Gatekeepers of Reality: Crafting the Living Algorithm in the Montessori Age — Session Slide Deck, MECR Montessori in the Mountains, Estes Park, September 27, 2026

The fifteen-slide deck from Gatekeepers of Reality, a 150-minute hands-on session presented at Montessori in the Mountains, the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies conference, Estes Park, Colorado, September 2026. The session moves from an outdoor expressive work, "I exist, and this is how I experience the world," through composing an undefined tray, a silent walk and group mapping of AI-era competencies against Montessori materials using table tents and sticky notes, a read-aloud of A Cosmic Story: The Coming of Technology, and open maker stations of clay, natural objects, and found materials, closing with the restoration of every workspace. The deck defines the word algorithm after Knuth, traces its history from al-Khwārizmī, and quotes Dr. Maria Montessori's The Montessori Method (1912) on undirected clay work and on the cultivation of living things. Shared for participants' own use back at school with staff, parents, and stakeholders. The session's materials were generously sponsored by Nienhuis Montessori and Maitri Learning. This presentation was prepared with AI assistance for source verification, formatting, and drafting support, under the author's direction; all content, claims, and judgments are the author's own.