Montessori People...Part I

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

A lifelong self-directed learner, Maya Angelou is a poet, educator, journalist, historian, dancer, best-selling author, actress, playwright, civil rights activist, producer, and director who tirelessly encourages others to develop the best that is in them. It isn’t surprising that she became a Montessori parent.

In her keynote address at the AMS 2007 Annual Conference, she spoke about courage. It takes courage to speak honestly. It takes courage to advocate for peace. It takes courage to rear open-minded, curious children in uncertain times. Montessorians like Maya Angelou know that the Earth’s survival depends on us finding the courage to do all these things.
Dr. Angelou holds a lifetime position as Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University. She has authored 12 best-selling books, including I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Katherine Basmagy

Montessori teacher educator

Having previously taught in various other ‘systems,’ I always felt that there was something more in education, something that I was missing. I originally took the Montessori Early Childhood program out of curiosity and because I had a 1-year-old daughter. “It was the famous ‘aha’ moment. There truly was something else out there that spoke to me as a parent and as a teacher, and that something also spoke to children and their amazing potential.”
Katherine taught 3-to-5-year-olds in a Montessori classroom for 5 years before going on to earn credentials to teach children through age 12. In 1984, she also became a teacher educator. Today she helps prepare Montessori teachers for Early Childhood, Elementary I, and Elementary II level classrooms.
“Teaching as part of a teacher education program seemed the natural next step in order to share the joy and spread the word. Each group or class I teach becomes a reaffirmation of what I believe and hold in my heart.”
Katherine has traveled throughout East and West Africa to compare the educational systems that developed in former French and British colonies. Her first experiences teaching adults came when she was a line officer with the U. S. Navy. She taught at the Aviation Schools Command in Pensacola, FL, and also as part of a Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) unit and on the history staff at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. She especially enjoyed serving as liaison officer for the first group of NROTC women midshipmen during their summer “cruise.”
“What I’ve learned from my students (whether 5 or 50) is that you truly never stop learning. How wonderful that is!”

Kate Cichucki

World traveler & intermediate-care nurse

“I love the thrill of discovering something, understanding a new idea, hearing a new theory, learning a new concept, that feeling when an idea clicks or new realization dawns. And I’ve always liked working or volunteering to help other people.”
Kate attended Montessori school from age 19 months through 8^th grade. She says Montessori taught her how to learn. “Montessori gives students time to truly understand a concept before moving on to the next level. You don’t just memorize meaningless facts. You get your hands dirty, you do experiments, you learn through discovery.”
In high school and college, Kate began volunteering with organizations advocating for the environment and peace and social justice. She’s done emergency home repairs in Appalachia, coached girls’ basketball in Nicaragua, cared for rescued monkeys and jaguars in the Bolivian rainforest, helped establish organic agriculture in the Ecuadorian highlands, and worked on sustainable agriculture projects with farmers from Peru to Thailand to Kenya.
“My first degree is in International Studies with a focus on Latin American political and economic development. One day in the Peruvian jungle, I met some nurses who were traveling the Amazon providing medical care to people that hadn’t had any in years. I was so inspired that when I returned to the states, I got my second degree in Nursing. I hope to work in international healthcare in the future. 
“My global world view, the desire to help other people, the craving to learn new things—all can be traced back to the lessons learned in my Montessori classrooms.”

Calvin Chang

College student

When Calvin transitioned to a traditional school after attending Montessori school from kindergarten through 6th grade, he says it was “a heck of a change.” His new middle school was organized very differently from Montessori school. He missed the collaborative environment of Montessori, where older students were encouraged to help younger ones and teachers were always available to offer support and guidance.
“In Montessori, you take charge of your own learning. Because you learn at your own pace, you get out of it what you put into it. I prefer to work ahead and get everything done as soon as possible.
“In addition to learning at your own pace, there’s always someone there to help you, whether teachers or older students. You can ask for help from any teacher. You’re not limited to your own designated teacher as a mentor.”
Calvin believes his Montessori experience prepared him to succeed in the traditional system. “I want to emphasize that the transition to traditional education wasn’t bad. I made a lot of friends. My teachers really liked me. I made good grades. I don’t think any other type of schooling would have prepared me for life as a whole as well as Montessori.”