Maria

Montessori

August 31, 1870 May 6,

1952

The teacher, when she begins work in our schools, must

have a kind of faith that the child will reveal himself through
work. [Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind, translated by
Claude A. Claremont]

Early Experiences
Maria Montessori was born into an upper middle
class family in Chiaravalle, Italy on August
31,1870. In Italy, at that time, girls basically had
two career options, a teacher or a nun. Her father,
Alessandro, worked as a financial manager for a
state-owned industry. Her mother, Renilde
Stoppani was very well educated and an avid
reader, which was unusual for women in this time.
Maria must of taken her love for learning after her
mother because at the age of 13, without the
consent of her father but with the support of her
mother, she enrolled in an all-boy technical school

Education
The Montessori family moved to Rome in 1875,
and the following year the young Maria enrolled in
the local state school on the Via di San Nicolo da
Tolentino. As her education progressed, she began
to break through the barriers which constrained
womens careers. From 1886 to 1890 she continued
her studies at the Regio Instituto Tecnico Leonardo
da Vinci, which she entered with the intention of
becoming an engineer. This was unusual at the time
as most girls who pursued secondary education
studied the classics rather than going to technical
school.

Education Continued
Upon her graduation, Montessoris parents
encouraged her to take up a career in teaching, one
of the few occupations open to women at the time,
but she was determined to enter medical school and
become a doctor. Her father opposed this course
medical school was then an all-male preserveand
initially Maria was refused entry by the head of
school. She was undeterred, apparently ending the
unsuccessful interview with the professor by saying,
I know I shall become a doctor.

The Montessori Method

Maria believed that children went through a
series of sensitive periods with creative
moments when they all of a sudden get the
urge to learn. This time should be used well
because this is when they have the greatest
ability to learn. She believed that children
should not be constricted in their learning by
strict plans of study or classes. Self-discipline
(controlling oneself) emerges out of the
freedom of the learning environment.
The Montessori method of teaching is the

Influences
Maria was greatly influenced by Jean Itard and
Edouard Seguin while she was in London and Paris
studying with them.
Jean Itard (1775-1838) who lived through the French
Revolution, made a particular study of deaf mutes. Over
several years Itard attempted to educate and humanise
a retarded boy who was found abandoned in the forest
of Aveyron.
Edouard Seguin (Montessori: The Discovery of the
Child), was a student under Itard and he later founded
his own school for deficients in Paris.

Influences Continued
She was also influenced by Fredrich Froebel, the
inventor of kindergarten, and by Johann Heinrich
Pestalozzi, who believed that children learned
through activity.
She combined each approach and enhanced
them with her own belief, that we must follow the
child.
One does not teach children, but rather creates
a nurturing climate in which children can teach
themselves through creative activity and
exploration.

Resources
https://amshq.org/Montessori-Education/History-of-Monte
ssori-Education/Biography-of-Maria-Montessori/Quotes-by
-Maria-Montessori
http://
novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/his135/events/montessor
i52/montessori52.html
http://
amshq.org/Montessori-Education/History-of-Montessori-E
ducation/Biography-of-Maria-Montessori
https://montessori.org.au/montessori/biography.htm
http://
privateschool.about.com/od/montessoriindex/p/Montesso
ri.htm
http://www.montessori.org.uk/magazine-and-jobs/library
_and_study_resources/teacher-training-study-resources/