Maria Montessori – a brief history

Maria Montessori did not anticipate creating a revolution in education. In fact, the education of children was not on her mind at all! She was born in Italy in 1870 and she grew up in Rome. As a young child she had an insatiable appetite to know the world. All areas of life fascinated her and on completion of her schooling she decided to enter the field of medicine. She did not let the fact that there had never been a female physician in Italy before put her off. Maria had to do her anatomy dissections alone at night by candlelight since it was considered unseemly for a woman to be in the presence of a body while men were present. She became the first female Italian physician.

Once qualified Maria spent time working in psychiatric clinics. Here she became interested in the plight of the mentally handicapped. At that time facilities and amenities were abysmal and Maria was moved by the barrenness of patients’ lives. She studied the works of Jean-Marc Itard and Seguin, innovative thinkers of the time. Using their ideas as a springboard Maria came up with her own plans for providing a stimulating environment for the mentally retarded. Her mentally retarded children passed state examinations usually written by the children in the regular schools. The results brought a great deal of attention to Maria.

Maria Montessori turned her attention to education and normal children. She felt that the goal of education was “the development of a complete human being, oriented to the environment, and adapted to his or her time, place and culture.”

Maria Montessori’s discoveries had a lasting effect on education. Excited by her work, followers of what came to be called the “Montessori method” brought her ideas to many countries. Maria, herself, traveled widely and Montessori schools and training centres are found worldwide.