Dr. Maria Montessori (August 31, 1870-May 6, 1952), was born in the Italian city of Chiaravalle. During her lifetime she made significant contributions to our understanding of children’s development and education.
Maria Montessori was the first woman to become a medical doctor in Italy. After graduating she became an assistant doctor at the Children’s Psychological Ward at a Rome hospital. Her work among the developmentally challenged children awoke her interest for education. She developed the Montessori method by field studies and dedicated work. The result was remarkable and the progress the children made exceeded her expectations. Children that had been considered impossible cases learned how to read and write. This inspired her to find out whether healthy children could benefit as well from her method. She found that it worked even better . With her experience and insights from the early childhood development Maria Montessori created a foundation for children to develop into harmonious and independent individuals. The freedom to choose your activity and the ability to work undisturbed at your own pace became two of the ground pillars of her method. She recognized what all parents know, that children are curious, full of desire to discover and eager to try and learn new things. She also knew that children’s interests evolve, as they grow older and more mature.
Montessori education came to the U.S. in 1912. Alexander Graham Bell established one of the first Montessori schools together with his wife Mabel. Thomas Edison helped found another Montessori school. Today there are nearly 40,000 Montessori schools all over the world. Demand is on the rise. In the US alone there are over 4,000 private and 200 public Montessori schools.
In September 2006, the Montessori system received an important scientific endorsement from a study by US researchers Dr. Angeline Lillard and Dr. Nicole Else-Quest published in Scientific American. The study found that “Montessori children” perform better in reading and math, engage in more positive interaction on the playground, and show more concern for fairness and justice than their non-Montessori counterparts.
