I learned to be a self-starter from a friend who was apparently born that way.
You don't have to pay for Montessori for your kids to be self-starters. There have to be other ways to go about this. In addition, I think you're focusing too much on one aspect of their lives. What about integrity? What about determination? What about curiosity? What about attention to detail? Humility? Passion? Ambition? There are too many desirable traits to focus too much on a single one.
Other traits are desirable, but I asked about this one here because I thought people might have firsthand experience overcoming problems with it, and also because it's the trait most threatened by quitting Montessori.
You don't have to pay for Montessori for your kids to be self-starters. There have to be other ways to go about this. In addition, I think you're focusing too much on one aspect of their lives. What about integrity? What about determination? What about curiosity? What about attention to detail? Humility? Passion? Ambition? There are too many desirable traits to focus too much on a single one.