2018 Refresher Course Recap

The 2018 Refresher Course & Workshops in Phoenix, Arizona was the event’s most successful year yet! Including NAMTA’s Adolescent Workshop, the Refresher Course received 1,200+ participants who enjoyed, as one participant put it, “true” refreshers at every level from a diverse and experienced group of presenters. We were excited to have trainers from México presenting at the Assistant, A to I, and Adolescent levels and were energized by Korean-American presenter Daisy Han’s Monday morning discussion on “Embracing Equity.”

Some highlights from the event included AMI/USA Board President Gretchen Hall’s inspiring call to action at Friday night’s opening keynote, and keynote speaker Alice Waters’ speech emphasizing the holistic connection between Montessori education and school gardens. We were honored to have Ms. Waters sign copies of her latest book, Coming to My Senses, following her keynote address.

We were also happy to welcome the inclusion of Montessori for Dementia and Ageing (MAGDA) presenters in our Friday workshop lineup. The MAGDA advisory board is doing wonderful work in this area across the globe, and their workshop and materials drew a lot of interest from Refresher Course attendees.

We are beyond thrilled to bring this annual gathering to New Orleans next year and are looking forward to keeping the momentum going! We hope you’ll join us there. In the meantime, please take a moment to complete an evaluation of the event so that we can continue to improve this important professional development opportunity for our members. Please contact our office if you did not receive one by email or you did not complete one in Phoenix.

See you in New Orleans, February 15-18, 2019!