On the Multilingual Montessori Podcast, we discuss multilingualism, multiculturalism, and raising children from a Montessori perspective with educators, parents, researches, authors and experts in their fields. 

The podcast is hosted by Gabrielle Kotkov, an AMI 3-6 Montessori educator and consultant with a Master of Science in Child Studies and TESOL Certification (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.) Each episode, Gabrielle interviews parents who are raising multilingual children, Montessori guides who have taught in bilingual classrooms or who are themselves multilingual, and adults who grew up speaking two or more languages.

Guests talk about the intersection of language and identity, how to find balance when speaking two or more languages in a monolingual environment, and all the joys and challenges that we experience along the way.

You can find episodes wherever you listen to podcasts, including on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Breaker, and Anchor FM.


All Episodes:

59. Bilingualism at 18 months: Everyone is "Nonni"
59. Bilingualism at 18 months: Everyone...
Today’s conversation is the third in a series of check-ins with my good friend and new bilingual mom, Samantha. ...
00:44:03
October 17, 2024
58. The Three Trimesters of Language Development
58. The Three Trimesters of Language De...
Mariana Bissonnette (she/her) is an internationally recognized speaker, author, AMI 0-6 trained Montessorian and A...
01:06:33
September 05, 2024
57. Montessori Toddlers with Nichole Holtvluwer
57. Montessori Toddlers with Nichole Ho...
Nichole Holtvluwer is a mom and Montessorian with over two decades of experience working with young children. Nich...
01:17:24
May 10, 2024
56. Bilingualism at 15 months: Italy with a Baby
56. Bilingualism at 15 months: Italy wi...
Today’s episode is the second in a series of check-ins with my good friend and new bilingual mom, Samantha! In ...
00:37:13
April 20, 2024
55. The Montessori Child with Simone Davies and Junnifa Uzodike
55. The Montessori Child with Simone Da...
My guests for this episode are Simone Davies and Junnifa Uzodike, the authors of the upcoming book, The Montessori...
00:53:31
February 07, 2024
54. Inside a Dual Language Public Montessori Charter School
54. Inside a Dual Language Public Monte...
Alexandra Torres Guerrero is the Interim Principal at Latin American Montessori Bilingual Public Charter School in...
00:34:03
January 10, 2024
53. Indigenous Montessori Education with Trisha Moquino
53. Indigenous Montessori Education wit...
Trisha Moquino is a member of the Cochiti, Kewa, and Ohkay Ohwingeh Tribal Nations. She is the Co-Founder, Educati...
00:47:18
December 13, 2023
52. Literacy Learning with Zil Jaeger
52. Literacy Learning with Zil Jaeger
Zil Jaeger (they/them) is a Montessori educator, consultant and coach, with a passion for literacy and a commitmen...
00:50:58
November 29, 2023
51. Equity in Public Montessori with Jasmine Williams
51. Equity in Public Montessori with Ja...
Jasmine Williams is the Race and Equity Specialist at the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector. Jaz...
00:53:04
November 15, 2023
50. Bilingualism at 12 months: Meet Samantha
50. Bilingualism at 12 months: Meet Sam...
Today we’re doing something a little different! This is the first episode of what will become a series of check-...
00:37:22
November 02, 2023
49. Multilingual Homeschooling with Elizabeth M. Castillo
49. Multilingual Homeschooling with Eli...
Elizabeth M. Castillo is a multilingual poet, writer, teacher, and parent. Her childhood was split between the Con...
00:44:33
October 18, 2023
48. What if my child switches between languages?
48. What if my child switches between l...
Today's Frequently Asked Question is from a listener: What if my child switches between langauges? I'm bac...
00:14:22
October 11, 2023
47. Bianca Solorzano on Montessori with Babies
47. Bianca Solorzano on Montessori with...
Bianca Solorzano is a Montessori guide and consultant for Baby Tour Guide. In the past Bianca has run her own Mont...
00:38:01
October 04, 2023
Bonus Episode: Advice from Past Guests
Bonus Episode: Advice from Past Guests
Today is a very special day: I started this podcast exactly two years ago, in September 2021! Since then, I’ve ...
00:28:45
September 20, 2023
46. Jenna Clark Embrey, Dramaturg at Lincoln Center Theater
46. Jenna Clark Embrey, Dramaturg at Li...
Jenna Clark Embrey is the Literary Manager and Dramaturg at Lincoln Center Theater in New York City. Jenna develop...
00:58:28
September 06, 2023
From the Archives: 5. Hannah Ewert-Krocker on Montessori with Adolescents
From the Archives: 5. Hannah Ewert-Kroc...
If you've ever wondered about Montessori at the adolescent level, this is the episode for you! In this episod...
00:57:26
August 16, 2023
45. Jacqueline Ménoret, An American in Paris
45. Jacqueline Ménoret, An American in...
Jacqueline Ménoret is an American living in Paris. Jackie graduated with a Master’s degree in Human Rights from...
01:04:07
July 26, 2023
44. A Look at Virtual Montessori School
44. A Look at Virtual Montessori School
Have you ever wondered about what Virtual Montessori school is like? Not Montessori schools that temporarily held ...
01:15:54
July 12, 2023
43. What’s the best way to raise a multilingual child?
43. What’s the best way to raise a mu...
Today's Frequently Asked Question is: What’s the best way to raise a multilingual child? I'm back with ...
00:12:11
June 28, 2023
From the Archives: 15. Claudia Lundahl on Montessori with Toddlers
From the Archives: 15. Claudia Lundahl ...
I'm bringing back one of the podcast's most popular episodes about one of the most requested topics: Monte...
01:01:00
June 14, 2023
42. Kaila Diaz of Bilingüitos
42. Kaila Diaz of Bilingüitos
Kaila Diaz is a sociolinguist who specializes in childhood and family bilingualism.  She lives in Northern Virgin...
01:01:22
May 31, 2023
41. Montessori Moms in the Wild
41. Montessori Moms in the Wild
Laura, Megan and Rachel are three trained Montessori guides and new mothers who host the Montessori Moms in the Wi...
01:09:00
May 17, 2023
40. Sylvia Arotin of Guide & Grow
40. Sylvia Arotin of Guide & Grow
Sylvia Arotin is the founder and CEO of Guide & Grow. She runs My Montessori school in Sydney, Australia and i...
00:58:25
April 26, 2023
39. The Power of Language with Viorica Marian
39. The Power of Language with Viorica ...
Viorica Marian is a Psycholinguist, Cognitive Scientist, Psychologist, and writer known for her research on langua...
00:51:29
April 11, 2023
38. The Bilingual Montessori Project
38. The Bilingual Montessori Project
Marikay McCabe and Mirka Vlčková are two of the co-founders of The Bilingual Montessori Project. Marikay McCabe...
00:59:42
March 29, 2023
37. What are the stages of second language acquisition?
37. What are the stages of second langu...
Today's Frequently Asked Question is: What are the stages of second language acquisition? I'm back with another ...
00:09:39
March 15, 2023
36. Nasma Alkhafif on the Dialect Dilemma
36. Nasma Alkhafif on the Dialect Dilem...
Nasma Alkhafif is an Early Childhood Consultant and bilingual mom living in Columbus, Ohio. Born and raised in Cai...
00:48:34
March 01, 2023
35. Veronica Benavides of the Language Preservation Project
35. Veronica Benavides of the Language ...
Harvard-educated doctora of education Vero Benavides has spent her career exploring and advocating for the interse...
00:48:50
February 15, 2023
From the Archives: 3. Chelsea Daniel on Mindfulness and Montessori
From the Archives: 3. Chelsea Daniel on...
In Episode 3 of the Multilingual Montessori Podcast, I spoke with Chelsea Daniel, an AMI Montessori guide, birth d...
00:37:12
February 01, 2023
34. Paula Lillard Preschlack on The Montessori Potential
34. Paula Lillard Preschlack on The Mon...
Paula Lillard Preschlack was a teacher and the head of school at Forest Bluff School in Illinois for over 25 years...
00:50:40
December 14, 2022
33. Claudia Serrano Johnson, Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist
33. Claudia Serrano Johnson, Bilingual ...
Claudia Serrano Johnson is a bilingual speech-language pathologist and a mom of three living in Virginia. Claudia ...
00:49:06
November 30, 2022
32. Linda McGurk on Outdoor Living with Children
32. Linda McGurk on Outdoor Living with...
Linda McGurk is a Swedish-American freelance writer and author of the  book, There’s No Such Thing as Bad W...
01:02:30
November 16, 2022
31. Can I Teach My Child a Language That Isn’t My Native Language?
31. Can I Teach My Child a Language Tha...
Today's Frequently Asked Question is: Can I Teach My Child a Language That Isn’t My Native Language? I'm back w...
00:10:43
November 09, 2022
30. Meagan De Clerck on Multilingual Homeschooling
30. Meagan De Clerck on Multilingual Ho...
Meagan De Clerck is a multilingual mom of four. Meagan lives with her family in Northern Vermont and homeschools h...
00:42:23
November 02, 2022
29. Is It Too Late to Raise My Child Bilingual?
29. Is It Too Late to Raise My Child Bi...
A question I hear all the time is: Is it too late to raise my child bilingual? This is the first episode of a ne...
00:11:41
October 26, 2022
28. Natalia Sáez, Bilingual Education & Applied Linguistics Professor at Columbia University
28. Natalia Sáez, Bilingual Education ...
Natalia Sáez is a professor and researcher at Teachers College Columbia University focusing on second language de...
00:47:49
October 19, 2022
From the Archives: 13. Beth Allison on Learning Navajo With Her Son
From the Archives: 13. Beth Allison on ...
Beth Allison is a mom, educator, and entrepreneur who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Beth is Navajo and grew up on the...
01:24:24
October 10, 2022
27. Diandra Morse from Bilingual Playdate
27. Diandra Morse from Bilingual Playda...
Diandra Morse is a bilingual mom, licensed clinical social worker and child advocate living in Syracuse, New York ...
00:54:34
October 05, 2022
26. Jesse Gevirtz on Montessori with Adolescents
26. Jesse Gevirtz on Montessori with Ad...
Jesse Gevirtz is the Director of Adolescent Programs at Austin Montessori School in Austin, Texas. Jesse has been ...
00:58:32
September 21, 2022
25. Yuna Seong, Language Program Director at Columbia University
25. Yuna Seong, Language Program Direct...
Yuna Seong is a language educator and assessment expert living in New Jersey. She is the Director of the Community...
00:41:52
September 07, 2022
24. Melina Gac Levin, Founder of NYC's First Forest School en Español
24. Melina Gac Levin, Founder of NYC's ...
Melina Gac Levin is an educator and bilingual parent who lives in Brooklyn, NY. She is the founder of Pueblo, whic...
00:49:57
July 27, 2022
23. Jackie Howard, Bilingual Educator and Former Montessori Child
23. Jackie Howard, Bilingual Educator a...
Jackie Howard is a bilingual educator and former Montessori child living in Austin, Texas. Jackie grew up speaking...
01:01:57
July 07, 2022
22. Lynda Apostol on Montessori Homeschooling
22. Lynda Apostol on Montessori Homesch...
Lynda Apostol is a Montessori teacher, parent, and homeschool coach who lives in Southern California with her husb...
01:06:35
June 23, 2022
21. Sophia O'Brien-Udry on Teaching in a Bilingual Montessori School
21. Sophia O'Brien-Udry on Teaching in ...
Sophia O’Brien-Udry is a Children’s House guide at a Montessori school in New York City. Although Sophia is mo...
00:27:36
June 13, 2022
20. How Multilingual Montessori Came to Be: An Interview with Me!
20. How Multilingual Montessori Came to...
The guest for this episode is…me! I invited my good friend and former coworker Claudia to interview me about my ...
01:17:40
April 27, 2022
19. Siri Panday, Director of Education for Toddler and Primary at Marin Montessori School
19. Siri Panday, Director of Education ...
Siri Panday is the Director of Education for Toddler and Primary at Marin Montessori School in Northern California...
00:40:59
March 30, 2022
18. María Laura Ribadeneira, Polyglot in Paris
18. María Laura Ribadeneira, Polyglot ...
María Laura Ribadeneira grew up in Quito, Ecuador where she spoke Spanish at home, English at school, and studied...
00:45:25
March 16, 2022
17. Being Bilingual and Bicultural with Tania Ginsberg-Jambou
17. Being Bilingual and Bicultural with...
Tania Ginsberg-Jambou is a French-American bilingual mom and Montessorian living in California. Tania grew up spea...
00:54:16
February 23, 2022
16. Janina Burmeister on Life as an Expat Mom
16. Janina Burmeister on Life as an Exp...
Janina Burmeister is a mom and Montessorian living in Valencia, Spain. Janina is originally from Germany but she h...
00:25:52
February 16, 2022
15. Claudia Lundahl on Montessori with Toddlers
15. Claudia Lundahl on Montessori with ...
Claudia Lundahl is an AMI Montessori toddler guide, postpartum doula, and freelance artist living in London, Engla...
01:00:20
February 02, 2022
14. Romali Rosales Chavarría on Second Language Learning in the Montessori Children's House
14. Romali Rosales Chavarría on Second...
Romali Rosales Chavarría is a Montessori educator, researcher, and mom of two bilingual sons. Romali is from Mexi...
00:41:43
January 26, 2022
13. Beth Allison on Learning Navajo With Her Son
13. Beth Allison on Learning Navajo Wit...
Beth Allison is a mom, educator, and entrepreneur who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Beth is Navajo and grew up on the...
01:24:22
January 19, 2022
12. Andrea Imhof on Supporting Language Development in the Early Years
12. Andrea Imhof on Supporting Language...
Andrea Imhof is a PhD student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Oregon. Her research focuses on understa...
00:51:13
January 12, 2022
11. Tina Laboy and Rachel Coleman on Talking to Children About Food
11. Tina Laboy and Rachel Coleman on Ta...
This episode is all about food! Tina Laboy and Rachel Coleman are the co-hosts of Mom Genes the Podcast. Tina is a...
00:57:07
January 05, 2022
Bonus: Advice from 2021 Guests
Bonus: Advice from 2021 Guests
Welcome to this bonus episode of the Multilingual Montessori Podcast! Since starting this podcast in September, I...
00:28:45
December 18, 2021
10. Renee Chen on Montessori in China and the U.S.
10. Renee Chen on Montessori in China a...
Renee Chen is a mom of two girls, who moved with her husband and children from Shanghai, China to Austin, Texas fi...
00:53:57
December 08, 2021
9. Ayanna Lewis on Montessori and Literacy
9. Ayanna Lewis on Montessori and Liter...
In this episode, I speak with Ayanna Lewis, a librarian, a Montessorian, and a lifelong learner. Ayanna went to Mo...
00:45:05
December 01, 2021
8. Sonia Cagle, an American Mother in Sweden
8. Sonia Cagle, an American Mother in S...
In this episode I speak with Sonia Cagle, an American mother of two who moved to Sweden with her husband almost fo...
00:56:09
November 10, 2021
7. Jessica Whinery on Starting a Montessori School
7. Jessica Whinery on Starting a Montes...
In this episode I speak with Jessica Whinery, a Montessorian, mom, and entrepreneur in Austin, Texas. She is an AM...
00:51:35
November 03, 2021
6. Lucie Tamášová on Global Access to Montessori
6. Lucie Tamášová on Global Access t...
In this episode I speak with Lucie Tamášová, a mother and Montessorian who lives in Prague. Lucie shares her ex...
00:54:03
October 27, 2021
5. Hannah Ewert-Krocker on Montessori with Adolescents
5. Hannah Ewert-Krocker on Montessori w...
If you've ever wondered about Montessori at the adolescent level, this is the episode for you! In this episode, I ...
01:00:17
October 20, 2021
4. Merila, Monolingual Montessori Mom on Raising Bilingual Children
4. Merila, Monolingual Montessori Mom o...
In this episode, I speak with Merila, a mom of two who first learned about Montessori when she sent her older son ...
00:43:06
October 13, 2021
3. Chelsea Daniel, Yoga Instructor and Montessorian on Mindfulness with Children
3. Chelsea Daniel, Yoga Instructor and ...
In this episode, I speak with Chelsea Daniel, an AMI Montessori guide and certified yoga instructor living in Broo...
00:37:03
October 06, 2021
2. Jinny Gonzalez, Director of Early Childhood at Austin Montessori School and Bilingual Mom
2. Jinny Gonzalez, Director of Early Ch...
In this episode I speak with Jinny Gonzalez, an AMI-certified 0-6 Montessori guide and the Director of Early Child...
00:48:34
September 28, 2021
1. Tais Zeitune, Brazilian Mum and Montessorian in London
1. Tais Zeitune, Brazilian Mum and Mont...
Welcome to the first episode of the Multilingual Montessori podcast! On this episode, I speak with Tais Zeitune, a...
00:35:14
September 21, 2021
Welcome to Multilingual Montessori! (Trailer)
Welcome to Multilingual Montessori! (Tr...
Welcome to Multilingual Montessori, a podcast where we’ll discuss multilingualism, multiculturalism, and raising...
00:01:11
August 21, 2021