The benefits of a Montessori education are impressive. We think that the American Montessori Society says it best:

Each child is valued as a unique individual. Montessori education recognizes that children learn in different ways, and accommodates all learning styles. Students are also free to learn at their own pace, each advancing through the curriculum as he is ready, guided by the teacher and an individualized learning plan.

Beginning at an early age, Montessori students develop order, coordination, concentration, and independence. Classroom design, materials, and daily routines support the individual’s emerging “self-regulation” (ability to educate one’s self, and to think about what one is learning), toddlers through adolescents.

Students are part of a close, caring community. The multiage classroom—typically spanning 3 years—re-creates a family structure. Older students enjoy stature as mentors and role models; younger children feel supported and gain confidence about the challenges ahead. Teachers model respect, loving kindness, and a belief in peaceful conflict resolution.

Montessori students enjoy freedom within limits. Working within parameters set by their teachers, students are active participants in deciding what their focus of learning will be. Montessorians understand that internal satisfaction drives the child’s curiosity and interest and results in joyous learning that is sustainable over a lifetime.

Students are supported in becoming active seekers of knowledge. Teachers provide environments where students have the freedom and the tools to pursue answers to their own questions.

Self-correction and self-assessment are an integral part of the Montessori classroom approach. As they mature, students learn to look critically at their work, and become adept at recognizing, correcting, and learning from their errors.

(Read more from the AMS website.)

Notable Montessori Alumni

Jeff Bezos,
Amazon.com CEO

T. Berry Brazelton,
Pediatrician and author

Sergey Brin,
Google, Inc. co-founder

Julia Child,
Author and chef

Peter Drucker,
Professor and author

Anne Frank,
Diarist

Katherine Graham,
Washington Post owner and editor

Gabriel Garcia Marquez,
Nobel Prize-winning author

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis,
Editor and former first lady

Larry Page,
Google, Inc. co-founder

Jimmy Wales,
Wikipedia founder

Will Wright,
The Sims and SimCity creator