Sonnie McFarland began her fascinating journey with children 35 years ago as she became a mother and Montessori teacher within the same year. While wondering what career path would bring her interests and passions together, she found Montessori's Own Handbook. Within the first chapter, she knew that she had found her life's work - educating children for peace.

Her career began in Chicago, Illinois where she received the American Montessori Society Primary Credential from the Midwest Montessori Teacher Training Program and taught her first group of children at Northwest Suburban Montessori in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

In 1972, she moved to Pueblo, Colorado and with her husband, Jim, founded the Shining Mountains Center for Education and Consciousness which included a Montessori Children's Center, Adult Education Center and Yoga Center, Sonnie directed and taught at the Shining Mountains Montessori Children Center until she moved to Denver in 1980.

Sonnie joined the faculty at the Montessori School of Denver where she taught children ages 3 to 6 and directed the Montessori School of Denver's Summer Youth Camp for students ages 5- 12. During these twelve years, Sonnie created intriguing activities for children that helped them to experience their inner lights of love. As a result children manifested self confidence, joy and peaceful behavior. People visiting Sonnie's classroom often commented on its peaceful feeling and asked her to share her secret.

In 1988 Sonnie began to share this secret when she published an article entitled "Holistic Peace Education" in the Holistic Education Review. The article was later included in New Directions in Education a collection of the Holistic Education Review's best articles. Following this, she was asked to write the American Montessori Society's Position Paper on Holistic Peace Education. She recently published a peace curriculum book entitled, Honoring the Light of the Child - Activities to Nurture Peaceful Living Skills in Young Children and continues to write articles on peace education for various magazines.

In 1993 Sonnie published Shining Through - A Teacher's Handbook on Transformation which outlines activities to help adults center in their love and light so they can see the same in the children. These ideas were reiterated in an article written for the Montessori Reporter entitled The Transformation of the Teacher. After many years of being asked to describe Peace Education, Sonnie created a holistic model that was described in an article published in Montessori Life entitled Nurturing the Peace Flower -- A model for the Science of Peace. Her latest publication is a delightful peace curriculum book for young children entitled Honoring the Light of the Child -- Activities to Nurture Peaceful Living Skills in Young Children.

Sonnie's mulit-faceted career includes serving as Head of School at the Montessori School of Denver, Board member of the Association of Colorado Independent Schools and the American Montessori Society where she currently chairs their Peace Committee. Sonnie does teacher education, workships and consultations nationally and internationally on Peace Education and Parenting.

Dr. Jim McFarland holds a BA degree from the University of Utah, an MA degree from San Francisco State University and a PH D from Northwestern University. He has taught at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois, Southern Colorado University in Pueblo, Colorado and Metropolitan State in Denver, Colorado,

His primary areas of study and teaching have been Communication Theory, Interpersonal and Group Communication. In recent years his primary areas of interest have been Personal Development, Parenting and Community Building.

Jim and his wife, Sonnie, have taught parenting workshops for the past 20 years. These workshops have helped many parents create a more positive, respectful view of their child and their role as parents. The course includes effective communication skills, positive discipline, creative problem solving, and the enhancement of children's self worth. They are currently authoring a book on Montessori Parenting.

Jim's conception of the CPIR Model of Community Development has been popular in many settings helping people to create nourishing climates, effective processing skills, a sense of individual identity and more satisfying relationships with family members, classmates, professional colleagues and other communities of people. When the four elements of C (Climate), P (Processing), I (Identity) and R (Relationship) are manifesting themselves, a community can be said to be functional and healthy. To the extent they do not exist, the community group becomes dysfunctional and unproductive.

He is currently retired in the mountains of Colorado writing, lecturing and enjoying his family.