🎙️ Embracing the Dialect Dilemma: My Journey Raising Bilingual Montessori Kids

Featured on the Multilingual Montessori Podcast!

I’m so excited to share something close to my heart—my guest appearance on Episode 36 of the Multilingual Montessori Podcast! 🌿🎧

In this episode, I had the joy of sitting down with Gabrielle Kotkov, the wonderful host behind the Multilingual Montessori Podcast. We dove deep into the personal journey my husband and I are walking as we raise our two children in a bilingual, faith-centered, Montessori-inspired home.

🌍 What We Talked About

Language is so much more than just words—it’s culture, identity, and connection. Growing up in Cairo, Egypt, my own bilingual experience was very different from the life we’re creating for our children here in Columbus, Ohio.

Gabrielle and I talked about: ✨ How I first discovered Montessori and why it changed everything for me as a parent and educator.
✨ What bilingualism looked like in my childhood and how that contrasts with raising kids in a multilingual, multicultural environment in the U.S.
✨ The heart of our Dialect Dilemma—navigating Egyptian Arabic for daily conversations versus Modern Standard Arabic for reading and writing.
✨ When and why I made the intentional decision to speak Arabic with my children (spoiler alert: it was both a linguistic and emotional shift!).
✨ How Montessori’s focus on independence, respect, and observation has shaped the way we approach language development in our home.

💭 Why This Conversation Matters

Language holds power. And when you’re balancing two dialects, two cultures, and two ways of life, it’s easy to feel the weight of making the “right” choice for your children. I hope this conversation offers some comfort and insight to fellow parents walking a similar path—whether you’re raising bilingual kids, exploring Montessori at home, or trying to stay connected to your roots while living abroad.

🎧 Tune In!

You can listen to this heartfelt conversation on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you love to tune in.
👉 Listen to Episode 36 here!

💬 Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

Have you experienced your own dialect dilemma? Are you raising bilingual or multilingual children in a Montessori-inspired way? I’d love to hear from you!