Badass Woman Maria Montessori, Founder the Montessori School

Maria Montessori: Founder the Montessori School

Name: Maria Montessori
Birth Date: August 31, 1870 – May 8, 1952
Job Functions: Scientist, Doctor, Educator
Fields: Medicine and Education
Known For: Founding the Montessori School
Influenced By: John Locke, Jacob Rodrigues Pereira, Édouard Séguin, and Jean Marc Gaspard Itard

Why Maria Montessori is a Badass Woman

• First Italian woman to receive a medical degree. Her father wanted her to become a teacher.
• She organized the classroom in such a way to stimulate curiosity and create peak learning moments.
• The Montessori educational method goes against the grain with other 20^th century educational methods and fell out of favor after gaining some popularity. The method regained interest in private schools since the 1950s.
• It’s okay to change your mind – Montessori started to study engineering, then switched to biology then to medicine.
• Get additional training whenever necessary. She resigned as director of the State Orthophrenic School in Rome to further her education to allow her develop new educational principles. Montessori recognized that she had to gain a more thorough understanding of other disciplines, particularly psychology and philosophy.

Mini Biography of Maria Montessori

Born in Chiaravalle, Italy, Maria Montessori’s life changed when her parents moved to Rome in 1882, where the standard of education was much higher. She blossomed in the new environment. And Maria was able to spread her wings. Montessori’s father wanted her to become a teacher. It was one of the few professions opened to women at the time. She wanted to become an engineer, much to the dismay of her father. Her mother secretly supported her.

After Maria completed the preparatory work for her engineering degree, she changed her mind and transferred to studying medicine. It was tough going, and she experienced discrimination. Despite that, in 1894, Maria became the first woman to receive a medical degree in Italy.

Maria Montessori’s Steps to Success

A change may be exactly what you need: Maria Montessori was an average student until her parents moved to Rome where the standard of education was much better. She quickly became an accomplished scholar, excelling above her peers.

Independent thinker: Although Maria Montessori’s father wanted her to become a teacher, she pursued studies in male dominated professions. First she started out in engineering. And then switched to medicine. Although she faced discrimination, she persevered.

In 1894, Maria Montessori was appointed as assistant physician at the psychiatric clinic at the University of Rome. And she also lectured on anthropology. She came into contact with children with learning disabilities.

Build on the work of others: In 1898, she was appointed director of the State Orthophrenic School in Rome to care for children with learning disabilities. In Maria Montessori’s previous work, she was very familiar with Édouard Séguin, a French pioneer in educating people with learning disabilities. She noted that he used didactic apparatus instead of a teacher-dominated methods. With that in mind, Montessori created a variety of didactic materials. And trained many teachers in the new methodology.

Spread your wings and fly: Maria Montessori left the State Orthophrenic School in 1901 to pursue further studies and conduct research to take her to the next level in her career.

Transfer your knowledge: In 1906, the Italian government appointed Montessori to be in charge of a state-supported school in San Lorenzo, Rome for children from low income families. She decided to extend her educational methods to children without learning disabilities. She organized the classroom in such a way to stimulate curiosity and create peak learning moments.

Going against the grain: The Montessori educational method goes against the grain with other 20^th century educational methods and fell out of favor after gaining some popularity. The method regained interest in private schools since the 1950s.

9 Elements of Maria Montessori’s Vision

1. “The mainspring of all children’s efforts is their spontaneous interest in their surroundings and so there is no need for adults to use force or persuasion.
2. Children have a psychological need to engage in repetitive behavior (no matter how meaningless this might appear).
3. Small children have an innate sense of order.
4. All children should be permitted a free choice of activity in order to promote their personal independence.
5. Children prefer work to play.
6. No child sets any store by a system of rewards and punishments.
7. Each child has a love and need for occasional periods of silence.
8. All children enjoy a profound sense of personal dignity.
9. All children engage in spontaneous self-discipline.”

Biggest Accomplishments Why Maria Montessori’s Contribution Matters

Maria Montessori founded the Montessori school. In the classroom,

“She used what she termed a “prepared environment” to provide an atmosphere for learning—that is, small chairs and tables instead of rows of desks. The basic features of the method are development of the child’s natural curiosity through responsible and individual freedom of behavior, improvement of the sharpness of the five senses (hearing, seeing, tasting, touching, and smelling) through training, and development of body coordination through games and exercise. The function of the teacher is to provide educational material, and act as an adviser and guide…”

 

Lessons from Maria Montessori

1. Pursue your dreams. Montessori’s father wanted her to become a teacher, a role that was suitable for women, and not a non-traditional one such as engineering or medicine.
2. It’s okay to change your mind – Montessori started to study engineering, then switched to biology then to medicine.
3. Get additional training whenever necessary. She resigned as director of the State Orthophrenic School in Rome to further her education to allow her develop new educational principles. Montessori recognized that she had to gain a more thorough understanding of other disciplines, particularly psychology and philosophy.

Published Works

The Montessori Method (1912)
Pedagogical Anthropology (1913)
Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook – The Original Classic Edition (1914)
The Child in the Church (The Child in the Church by Maria Montessori and Others) (1930)
Mass Explained to Children (1932)
Secret of Childhood (1936)
The Reform of Education During and After Adolescence (The Reform of Education During and after Adolescence; The Erd- kinder: A Scheme for a Reform of Secondary Education; The Functions of the University) (1939)
What You Should Know About Your Child (1940)
Education for a New World (1946)
Discovery of the Child (1948)
The Absorbent Mind (1949)
To Educate the Human Potential (1950)

Sources Cited/Referenced

UXL Encyclopedia of World Biography
New Catholic Encyclopedia
Women in World History
Encyclopedia of Education
Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood – In History and Society
The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology
Europe 1789-1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of Industry and Empire

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