Famous Montessorians

A recent article in The Globe and Mail, (link to article:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/growth/maria-montessori-guru-for-a-new-generation-of-business-innovators/article2398113/print/), pointed out that in order to understand the inner workings of innovation at Google, one needs to be aware that both founders of the company, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, were Montessori kids.

In 2004, in an interview with Barbara Walters, Mr. Page said that he credited Montessori with his ability to do “things a little bit different.”

And, the Google founders aren’t the only innovators and leaders that list a Montessori education as part of their background. The list includes many influential people:

• Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com
• T. Berry Brazelton, Pediatrician and author
• Julia Childs, Chef and Author
• George Clooney, Actor
• Sean “P Diddy” Combs, Record Producer, Actor, Entrepreneur, Rapper
• Dakota Fanning, Actor
• Anne Frank, Author of “The Diary of Anne Frank”
• Melissa and Sarah Gilbert, Actors
• Katherine Graham, Former owner/Editor of the Washington Post
• Helen Hunt, Actor
• Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nobel Prize winner for Literature
• Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Former First Lady
• Prince Harry and Prince William, Heirs to the British Throne
• Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia founder

Many of those listed above, believe it was their Montessori education that made them successful. Nobel prize winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez said, “I do not believe there is a method better than Montessori for making children sensitive to the beauties of the world and awakening their curiosity regarding the secrets of life.”

 At The Renaissance International School, we also believe this to be true. We hope you'll schedule a visit with us and see our students' impressive accomplishments.

Students in Lower Elementary I showcased their North America research projects at the Parent’s Day Tea on March 30.

It was obvious from the presentations that several weeks of work and layers of research had gone into each student’s report. The reports included clear and well-presented writing along with visual displays.

Many students dressed in costume including one who dressed as a pilgrim for her report on The Mayflower and another who wore a traditional Native American outfit.

Students at The Renaissance School learn history and world cultures from age three through graduation. The curriculum integrates art, music, dance, cooking, geography, literature, and science. This integrated approach was evident in the students’ work.

Born in Colombia, Leslie spent a good part of her childhood and adolescence in Italy with a three year interlude in Washington DC and Chile. From Rome, she moved to Belgium where she studied communication at the Université de Louvain.

After moving to the United States, while searching for the best education that would allow her six children to develop their potential, Leslie came upon the work of Dr. Maria Montessori. Since then, she has dedicated her life to studying Montessori, teaching in Montessori environments and as administrator of The Renaissance School, a Montessori school that is the only genuine tri-lingual Montessori school in the United States. The school has a language immersion program in which students are instructed by native speakers in French, English and Spanish. Lessons are given in both English and the other languages.

Leslie is a parent educator and coach as well as a trainer for the International Network of Children and Families. She regularly teaches an eight-week Redirecting Children’s Behavior course to Bay Area parents.

She serves on the Board of Trustees for The NewGate-Field School, a model school of the Montessori Foundation in Sarasota, Florida, and is also on the Board of the International Montessori Council.

Leslie lives in Oakland, California with her husband and enjoys traveling to visit her six children and eleven grandchildren who live around the world.

Our Spanish Primary I students have enjoyed learning about various members of the animal kingdom. They recently received a visit from a small reptile--a one month old turtle. The class discussed its external parts, what food it eats, where it lives and how it moves. The discussion also included the fact that the turtle has an internal skeleton which classifies it as a vertebrate.

In addition, new pets were added to the classroom--two dwarf hamsters. Both are males and about 4 months old. Students are learning how to care and handle them and learning that they are very fragile. The children voted on names and the hamsters are now named Thunder and Boomer.

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