Montessori Schools of Connecticut
Annual Professional Development Conference 2026
October 30, 2026
Keynote Speaker
Chip DeLorenzo, M.Ed.
Positive Discipline in the Montessori Community: Cultivating Respect, Resilience, and
Responsibility at School and Home
Montessori education is a joyful journey of nurturing compassionate, interconnected citizens. This inspiring keynote presentation explores how Positive Discipline principles strengthen this mission by fostering respect, resilience, and responsibility in children—both in the classroom and at home.
By equipping educators and families with a shared, consistent approach, we can deepen children’s social-emotional development and empower them to contribute peacefully to society.
What You Will Learn
This interactive session goes beyond theory to provide real-life examples, live demonstrations, and engaging group discussions.
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Three Actionable Tools: Practical strategies for fostering cooperation, independence, and critical thinking without falling into power struggles.
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Respectful Boundaries: Techniques for setting limits that protect the learning environment while honoring the child.
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Stronger Partnerships: Insights into building effective educator-family communication to support children's development consistently across both environments.
About Chip DeLorenzo, M.Ed.
Chip DeLorenzo has been a Montessori educator since 1995. Chip is the co-author, with Jane Nelsen, of Positive Discipline in the Montessori Classroom. As a teacher trainer and school consultant, Chip has worked with thousands of Montessori teachers and parents in teaching the principles and practices of Positive Discipline through various workshops and lectures. He is the former Head of School of the Damariscotta Montessori School, where he spent 20 years as a school leader and teacher. Chip holds Early Childhood, Lower and Upper Elementary AMS certifications, and has worked extensively with Montessori Adolescent students. He is the father of five Montessori children, and he and his wife, Kathy, live in Loveland, Ohio.
Keynote Speaker
Julia Volkman
The Neuroscience of Montessori
Drawing from cutting-edge research, this interactive session bridges Montessori philosophy with contemporary brain science, offering practical strategies for creating environments that support optimal development. We’ll explore the developmental potentials that shape human learning, including how experience drives brain development, why development is dynamic and context-dependent, the role of meaning and purpose in brain growth, and how relationships and emotions influence learning. You'll leave with a deeper understanding of why Montessori works, actionable insights for supporting students and families, and renewed inspiration for human-centered, brain-based education. Perfect for Montessori teachers, administrators, mentors, parents, and anyone interested in understanding the neuroscience behind effective learning.
About Julia Volkman
Julia Volkman has been teaching children and mentoring teachers in private and public schools since 1997. She is a Faculty Member of the Brain Health Initiative, guest lecturer for Harvard University’s Neuroscience of Learning course, an educational researcher, a teacher mentor, and the founder and president of the educational project Maitri Learning. Among other things, she has worked as a primary consultant for the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector (NCMPS), a columnist for the Public School Montessorian (now Montessori Public), and as the teacher’s representative on the Advisory Panel for the Annenberg Foundation's course Neuroscience & the Classroom (developed in conjunction with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics). Ms. Volkman earned her AMI 3 to 6+ diploma from the Montreal Montessori Training Centre (a bilingual program) and her Master’s degree from Harvard University. Her graduate research on early literacy (the Montessori movable alphabet) won the Harvard Dean’s prize for outstanding research. Her work focuses on transforming education into a transdisciplinary, scientific pedagogy grounded in mind, brain, and education.
Statewide Virtual Parent Education Event
Thursday, October 29, 2026 at 7:00 pm
Free to all parents from MSC Member Schools
Positive Discipline for Montessori Parents
Led by Keynote Speaker, Chip DeLorenzo
Bring the joy back into parenting! This comprehensive two-hour workshop is specifically designed for parents who are looking for practical, long-term parenting skills. The session will focus on strategies that encourage children to think for themselves, become more responsible, and develop a greater sense of respect for both themselves and others.
The workshop framework is directly based on the bestselling Positive Discipline books by Jane Nelsen, Ed.D., and will introduce parents to foundational, actionable tools for the home.
Seeking Conference Vendors
Are you interested in reaching a broad audience of Montessori teachers and administrators? Submit an application to have materials available at our Annual Conference. To learn more, click the button below.
"The adult’s idea that freedom consists in minimizing duties and obligations must be rejected…The freedom that is given to the child is not liberation from parents and teachers; it is not freedom from the laws of Nature or of the state or of society; but the utmost freedom for self-development and self-realization compatible with service to society."
– Maria Montessori –
