CONTENTS
OCTOBER 2020
The unexpected journey of an accidental home-schooler. Pg. 18
FEATURES 12

HALLOWEEN 2020 ISN’T
CANCELED D.C. mom Jamie Davis Smith shares new ways
to have fun on Oct. 31
NEW BEGINNINGS
Back-to-school looked different across the DMV
15
18
WHEN “MOM” BECOMES
“TEACHER”
Choosing home-schooling over virtual learning
29

WHAT TO ASK
Questions to ask when searching for a school or
camp for a child with disabilities
30
YOUR AUTISTIC TEEN
WANTS A JOB
Helping your teenager navigate the job-hunt
process On the cover: Dominque Dawes
Cover photo: David Stuck
DEPARTMENTS 6
EDITOR’S PICKS
This month’s must-haves and must-know-abouts
... for the bath!
8 DIY
Make a hamburger pumpkin for Halloween
10 RECIPES
34
New ways to bake with apples
HEALTHY FAMILY
Staying healthy during flu season
36 BOOKMARKED
Spooky stories for kids of all ages
39

MOM LIFE
Gymnastics is a family affair for Olympic gold
medalist Dominique Dawes
DIRECTORIES READERS’ RESPONSES
WE WANT
YOUR 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 OCTOBER 2020
HEATHER O’STEEN PHOTOGRAPHY; DOMINIQUE DAWES: DAVID STUCK
21 PRIVATE SCHOOL
26 SPECIALIZED LEARNING



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