"We both went to Montessori School and I think it was part of that training of not following rules and orders and being self-motivated, questioning what’s going on in the world. I do think I benefitted from the Montessori education which in some ways gives the students a lot more freedom to do things at their own pace to discover. The willingness to go on your own instincts — you can tie that back to Montessori education.”
"Early Childhood Education Is The Key To The Betterment Of Society."
— Maria Montessori
FAMOUS PEOPLE INFLUENCED BY MONTESSORI
Sergey Brin & Larry Page,
Founders of Google
Steve Wozniak,
Co-founder of Apple
"When you start Kindergarten, intelligence is defined as everyone having the same answers as everyone else. Not one person is taught to think for themselves. Be sceptical a bit. That’s like being a follower instead of a leader. Montessori schools do a better job of teaching independent thinking.”
Jeff Bezos,
Founder of Amazon
"If you can give somebody a leg up when they’re three or four years old, by the time they get to kindergarten or first grade, they’re much less likely to fall behind.”
Stephen Curry,
3-time NBA Champion
"Montessori has helped me become the person I am today.”
Thomas Edison,
Discovered the light bulb
"When you start Kindergarten, intelligence is defined as everyone having the same answers as everyone else. Not one person is taught to think for themselves. Be sceptical a bit. That’s like being a follower instead of a leader. Montessori schools do a better job of teaching independent thinking.”
Will Wright,
Computer/Video Game Pioneer
“Montessori taught me the joy of discovery... It showed you can become interested in pretty complex theories, like Pythagorean theory, say, by playing blocks. It's all about learning on your terms, rather than a teacher explaining stuff to you. SimCity came right out of Montessori — if you give people this model for building cities, they will abstract from its principles of urban design.”
"Word Hard, Have Fun, Make History."
— Jeff Bezos
Did You Know?
In 2020, along with his wife Mackenzie, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos launched a $2 billion effort in assisting homeless families and starting Montessori-inspired preschools in low-income communities in the United States. Their goal is to raise awareness about Montessori-inspired education among policy makers and the media, as well as parents who are evaluating what types of schooling is best for their child.
Jeff Bezos is just one of several tech titans who are part of a so-called “Montessori Mafia,” a term coined in a 2011 Wall Street Journal article. It named Bezos, along with Google founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin, and Will Wright, the designer of the videogame The Sims.
Bezos, as a young child, “would get so engrossed in his activities as a Montessori preschooler that his teachers would literally have to pick him up out of his chair to go to the next task,” according to his mother. It makes sense then that free “Montessori inspired” education is an interest of Bezos’s recently announced $2 billion Fund.