Charlotte Cushman is a Montessori educator with more than 40 years of teaching experience.  She currently is a consultant for Montessori Renaissance Academy and speaks to parents, teachers, and the general public on Montessori and discipline.

 

She graduated from Lewis and Clark College, Portland, Oregon in 1972, with a B.S. Degree in Elementary Education.  While attending college, she went on an overseas program to Japan where she did an independent study project, “Child Discipline in Japan.”  Immediately after graduation she took her AMI Montessori training at the Montessori Training Center, Palo Alto, California, from Lena Wikramaratne, a colleague and friend of Maria Montessori.

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After that she worked as an assistant teacher at Golden Montessori, Portland, Oregon, moved back to the Midwest, and worked as the head teacher at Sunrise Montessori in Anoka, Minnesota. In 1985, she and her best friend, Carol Landkamer, started their own school, Independence Montessori. When Carol retired, Charlotte joined her husband’s school, Minnesota Renaissance School, which he had started a few years prior.

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In addition to writing books, she has also authored numerous articles about child development and has been published in periodicals such as “Montessori Life,”  “The Montessori Courier,”  “Public School Montessorian,”  “Minnesota Parent,”  “The American Thinker,” and the newsletter, “Putting People First.”  She has delivered presentations to various community groups and numerous parent groups on child development, discipline, and the Montessori philosophy and method.

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She is a parent and grandparent and enjoys spending time with her family at their cabin.  She also enjoys sewing, quilting, reading, knitting, music, genealogy, traveling, talk radio, doll collecting, psychology, and discussing ideas.