The Discovery of the Child
An education revolution brought by Maria Montessori
Even though Maria Montessori was denied initially to even teach at public schools, her education pedagogy known as ‘Montessori method’, based on the principle of respect for the child, revolutionized education system and how we raise our children today.
After graduation secondary school in 1883 Maria was determined to study medicine. This however was not easy.
Not only her father disapproved but she was also refused by universities as medicine was male dominated field and only open to men. Maria did not give up her fight and eventually with the endorsement of Pope Leo XIII, Maria got an entry in University of Rome.
She graduated as first women doctor in Italy in 1896.
In 1899–1900, Dr. Montessori volunteered at psychiatric clinic at University of Rome where she worked with mentally deficient children. As she taught these children, she was pleasantly surprised to see that these children fared better that child of normal intelligence. Her work was quoted as a miracle.
Maria became interested in examining why children of normal intelligence did worse on exam and what was wrong in traditional education system.
Unfortunately, Montessori was denied to teach at public schools by Italian Ministry of Education, as she wasn’t a teacher by qualification.
So, in 1907, she took a position as medical director for a day-care centre for working-class children. She worked with children living in poorest of slum area in Italy. To the surprise of many, the children under Maria’s program thrived and exhibited higher competence than their peers in privileged schools.
The humanity, patience, and persistence that Maria has deployed in her methods soon gained recognition not only in Italy but across World. By 1925 in US alone there were 1000 Montessori school. Her method was wiped out from her home country during Nazi period, propelled by Hitler and Mussolini shutting down Montessori schools. However, the method was rediscovered in 1950. Maria Montessori was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times: in 1949, 1950, and 1951. She never received it, but her philosophies in child development continues inspire.
Reference:
https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2244/Montessori-Maria-1870-1952.html
https://www.stepbystepmontessori.com/2019/01/14/maria-montessori-what-you-may-not-know/
https://forestbluffschool.org/montessori-and-struggle/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Montessori#Casa_dei_Bambini
https://www.worldpulse.com/community/users/jordan-gurganus/posts/28933
https://montessori.org.au/biography-dr-maria-montessori
https://sojo.net/articles/dr-montessori-s-struggle-balance-career-and-motherhood
