Montessori People
People who have been touched by Montessori comprise a growing and gloriously diverse group.
Its numbers include teachers and the educators who guide them; students and the parents who ask them about their day. Former students are still Montessori People, because, as some have told us, Montessori is for life.
Montessori People in the public eye often demonstrate qualities Montessori seeks to nurture. For example, consider Montessori alumni Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the creative thinkers who founded Google, and Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon.
Other Montessori People include enthusiasts such as Kin, a 12-year-old Montessori graduate, and Gabriela Martínez, a Montessori infant teacher. They speak eloquently about what Montessori means to them, as do others whose stories we’re proud to present.
Maya Angelou
Writer & world-renowned humanitarian
Katherine Basmagy
Montessori teacher educator
Kate Cichucki
World traveler & intermediate-care nurse
Calvin Chang
College student
Arthur L. Costa, EdD
Professor Emeritus, California State University, Sacramento, & co-founder, Institute for Habits of Mind
Dee Joy Coulter, EdD
Neuroscience educator
Earl and Maggie DePass
Parents of 4 Montessori students
Marian Wright Edelman
Founder & president, Children’s Defense Fund
Riane Eisler
President, Center for Partnership Studies, & author of The Chalice and The Blade: Our History, Our Future
Eve Frederick
Montessori toddler teacher
Angela Goding
Restaurateur & arts administrator
Kin
Montessori elementary school student
Yayoi Kobayashi
Montessori early childhood teacher
Lillian
High school student
Stephanie Pace Marshall, PhD
Founding president & president emerita, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
Gabriela Martinez
Montessori infant teacher
Joyce McDermott
Vice President of Corporate Communications, MasterCard
Jane Nelsen, EdD
Author & co-author, Positive Discipline book series
Pedro Noguera, PhD
Executive Director, Metropolitan Center for Urban Education, New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Development
Daniel Pink
Author of Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us
Alice Waters
Chef, author, & proprietor of Chez Panisse
Kenyon Weaver
Co-founder, Turkmenistan Youth and Civic Values Foundation
Will Wright
Creator of computer simulation games—SimCity, The Sims, & Spore
Yong Zhao, PhD
Presidential Chair and Associate Dean for Global Education, College of Education, University of Oregon