Courageous Awe and Wonder for the Prepared Adult
Cassi Mackey, Dr. Lindsey Pollock, & Tammy Oesting
Courageous Awe and Wonder for the Prepared Adult invites Montessori educators to become the child again ... not metaphorically, but structurally. Across two experiential sessions, participants move through a fully prepared environment: narrative Great Lessons on the neuroscience of awe, self-directed work cycles with physical materials, collaborative sorting to name the identity - and culture-based barriers that erode wonder, and a guided going-out in self-selected affinity groups. Grounded in Montessori principles and current affective and social neuroscience, the seminar treats awe as a pathway to coherence, equity, and healed professional presence. Participants leave with portable tools such as a Wonder Inventory, Courage Timeline, and reflection cards and a felt sense of normalization for adults.
Cassi Mackey
Cassi Mackey, M.Ed.
Montessori Leadership Coach and Consultant | AMS Accreditation Commissioner | AMI Administrator Trainer
Cassi Mackey brings more than 30 years of experience guiding schools and leaders in building thriving, inclusive communities. A former Montessori charter school principal and classroom teacher, she has worked across public, private, and charter Montessori settings and shares her expertise nationally through keynote presentations, podcasts, and Montessori publications. Cassi serves as an AMS Accreditation Commissioner, AMI administrator trainer, and leadership guide for Montessori educator preparation programs. Her commitment to equity is both credentialed and lived: she is a graduate of the AMS Anti-Bias Anti-Racist Certification Program and the Public Montessori in Action Coaching Course, and contributes to global Montessori work through AMI's Voices of Educateurs sans Frontières. As a mentor with the Greenspring Center for Lifelong Learning, she supports aspiring leaders in cultivating the courage, clarity, and compassion their roles require.
Dr. Lindsey Pollock
Dr. Lindsey Pollock, LCSW-S
Provost and Director of the College of Education, Sarasota University, The Montessori University
Dr. Lindsey Pollock is a licensed clinical social worker, Montessori scholar, and executive leader whose career spans private and public schools, nonprofit organizations, and international consulting in Sweden, China, Brazil, Mexico, and Ghana. She holds master's degrees in Montessori Integrative Learning, Educational Leadership, and Social Work, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. A Rice Fellow, Fulbright Exchange Principal, and Harvard-trained educational leader, she holds AMI and Texas credentials across elementary, special education, ESL, administration, and superintendent levels, as well as an AMI Elder Care Practitioner Certification. Her social justice work has been recognized by the Human Rights Campaign. She serves on the boards of Montessori for Social Justice, the AMS Regional Action Commission, TEAM Texas, and leads The Lian Dante Foundation as Executive Director. Her recent book Setting the Stage for Learning, co-authored with Dr. Sommers and Dr. Blount, explores story as a vehicle for learning, directly informing this seminar's narrative Great Lessons.
Tammy Oesting
Tammy Oesting, M.Ed. (she/her)
Montessori Speaker, Coach, and Teacher Educator | Faculty, Institute for Educational Studies | Founder, ClassrooMechanics
Tammy Oesting describes herself as a practitioner of awe and wonder, a lens that has shaped more than 30 years of work in progressive education. Based in Santa Fe, New Mexico after nine years as a nomadic educator working with Montessori communities across continents, Tammy coaches educators and school leaders globally, speaks at conferences, and teaches in graduate and educator preparation programs, including her faculty role at The Institute for Educational Studies and her content development work with Trillium Montessori. A founding member of Montessori Everywhere and recipient of the 2021 AMS Community Service Award, she holds AMS credentials in Early Childhood and Elementary education. Her professional passions center on the neuroscience of learning, social justice in education, and the rigorous inner preparation that allows educators to genuinely follow the child. She is also the primary architect of the awe-centered pedagogy at the heart of this seminar.