What do Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Google’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin have in common?
Before launching some of America’s most successful businesses, a trio of high-tech entrepreneurs had a solid educational foundation upon which to build their enterprises and their careers: a Montessori education.
In fact, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, was so inspired by his Montessori education that he has pledged $1 billion to fund a series of low-income Montessori schools around the country, so that others can enjoy the benefits he did. And he’s not the only American success story whose path started with a Montessori education.
Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the founders of Google, were also Montessori educated. Emmy award winning actress Helen Hunt, Grammy award winning singer Taylor Swift and TV chef Julia Child are among other successful people who got their start in a Montessori classroom.
Some of these success stories show how a Montessori education helps build skill sets needed for today’s world. Montessori students aren’t just taught to think critically, they’re also taught to act confidently, to communicate effectively and how to work together – all skills needed in today’s modern workplace.
Here are just a few of the benefits of a Montessori education:
1. Learning decision-making skills.
Since a Montessori education is mostly self-directed by the student, children begin to learn key decision-making skills at an early age. Through the guidance of their teacher, they are tasked with deciding how to best pursue their learning.
However, just like in their future career, student’s decisions will have to withstand the scrutiny of the teacher, who can act somewhat like a “boss” to the students. With thoughtful guidance, these Montessori teachers will give students their first taste of making their own decisions, while meeting the necessary criteria for their education.
2. Children are taught how to recognize and value their identity.
Know thyself. Unlike other educational philosophies, a Montessori education helps teach its students how to better understand themselves, to know their skills, their strengths and weaknesses and to understand what makes them unique.
3. Learning to collaborate.
Whereas traditional classrooms are composed of students of similar ages, Montessori classrooms bring togethers students of multiple age ranges. This changes the method of how a classroom is taught, as teacher lectures are less impactful. Instead, in Montessori classrooms, students often work in groups, providing some early lessons in how to work together.
4. Montessori students develop emotional intelligence.
Montessori students are also taught how to recognize their emotions and acknowledge how they feel. Students can go through a range of emotions and those emotions don’t get classified as good or bad. If a child is sad or angry or otherwise upset for some reason, Montessori education helps instruct children how to properly handle these feelings, which starts with recognizing and talking about how they feel.
In a Montessori classroom at La Prima Casa Montessori, students are part of a community. They learn how to think creatively, make decisions, and work together or independently – all skills needed to help build a successful career in today’s modern economy.
To learn more about how a Montessori education can benefit your student, call us at 305-854-8001 to speak to our administrators or to schedule a free school tour.