My Montessori school (Montessori Community School, MCS), which I went to from kindergarden to 8th grade, asked me to write a short blurb about how Montessori impacted my life.
read moreI'm Joe Puccio, I'm 23, and I attended MCS from kindergarten through 8th grade.
At Montessori, I often found myself interested in material outside that which was covered in the classroom, like climate science or astrophysics. This drive to do my own research and work on my own projects at school was always permitted and encouraged by teachers at MCS. I believe this freedom and encouragement has been the largest way education has impacted my life.
After MCS, in high school, I continued to work on math, physics, and computer science side projects after and sometimes during school. When I started college, I had a horrible experience registering for courses and decided to write a program that would text me when the classes I needed to take had available seats. That program would grow into a company I co-founded, Coursicle (coursicle.com), which now helps over 100,000 college students plan their class schedules and get into their classes.
Without that encouragement early on at Montessori, I don't believe I would have felt as comfortable exploring physics, teaching myself to code, or starting a company. I am forever grateful to all the teachers and staff that made my experience at MCS possible. I will always be indebted to you, and the Method that cultivated my curiosity.