Montessori schools are becoming increasingly popular as parents search for ways to encourage their children to develop independent thinking and enthusiasm, rather than following traditional teaching models.
These ten famous individuals have achieved great success, which is undoubtedly, in part, down to the openness of mind and motivation that the Montessori Method inspires.
1. Jeff Bezos – Founder of Amazon
Amazon was recently valued at the mind-boggling figure of 1 trillion dollars. Whether or not you use wealth as a benchmark of success in life, it is undeniable that Jeff Bezos is an achiever. Bezos gave up a successful career on Wall Street to focus on starting Amazon from his garage, often helping ship and pack the early parcels.
Although this seems like a huge gamble, Montessori material encourage children to not be afraid to make mistakes, but rather to embrace them and make them part of the learning process.
In Montessori schools, children can play with whatever interests them without time limits allowing them to focus on what inspires them the most. This is known as self-directed learning and is something which has had a profound impact upon Jeff Bezos.
2. Beyoncé Knowles – Singer & songwriter
Beyoncé is one of the world’s most famous singers, but did you know that she attended a Montessori school as a child? The Montessori method encourages children to engage in what interests them most and highly values the arts alongside academic subjects, this has undoubtedly added to Beyoncé’s success and self-motivation. In fact, encouraging creative thinking is essential to your child’s success in every sphere of life.
3. Will Wright – Video game pioneer
The name might not sound familiar, but his games certainly will. Creator of some of the most top-rated, famous games ever, such as Sim City, The Sims and Spore, Will Wright’s games allow the player to progress while focusing only upon which aspects interest them, making each player’s experience unique and extremely personal.
Sound familiar? This is not unlike the ethos practiced at Montessori schools, where children are free to play with what interests them for as long as they wish. Will Wright credits a lot of his success to his Montessori schooling. It’s surprising how something simple, like playing with wooden toys, can enable a child to learn and understand a great deal for themselves, even quite complex theories.
4. Sean “Diddy” Combs – Rapper, singer & record producer
Diddy attended a Montessori school early in life and while he hasn’t specifically credited its teachings with his success, his drive and ambition are those often associated with other Montessori graduates.
The Montessori ideals of self-learning and making one’s own way are central to self-made achievement and have undoubtedly contributed to Diddy’s success.
5. Julia Child – TV personality, chef & author
Julia Child is famous for inspiring millions to get cooking, adapting complex French cuisine to everyday life. When you try something new, or something that is rated as being difficult, you’re bound to make mistakes.
Part of the Montessori ethos is the idea that you need to make mistakes to learn and that you should not let the fear of making a mistake put you off trying. This idea is central to Julia Child’s TV shows and books, and was no doubt inspired and nurtured through her Montessori education. Julie Child even credited her love of working with her hands to the Montessori Method.
6&7. Larry Page & Sergey Brin – Founders of Google
Google needs no introduction, but did you know that both of its founders went to Montessori schools? The profound impact of the Montessori method upon Larry and Sergey has made them incorporate part of its ethos into their companies through what is known as the 20% Rule. Google employees typically spend one working day a week on something that is not related to what they are currently working on.
Larry and Sergey both credit Montessori with their out-of-the-box thinking, a trait that is commonly associated with top earners and successful entrepreneurs.
8. Taylor Swift – Singer & songwriter
Taylor Swift’s recent school donations show how important a role education has played in her life. Being a famous singer takes great self-belief, self-motivation and dedication. A huge number of people try to make it, many fail.
A Montessori education, with its focus upon independent learning and motivation has undoubtedly helped Taylor Swift to concentrate her energy upon her talents, while giving her the edge to make a breakthrough into one of the most difficult industries.
9. Jimmy Wales – Wikipedia Founder
You can check out Jimmy Wales on his own Wikipedia page, the online encyclopedia that he co-founded. Like most Montessori-schooled children, Jimmy Wales excelled through the benefits of self-directed learning, enabling him to focus on things which he was interested in.
The young Wales spent hours captivated by encyclopedias and their contents, something which would not have been nurtured in a traditional school, where the strict timetable of subjects inhibits pupils’ choice of activities.
10. Gabriel Garcia Marquez – Nobel Prize winning author
The famous Columbian author credits Montessori teaching with making children aware of the beauty of life and increasing their curiosity and the likelihood that they’ll question the status quo.
As a Nobel Prize winner, Marquez has reached out to many people, causing them to question the world in which we live and to embrace all that is good, something which most definitely runs along Montessori principles and Montessori activities.
Writing successful works of literature requires a sense of independent thinking and great self-motivation, skills that Marquez will have been encouraged to develop from an early age at a Montessori school.
All of the persons listed here are exceptional achievers and Montessori schools have contributed to their success, alongside improving the perception, motivation and future of every pupil that studies in accordance with its method.
