For more than a century, the work of Dr. Maria Montessori has affected the lives of countless children and families, but the ripples of her ideas and educational methods have reached far beyond that. Her work, and the work of the many Montessori guides who have carried out her methods, have influenced individuals who have gone on to change the course of history. These are just a few of the many stories that show how a Montessori education can prepare a human being to make a difference. How Montessori Has Shaped Storytelling And Literature Montessori education has a unique way of introducing children to the universe. At a time when they are already seeking answers, cosmic education introduces them to concepts and important scientific and historical information that strikes a sense of awe. This deep understanding and wonder last a lifetime. Two particular authors come to mind when considering the many who were Montessori students: Gabriel García Márquez and Anthony Doerr. “With his stories, Gabriel García Márquez has created a world of his own which is a microcosmos. In its tumultuous, bewildering, yet, graphically convincing authenticity, it reflects a continent and its human riches and poverty. Perhaps more than that: a cosmos in which the human heart and the combined forces of history, time and again, burst the bounds of chaos…” -NobelPrize.org García Márquez won the 1972 Neustadt International Prize for Literature and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982 for his novels and short stories. Author of renowned titles such as One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera, his work has been translated extensively and appreciated by readers worldwide, with many considering him one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. Not one to shy away from tackling important political and social topics, it’s clear he had a deep sense of social justice, perhaps unsurprising considering his background. He once said, “I do not believe there is a method better than Montessori for making children sensitive to the beauties of the world and awakening their curiosity regarding the secrets of life.” Anthony Doerr spoke of attending a Montessori school where his mother was a teacher. “She was always teaching us all kinds of things. I remember very clearly geologic time being one of the big lessons she taught us. She even had us take toilet paper rolls and unroll them and had us map out the various eras, like Cambrian, and figure out where humans would fit on this toilet paper timeline of the Earth. You realize, of course, that human life goes in the last square—and really goes in the last quarter of the last square. And your life can't really even fit if you draw this microscopic line down the final edge of the final square of toilet paper. I remember those lessons make you feel small. Then they make you feel—what an amazing thing we get to be on this Earth...So I think that's part of everything I work on.” Doerr’s 2014 book All the Light We Cannot See has been widely revered. Perhaps most notably, it won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It was also a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction, runner-up for the Dayton Library Peace Prize for Fiction, the 2015 Ohioana Library Association Book Award for Fiction, and was a New York Times bestseller and notable book of 2014. How Montessori Revolutionized The Way We Cook In Our Homes It is well known that Julia Child was a Montessori student. She has credited Montessori with her love of working with her hands, but one has to wonder if it didn’t perhaps inspire her in other ways as well. Child began her career in copywriting, but eventually ended up working as a research assistant for secret intelligence in Washington, D.C. She helped to develop shark repellents in order to prevent accidental detonation of underwater explosives. Her work there was valued immensely, and it was later that she turned to cooking and discovered her passion. As we all know, Child became famous for her cookbooks and television shows, making complicated French dishes more accessible to the average American home cook. One of her most endearing qualities was that she often made mistakes during filming, but her ability to embrace these errors and incorporate them as a normal part of cooking made those watching feel more at ease. How Montessori Found Its Way Into Public Service “I'm a Montessori lifer, Pre-K and all the way through. I attribute everything I've accomplished to Montessori.” One Maryland State senator credits Montessori with being a major force in the powerful work he has been able to do for his constituents. Some of the work he has done includes ending certain housing discrimination practices, prohibiting suspension and expulsion of children from pre-k through second grade, and defining race in order to protect people of color from being discriminated against based on culturally significant hairstyles. How Montessori Inspired A New Type Of Video Game Entertainment “Montessori taught me the joy of discovery,” Wright told me. “It showed you can become interested in pretty complex theories, like Pythagorean theory, say, by playing with blocks. It’s all about learning on your terms, rather than a teacher explaining stuff to you. SimCity comes right out of Montessori—if you give people this model for building cities, they will abstract from it principles of urban design.” Will Wright, creator of The Sims, is considered one of the most influential video game creators of all time. Learn more about how he credits Montessori for his success in his TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/will_wright_spore_birth_of_a_game/transcript#t-8424 How Montessori Transformed The Way We Find Information “I do think that some of the credit for the willingness to go on your own interests, you can tie that back to Montessori education.” -Sergey Brin Sergey Brin and Larry Page co-founded Google in 1998. Since then, the company that began as a search engine has foundationally changed the way humans around the world find and share information. It has expanded to cover countless areas of technology and is synonymous to many as a hub of innovation. Both Brin and Page attended Montessori schools as children, and both credit that time as hugely influential on their professional work. Hear more in this clip of Brin discussing his experiences: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHzj3LrXruY With so many influential figures and important work coming straight from those who were Montessori educated and credit those successes with their education, one has to wonder: where might the next generation of Montessori alumni take us?

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Human beings are creatures of habit. Habits are comfortable, and it is generally easier to continue doing things the way they have always been done. Change is messy, confusing, and often pretty challenging. At our school, we believe in the importance of examining our habits periodically. We think it’s critical to ask ourselves: “Why are things done this way?” “What is our motivation for taking this particular path?” We think it’s vital to stop, recognize our values, and make sure that our actions align with those values. So, this brings us to today’s question: What kind of learning do we value? In many ways, our current conventional education system reflects one that was created long ago, and to satisfy the needs of a culture that has changed drastically since then. Let us pause to consider what learning is, what our goals and values are, and what we might do to align the two. Defining And Categorizing Education And Learning Let’s get right to the point: learning : 1. the act or experience of one that learns 2. knowledge or skill acquired by instruction or study 3. modification of a behavioral tendency by experience education: 1. a. the act or process of educating or being educated b. the knowledge and development resulting from the process of being educated 2. the field of study that deals mainly with methods of teaching and learning in schools Long ago, the original goals of schools were to provide children with the knowledge they would need to successfully enter the workforce. This is still largely the case, although as a society we have begun to recognize the importance of inspiring a love of learning and developing the child as a whole person. There are many schools and educators who have worked hard to develop new methods and adjust old ones to meet the needs of today’s students. Have we come far enough? What Are Our Values? What do we, as a society, consider to be important? As we have all realized in recent years, values can be highly personal and they also have the potential to be incredibly polarizing. We believe there is a way to blend the desires of various groups and viewpoints. We think it’s not only possible, but critical for us to all consider the importance of both individual liberty as well as empathetic support of those around us. The following are some of our most important values; we encourage you to reflect and consider your own: Equity Justice Freedom Truth Innovation Empathy Individuality Environmental Stewardship What Do We Hope Our Children Will Gain? If our children are spending the bulk of their waking hours at school, of course we want that time to be valuable for them. In generations past the goal was to impart knowledge from adult to child. While that idea remains in a sense, the way we access and share knowledge has shifted dramatically. So what should we want from our children’s education? Instead of memorizing dates and historical figures, could we instead draw lessons from our collective mistakes and triumphs? Could we honor the work of those who have come before us, while also acknowledging what hasn’t gone well? Do we want to administer extensive amounts of predetermined courses, or might we ensure children have a solid understanding of basic information, as well as the motivation and skills to pursue deeper studies of their own interests? Might we acknowledge that learning is not linear, nor does a room full of children progress at the same pace? Could we utilize a system of mathematics education that allows each individual child to progress incrementally as they master specific skills? Are we prepared to teach our children how to differentiate between fact and fiction? Do they know what sources to look to and which ones they should question? Are we directly teaching soft skills regularly and with as much reverence as we give academics? Do we want school to prepare our children for the workforce, or do we want school to prepare our children for life? Does Our System Of Education Reflect These Goals And Values? We are sure you can see where we’re going with this. We believe Montessori does, indeed, meet our shared goals and values for children’s learning and education. Our approach is dramatically different from that of many of our conventional counterparts. Conventional schools are making changes, and we are hopeful that the pendulum will continue to swing away from rigid learning approaches and toward more modern ones. Montessori is ready to tackle the challenges of today’s students and their learning needs, and we’re ready to do it right now. We honor each child as an individual who deserves to be heard and respected. We recognize that individuals move at different paces and have different interests, talents, and needs. We believe in nurturing a society based in deep empathy - empathy for other humans, for other living things, and for the earth itself. We know there needs to be a balance between solitude and cooperation. We think it’s critical to help children master the basics. Still, at a certain point, they must learn how to find high-quality information, rather than memorization of endless facts deemed important by someone else. We want children to find joy in their learning, to feel compelled to explore, and to regard their education as a foundation that will carry them throughout their lives. We hope this article, at the very least, gave you a chance to pause and consider. We would love to hear your thoughts.

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