The following characteristics of a Montessori graduate were compiled through interviews conducted with Montessori graduates from around the country in 2018. Interview results were compiled and discussed among a special committee of Montessori professionals in Cleveland, Ohio that same year and published by Great Works, Inc. 

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A Montessori graduate is:

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• Adaptable to diverse situations

• Independent and self-directed

• Confident in their abilities, talents, and selfhood 

• Comfortable navigating the adult world

• Comfortable self-advocating

• Respectful of learning as a process

• Metacognitive and reflects thoughtfully on their efforts and experiences

• Comfortable with error and failure / Sees these as part of the learning process

• Believes in limitless potential and has a growth mindset

• Cares about the quality of their work

• Responsible and feels a sense of duty to their communities and country

• Naturally collaborative

• Able to critically evaluate the world

• Able to work with increasingly abstract knowledge

• Driven by a strong work ethic

• Empathetic and humble

• Compassionate

• Joyful

• Curious

 

How we promote these characteristics:

 

• Side by side work with adults

• Authentic connections with a variety of authentic adults

• Engaging students as motivated young adults rather than children

• Care of the learning environment 

• Providing opportunities for students to direct their own learning based on their personal interests and goals

• Encouraging the students to have a voice in their own education

• Frequently seminars and Socratic dialogue

• Deep learning in each of the disciplines while always revealing the relationships between the disciplines

• Providing environments that promote independence and interdependence (community)

• Purposeful, authentic work that engages students in the adult world