What It Takes to Thrive As an Adult in a Montessori Adolescent Community

What It Takes to Thrive As an Adult in a Montessori Adolescent Community

December 16, 2026

6:30 PM EDT

Community Education

Short Description

On the cusp of adulthood, adolescents need our adult help and support in learning to navigate and contribute meaningfully to society. When they thrive, we thrive. When the prepared environment offers them physical, practical, creative, and intellectual work, knowledge has purpose and the spirit is uplifted. We can then work with a lighter touch, authoritative but not authoritarian, instructive but not pedantic. Observing adolescents closely, responding to what we observe, and trusting their growing capacities, we can help them develop joyful confidence and discover their potential to have a transformative positive impact on society.

Community Education

Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will learn:

To scrutinize our prepared environments for opportunities beyond academics that our adolescents may have to discover their growing capacities, strengths, and contributions to community
To begin to develop plans to keep set curriculum out of the driver’s seat without letting go of key academic concepts and skills
To begin to know when to tighten or loosen the reins to allow adolescents increasing ownership of their learning and community life

About Our Speaker

Caren Ross

Caren Ross has established and led three farm-based Montessori adolescent programs in Connecticut over the past two decades and has spent the last 11 years as the lead guide and farm manager of the adolescent community at the Montessori School of Greater Hartford. She trained in Ohio, Mexico, and Hartford, and co-authored an article on the pyschodisciplines, which included a follow-up workshop on the adolescent-run farm.

Caren has a BA in psychology and Spanish from Tufts University and an MA in international affairs from Columbia University. Caren worked many years as a journalist, writing news stories from the United Nations and editing news from Spanish-speaking countries. Her long-time involvement with land preservation efforts further prepared her for Erdkinder work.