If you’re anything like me, you’ve had experiences in the conventional school system. I was educated in public conventional schools and began my teaching career there. However, once I found out about Montessori, got my training and started teaching, I experienced a transformation. My beliefs about children and teaching shifted. Understanding this transformation is the core of my research. Here I present a mixed-methods study investigating the relation between openness and teacher beliefs among 360 conventional and Montessori teachers. Montessori teachers scored significantly higher on openness and beliefs about student-centered education compared to conventional teachers. Let’s explore these results together! ~ ~ ~ Christina is a graduate student working with Angeline Lillard at the University of Virginia. She received a BS in Psychology from Michigan State University. She taught middle-school science and social studies on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota for two years through Teach for America. She then attended AMI elementary teacher training at the Montessori Institute of Milwaukee. She spent the past 10 years in Montessori schools, teaching children ages 6 to 12 years old. Christina's main research interests lie in understanding the origins and development of teacher beliefs among conventional and Montessori teachers.