra Duggan on Her Homeschool Roots, Traditional Classrooms, and the Freedom to Learn

What happens when a child who once asked to be homeschooled grows up to become a Montessori educator, and a Montessori parent? In this episode, Montessori teacher Cassandra Duggan traces her winding journey from anxious second grader to public-school teacher and autism interventionist, through a brief stop in Waldorf, and finally into Montessori, where follow the child, intrinsic motivation, and multi-age communities transformed her practice and her own daughter’s love of school.Hosts Biff Maier and Nicole Coman talk with Cassandra about:Advocating for herself at eight, learning at her own pace, and why comfort and autonomy in the environment matterNannying, teacher prep, and working as an Autism Interventionist in inclusion settingsThe pressures of standards-based education (pacing guides, rushing, one-size-fits-all) versus following the childA mid-career reset: Waldorf, Covid, and discovering Montessori through her daughter’s schoolStarting at a Montessori school with no prior training, then embracing Montessori materials, student freedom, and the multi-age modelWhy she’d choose Montessori for her younger self, and how her daughter thrives (yes, even with a classroom dog)Warm, candid, and illuminating, Cassandra shows how purpose and practice align when we trust children, and redesign school around their developmental needs.Contact Us: [email protected] the Human Potential is a podcast about optimizing education for a better society, through a Montessori lens. Hosts Nicole Coman, a licensed educational psychologist specializing in school psychology and child development -- and a "Montessori mom" -- and Biff Maier, an American Montessori Society Living Legacy with decades of experience as a Montessori educator and school leader, engage with experts, educators, parents, and students. Each episode explores strategies to unlock human potential, offering thought-provoking conversations on learning, child development, and the evolving landscape of education. This podcast is presented by AMS, the American Montessori Society.For more information about Montessori education, visit https://amshq.org/about-montessori/And consider this AMS course for families interested in incorporating the Montessori philosophy into their day-to-day lives and parenting approach:https://learn.amshq.org/parent-course-early-childhoodContact us: [email protected]