Looking at Success and Community

Gabby: I am excited to welcome John Bos, Project Administrator at The Young Montessorian, as a guest collaborator for this blog post! John, like myself, is a lifelong Montessori kid who has found his way back to Montessori as an adult. We have been doing some work in Teacher Education the past few weeks, which inspired us to think about the idea of success and the role of community in the lives of children and adults. John and I both played basketball at the Montessori high school we attended and it frequently offers connections to our current perspectives and work.

John: I recently saw NBA All-Star Julius Randle talk on a podcast about the important role traveling with a very successful AAU basketball team played in his future success. This experience with travel ball impacted him at the high school level and into the pros. Randle had the opportunity to be on a team and travel with children of celebrities and professional athletes, which exposed him to a different world of successful people and improved his connections at a young age. He also began to recognize the many ways success is achieved. 

Hearing about Randle’s experiences added to something I was already beginning to ponder a few days prior; how important is it to surround yourself with successful people early in your life? How do the things we are exposed to at a young age shape what we view as possible when we are adults? Does just simply observing success allow us to potentially achieve the same level of success?

In my thinking and subsequent research, I came across the idea of “social proof”. This idea called "social proof," relates to inspiration individuals may have to set higher goals and persevere through challenges. By observing the habits, strategies, and resilience of successful individuals, others gain valuable insights that they can adapt to their own journeys. Furthermore, seeing success creates a sense of possibility, helping to combat self-doubt and reinforcing the idea that effort and determination can lead to tangible results. In essence, visible success and how it is achieved serves as both a roadmap and a source of motivation, driving individuals to strive for their own accomplishments. 

The existence of mixed age groupings in classrooms is a great example of social proof’s connection in Montessori. I see this clearly illustrated in how lessons are demonstrated before students use the materials. I personally remember having a feeling of admiration when one of my classmates, who was receiving a lesson with me, found a different way to use the material than me or vice versa. I got the initial way of using the material from my teachers and in many circumstances, I learned how to look for alternative ways to interact with the materials from my older classmates who had already gotten the base lesson.

Gabby: When the guide or older peer demonstrates the initial presentation of a material, they are confirming that there is a way to use the material to get the desired result. Success and accomplishment are possible! As John mentioned earlier, this also sparks a sense of possibility as children may look to find new ways to use the material or complete the lesson. When we create a community of learners who are guided to think innovatively and work collaboratively, it shifts the idea of success from being individualistic and competitive to inspired. It’s like the saying, “When one of us does better, we all do better”.

This inspiration and desire to build on one another’s successes shouldn’t be just limited to the children in our classroom communities. The adults in schools and teacher education programs need to be inspired by each other's successes as well. We go further, especially in the tireless yet important work we do, when we can identify what works for others and what might work for us without competing. The more we race to HAVE the best, we miss the ability to DO our best, which will inspire those around us. In her writings and works, Dr. Montessori herself clearly credits where she was inspired by others.

In conclusion, the idea of success as a shared and collaborative journey resonates deeply within both Montessori classrooms and professional communities. Whether it’s children observing and learning from older peers or adults in teacher education programs drawing inspiration from one another’s achievements, success becomes a collective effort rather than an isolated pursuit. By fostering environments where social proof thrives, we encourage innovation, perseverance, and a belief in possibility. As Dr. Montessori modeled, acknowledging and building on the successes of others enriches our work and reinforces the power of community. Together, we can shift the focus from competition to contribution, paving the way for more meaningful and impactful successes in the lives of children and adults alike.

While we know this work is important, it can be hard to know what it looks like to create communities for children and adults that are collaborative, and inspired by mutual success and joy. This is something we are exploring ourselves across all layers of support we provide- from classroom consults to teacher education and preparation. As we write more about this topic in the upcoming weeks, we would love to hear from you. Is there something in your community that works well? Let us know in the comments below!