Parents as Leaders: Cutting Through the Chaos of Modern Parenthood

Maren Schmidt has been involved in Montessori education for over 40 years. As a Montessori mom, she served as PTA president, headed fundraising auctions, as well as acted as the school’s official metal inset paper cutter. Delighted with the growth she saw in her two daughters, she trained in Washington D.C. and Cleveland, Ohio to become an AMI elementary guide. In 1991 she founded a school in Bentonville, Arkansas, where she acted as a teaching administrator for 13 years, working with children ages two through 15 years. In 2004 she began writing a syndicated newspaper column and blog, Kids Talk. Her Kids Talk Newsletters are popular with families, teachers and school administrators all over the world.

Maren’s traveled the United States giving workshops at conferences and schools, drawing not only on her Montessori experiences, but her knowledge of business, organizational communications, and children’s literacy