December 09, 2025
Developing a Culture of Work in the Elementary Classroom with Jamie Rue

Our Guest: Jamie Rue

with Tamara Sheesley Balis

Show Notes

A culture of self-driven work among Elementary students doesn’t emerge spontaneously. It needs to be carefully cultivated and maintained by the adults in the classroom. This takes intentional planning and effort, especially at the beginning of the school year. And the culture must be defended vigorously.

Jamie Rue joins the Voices in Montessori podcast to talk about ways to establish the expectations to support the cultivation of a strong work culture in the Elementary environment.

About our Guest

Jamie Rue

Head of School, Aidan Montessori School

Head of School at Aidan Montessori School, Jamie is well-known in the AMI Montessori world. Her career in Montessori education is now in its third decade, and includes more than 10 years as a classroom teacher and school administrator and over 10 years as a trainer of teachers. She has founded Rising Tide Montessori, an online resource center, and a micro-school associated with Wildflower Schools. She is an Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) trainer, examiner, and consultant at the elementary level. She has coached teachers and advised administrators at schools around the world, and she has presented at conferences and for parents throughout the United States, and in New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, and Canada. She also regularly participates in the podcast All Things Montessori. Born and raised on an island in the Pacific Northwest, Jamie now lives in Washington, DC. She loves to read, cook, and travel with her family in her spare time. Jamie and her husband, Jesse Tarbert, a historian of American politics, have two grown daughters who both attended Montessori schools.

Voices in Montessori Podcast

Igniting vibrant and engaging conversations in the Montessori movement to inspire, elevate, and support educators, leaders, and schools.

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