Discipline
Alfie Kohn, Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community
Joanne Nordling, Taking Charge
Jane Nelson, Positive Discipline
Conflict Mediation:
Marshall Rosenberg, Nonviolent Communication
Rosenberg’s work is well-known around the world and is highly regarded among many different groups: political activists, educators, politicians, business leaders, and more.
Sura Hart, The Compassionate Classroom
Sura Hart takes Rosenberg’s work on non-violent communication and translates it into language for the classroom. This is a great resource for educators and parents who want to integrate the principles and practice of NVC into their work.
Homework
Alfie Kohn, The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing
I’ve long been a fan of Alfie Kohn’s work, and this book is no exception. Montessori students rarely get assigned homework, which many parents and other educators have a hard time understanding. Kohn does a great job of explaining the pitfalls of homework, all of which supports what Montessori teachers have known for a long time: when students are internally motivated to learn about something, they don’t need homework.
Classroom Management
Donna Bryant Goertz, Children Who are Not Yet Peaceful
Goertz is a Montessori educator (and founder of Austin Montessori), and this book is such a gift. Her fundamental premise that Montessori communities are for every child, even the “difficult” ones, fuels the passion for her work. This book should be required reading for every Montessori elementary guide.
