Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori was an extraordinary woman. She was born on 31st September 1870 in Italy. She completed a science and technology school and decided to become a physician, in those times, however, the profession of a doctor was performed exclusively by men and so her application was rejected. Instead, she embarked on the study of science and mathematics, upon the completion of which she received a certificate authorizing her to take up medical studies. However, in order to get the admission to study medicine, she turned for support to the Pope, Leo XIII, who agreed to back up her efforts. As one of the first woman to study medicine, she caused a lot of controversy, being the object of ridicule and mockery. In 1896 she graduated from the medical studies with honours, obtaining a PhD in psychiatry and becoming a doctor. A year later she got a job in the Psychiatric Hospital of Rome University, where she noticed that mentally handicapped children, who were staying in locked rooms, were trying to occupy themselves by playing with bread leftovers. This behaviour gave her an idea that children have some kind of inner power stimulating their development, which becomes apparent in appropriate conditions. Soon it turned out that mentally retarded children taught by her using her own method achieved better learning results than normal children.

“I thought that if the special education which so miraculously developed the mentally retarded, was ever applied to normal children, the miracle would vanish and the gap between the mentally disabled and the normal ones would never be filled. When everybody admired my idiots, I was thinking about the reasons which could hold back the clever municipal school pupils at such a low level.”

Several years later during reforms in Italy the centres called “Instituto Romano di Beni Stabili” were established. Their objective was to look after children from working class families, who remained without appropriate care. The institutions were to employ teachers, doctors, and an appropriately trained manager was to supervise them. This was the position which Maria Montessori was appointed to. Montessori called the institution Casa dei Bambini – Children’s Home. The first such a preschool was opened in 1907. Only two years later she published a book entitled “Children’s Homes. A Method of Scientific Pedagogy Applied in the Upbringing of the Youngest Children”. Maria Montessori’s ideas spread all over the world, and teachers are familiar with the famous statement which is a motto of the Montessori Method upbringing “Help me do it by myself.”

Montessori was awarded the titles of Doctor Honoris Causa, she received the Cross of the Legion of Honour at the University of Sorbonne and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. She died on 6th May 1952 in Holland.