CONTENTS
JULY 2020
Yes, you can support the fight for racial justice without attending a protest. Pg. 13
DEPARTMENTS 13
6
THE FATE OF FALL
Students and parents wonder what school will
look like in September
21
BEST FOR FAMILIES
The survey results are in! Discover who made
the list for this year’s family favorites
38
PEOPLE FIRST, WORDS SECOND
The way we talk about disabilities is changing
40
A PHONE CALL AWAY
Telemedicine is a COVID-19 success story
42
THE MORNING RUSH
What it looks like to parent a neurotypical child
and two children with disabilities
8
10 EDITOR’S PICKS
This month’s must-haves and
must-know-abouts FAMILY FUN
A patriotic ice pop recipe
DIY
Make a whimsical DIY beach fairy garden
11 VOICES

34 VOICES
Why one mom is choosing to homeschool her
kindergartener this fall
45 BOOKMARKED
A new kids’ book about diversity written by a
Maryland mom, plus books that celebrate
America. 48
READERS’ RESPONSES
FEEDBACK We welcome your feedback—on specific articles,
overall themes and anything else related to
editorial content. Email your comments to info@
washingtonfamily.com. Please note we reserve the right to edit or refrain
from publishing comments we deem inappropriate.

2 Washington FAMILY JULY 2020
Having a “wild” daughter changed this mom’s
perception of femininity
MOM LIFE
Meet LaJoy Johnson-Law, a parent support
specialist and mom to a daughter with multple
disabilities DIRECTORIES
36 MONTESSORI SCHOOLS
ONENESS AND PROTEST PHOTO BY DAVID STUCK
18
YOUR Oneness Family School
FEATURES NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE
Taking a stand against racism at home and in the
streets WE WANT
ON THE COVER



ADVERTORIAL
OUR FUTURE LEADERS WILL COME FROM MONTESSORI
If the COVID-19 crisis has taught us
anything, it is that we are part of an
interdependent, fragile world. It has
also taught us the vital importance of
scientific thinking. Finally, it has taught
us that problems of this magnitude and
complexity require adaptive leaders who
can work with others to create effective
strategies around which all segments of
society can coalesce.

Fostering an interdependent mindset,
scientific thinking and adaptive
leadership skills has been foundational
to the Montessori approach to education
since Maria Montessori launched her
first school in 1907. These outcomes are
natural by-products of the way Montessori
classrooms function: teachers introduce
concepts in a big-picture perspective,
allowing students to move about freely and
work in small groups, experimenting and
engaging in self-directed projects. This
structure provides many opportunities for
students to practice leading teams and
working together to accomplish a goal.

Sometimes parents ask, “How will my
child be prepared for the real world?” Our
answer is that Montessori principles are
the very things our children need to learn
to not only be successful in the world,
but to improve the world. Montessori
principles such as self-motivation,
initiative, creative thinking, scientific
theory, emotional intelligence, ethics,
communication and leadership will be
integral if we want to see a world that can
better address the next global crisis.

At Oneness-Family Montessori High
School, the only Montessori high school
in the Washington area, we are building
a 21st Century Leadership program
founded upon Maria Montessori’s vision.

We’ve gathered a team of exceptional
thought leaders to create a program
that incorporates essential leadership
skill sets and will have students
joining together for a real-world
capstone project in their community
each year. The program will launch in
September 2020.

6701 Wisconsin Ave. / Chevy Chase, MD 20815 / 301.652.7751
onenessfamily.org / admissions@onenessfamily.org
OFFERING the best
in MONTESSORI
EDUCATION for
30 years
Join Us for
a Virtual Tour
301-652-7751 admissions@onenessfamily.org
admissions@onenessfamily.org VOTED “BEST MONTESSORI SCHOOL
IN THE DC-AREA”
— 2016,
2017, 2017,
2018, 2018,
2019, 2019
2020 — 2016,
— —
WashingtonFAMILY.com 3 3
WashingtonFAMILY.com