2026 AIMS Conference

Tom McSheehy

10:45 AM to 12:00 PM - Understanding and Supporting Highly Sensitive Students (Empaths)

15-20% of children and teenagers are highly sensitive, and many of these children suffer in silence because teachers, parents, and other adults don’t know about highly sensitive youth (HSY) and how to support them.

HSY often find the world an overwhelming and challenging place, and they grapple with mental health issues and loneliness, including thoughts of suicide. This is due to their extraordinary ability to feel and sense everything so deeply. High sensitivity is a form of intelligence, and teachers can have a profound effect on nurturing and supporting these students to feel safe and flourish.

Christine Lowry

1:15 PM to 2:30 PM - Teaching and Guiding Students with Diverse Learning and Behavior Needs in Montessori Classrooms: Practical Solutions for Successful Inclusion

As the number of students with differences in learning and behavior grows, Montessori educators need knowledge and solutions for teaching and guiding ALL students at every level. This presentation is based on current research and aligned with Montessori philosopy and pedagogy.

Facilitator: Andrew Faulstich

After working in schools around the world, Andrew Faulstich is convinced that the education status quo must be disrupted. He is the Director of Education at the Oneness-Family Montessori High School and the Co-Founder of Developing Education, which operates three sub-divisions: the Breaking the Paradigm Podcast, First Intention, and The Enlightened Educator Project. Andrew is also an Affiliate Instructor of Montessori Teacher Education at the graduate level at Loyola University. He holds a Masters in International Educational Development from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, a Bachelors in Anthropology from the University of Rochester, and an AMI Adolescent Diploma.

Panelist: Dr. Nicole-Noelle Evans

Dr. Nicole-Noelle Evans has served as a teacher, assistant principal, principal of a public Montessori ABAR (Anti-Bias, Anti-Racist) school, and executive director of urban education at an HBCU. Currently, as Embracing Equity’s Senior Director of Leadership, she leads the yearlong Leadership Residency Program and provides equity-centered coaching for school and organizational leaders.

Her Montessori leadership includes supporting the founding of Montessori for Social Justice, keynoting the 2023 MSJ conference, and speaking at AMI and AMS national conferences, as well as at St. Catherine University and the Wisconsin Montessori Association. She has also guided multiple Montessori schools through equity-centered leadership residencies.

Recognized as a Power 100 awardee by Delux Magazine and recipient of the Women Who Inspire Award, Dr. Evans brings nearly three decades of experience and a deep commitment to transforming education through equity and justice.

Panelist: Heather Gerker, Ph.D

Heather Gerker, Ph.D., is an educational researcher with over twenty years of experience in Montessori education. She has served as a teacher, teacher educator, and director of a Montessori teacher education program. Drawing on her background in nonprofit leadership, educational organizations, and community-based research, Dr. Gerker partners with educators and organizations to reflect, research, and reimagine their work, turning insights into meaningful action. She is also a parent of three children who have attended public Montessori schools since preschool, grounding her work in both professional expertise and lived experience.

Panelist: Dr. Luz Casquejo Johnston

Dr. Luz Casquejo Johnston has been in the field of education for almost 30 years and has been in the Montessori movement in every capacity–primary student, mother, lower elementary guide, charter school principal, teacher education director and professor. Her roots and passion run deep. Her recently published book “Parenting on Purpose: Raise Badass Humans by Becoming One Yourself” is the parenting guide she always wanted and includes Montessori planes of development, personal development and healing practices all delivered with Dr. Luz’s signature sass. .

Panelist: Dr. Corey Borgman

Dr. Corey Borgman is a Montessori educator, administrator, speaker, researcher, advocate, and consultant with 17 years of experience in the classroom and 12 in administration. She holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from UVA's School of Education & Human Development, with a dissertation focused on the challenges facing principals of public Montessori schools. As education & outreach director for the Montessori Science Program, Borgman’s role focuses on leveraging the lab’s Montessori research into tangible, positive community impact. She is the proud parent of three Montessori educated daughters.

Panelist: Dr. KaLinda Bass-Barlow
(Association Montessori Internationale-USA)

Dr. KaLinda Bass-Barlow was appointed as the Executive Director of AMI/USA on August 01, 2025. She joined the AMI/USA Board in July of 2018, and served with dedication until November 2024. Before stepping into the role of Interim Executive Director for AMI/USA in December 2024, she held the positions of Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development, Executive Montessori Principal, and Principal for Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS) in Kansas City, Missouri. Dr. Bass-Barlow has earned a Doctorate in Educational Leadership; her dissertation focus was on the experiences of educators of Color during Montessori training. She also holds an AMI Primary Diploma, AMI Montessori Core Principles Certificate, M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education (Montessori Concentration), M.Ed. in Educational Leadership (K-12), and a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Heather Gerker, Ph.D

9:15 AM to 10:30 AM - Beyond the Classroom: Montessori Educators as Change Agents

Montessori educators are natural advocates for children, yet many underestimate the powerful role they can play beyond the classroom. This session explores advocacy not as a single act, but as an ongoing, intentional part of professional practice. Drawing on recent research that highlights Montessori teachers’ voices and experiences with policies, we’ll examine how advocacy can take many forms, from everyday conversations to organized efforts that shape educational policies. Through reflection and dialogue, participants will identify the strengths and skills they already possess, and explore how even small actions contribute meaningfully to the broader Montessori movement. Whether you consider yourself an advocate or not, your voice matters. Together, we’ll uncover how each contribution, whether quiet or bold, can create ripples that support children, families, and the future of Montessori education.

Dr. Corey Borgman

2:15 PM to 3:30 PM - What We Do (and Don’t!) Know About What We Do: Literacy, Assessment, and the 3 Year Cycle

Dr. Corey Borgman is a Montessori educator, administrator, speaker, researcher, advocate, and consultant with 17 years of experience in the classroom and 12 in administration. She holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from UVA's School of Education & Human Development, with a dissertation focused on the challenges facing principals of public Montessori schools. As education & outreach director for the Montessori Science Program, Borgman’s role focuses on leveraging the lab’s Montessori research into tangible, positive community impact. She is the proud parent of three Montessori educated daughters.