The basic idea in the Montessori philosophy of education is that every child carries unseen within him the man he will become. In order to develop his physical, intellectual, and spiritual powers to the fullest, he must have freedom – a freedom to be achieved through order and self-discipline. The world of the child is full of sights and sounds, which at first appear chaotic. From this chaos, the child must gradually create order, and learn to distinguish among the impressions that assail his senses, slowly but surely gaining mastery of himself and his environment.
Famous or successful people who were Montessori educated:
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis - Former First Lady, Editor
Peter Drucker - Management Guru
Anne Frank - Author of The Diary of Anne Frank
Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Nobel Prize Winner for Literature
Prince William and Prince Harry - English Royal Family
T. Berry Brazelton - Pediatrician and Author
Larry Page - Co-Founder of Google
Sergey Brin - Co-Founder of Google
Jeffrey Bezos - Founder of Amazon.com
Mark Zuckerberg - Co-founder of Facebook
Bill Gates - Founder of Microsoft
Cher Bono - Singer and Actress
Katharine Graham - Owner/Editor of The Washington Post
Will Wright - Videogame Pioneer (The Sims and Spore)
Jimmy Wale s- Wikipedia Founder
Julia Child - Culinary Artist and Author
Sean “P.Diddy” Combs - Rapper
Friedensreich Hundertwasser - Austrian Painter and Architect
Elizabeth Berridge – Actress
Kami Cotler – Actress
Melissa and Sarah Gilbert – Actresses
David Blaine - Magician
Andrew Lloyd Webber - British Composer
Hugh Grant - Actor
Lea Salonga - Broadway Actress and Singer
Stephen J. Cannell - TV Writer-Producer-Director
Patty Duke Austin - Actress
John Bradshaw - Psychologist and Author
Yul Brynner - Actor
Susan St. James – Actress
Marcy Carcy - Television Producer
Bill and Hillary Clinton - Former President and New York Senator
Michael Douglas - Actor
Shari Lewis - Puppeteer
Yo Yo Ma - Cellist
Jennifer Granholm and Daniel Mulhern - Governor of Michigan
A Montessori History
Montessori offers an education for life – and with that come the skills needed to succeed in our ever changing global society. It is no coincidence that many of the mavericks on the leading edge of creativity and innovation in our culture are Montessori graduates. To the millions of Montessori students, families and supporters around the world, the answer is obvious.
Fun Facts: A number of famous individuals are linked through Montessori simply as supporters of the method.
1. Alexander Graham Bell (inventor). He and his wife Mabel founded the Montessori Education Association in 1913. They also provided financial support directly to Dr. Maria Montessoriand helped establish the first Montessori class in Canada and one of the first in the United States.
2. Fred Rogers, children’s TV personality, was a strong supporter of Montessori education.
3. Thomas Edison, scientist and inventor, helped found a Montessori school.
4. President Wilson’s daughter trained as a Montessori teacher. There was a Montessori classroom in the basement of the White House during Wilson’s presidency.
5. Alice Waters, restaurateur and writer, is a former Montessori teacher.
6. Bruno Bettelheim, noted psychologist/author, was married to a Montessori teacher.
7. Erik Erikson, noted anthropologist/author, had a Montessori teaching certificate.
8. Jean Piaget, noted Swiss psychologist, made his first observations of children in a Montessori school. He was also head of the Swiss Montessori Society for many years.
9. Robert Frost – Poet Laureate. One of Americans best read poets.