Maria Montessori was a courageous girl who broke through the barriers to education created for women of females in the 1890s in Chiaravalle, Italy.
As a child, at first, she aspired to be an engineer. However, she decided to be a physician after she completed high school. Despite her parents ' wishes to have her become an educator, Maria wanted to enter the medical field, where men were the dominant group. Maria was admitted to the University of Rome in 1890 and was the first woman to be admitted to medical schools in Italy. Read more about nicole junkermann mary barra
Because of gender-based bias, Maria faced many obstacles throughout her studies and eventually was admitted to the medical profession in 1896. Dr Montessori was highly competent and treated patients of all classes with respect. Dr Montessori was also an active part of the Women's Rights Movement and later was a part of a research program within the University of Rome in the mental health clinic. Gradually, Maria became fascinated by education, and her research inspired her to study and question the teaching practices of children with intellectual disabilities.
A paradigm shifts in the early education of children
Maria had the opportunity to study and enhance teaching methods after being appointed co-director of Orth phrenic School. The school has many children suffering from various difficulties and disabilities. Maria approached her job in an organized manner by studying and observing multiple teaching methods to determine the best one for the kids. Maria was a dedicated worker throughout the day and wrote her notes at night. The rapid growth of the children helped make the program a great success.
In 1901, Montessori began her study in anthropology and the philosophical philosophy of education. She then became an instructor for the Pedagogic School of the University of Rome. When she was developing in Rome, her parents were away working all day long while their children wreaked chaos at home. Therefore, Maria was approached to keep the kids entertained to ensure they didn't cause damage to the newly built homes. Maria accepted the chance to establish a childcare centre for low-income families. This led to the creation of the first Casa dei Bambini ('Children's House'), which started on the 6th day of January 1907.
Though people didn't anticipate much from this venture, Maria felt her vision could be realized in the future: "I had a strange feeling which made me announce emphatically that here was the opening of an undertaking of which the whole world would one day speak."
She also brought some of the materials she created for children who attend the Ortho phrenic School. She added new ideas and materials in the next few months but decided to stick with those that engaged children. She realized that when kids are put in a setting that encourages their natural developmental process, they can tap the capacity to self-educate. The kids' development was phenomenal, and the word about Montessori's educational approach spread quickly throughout Italy.
The spread of The Montessori Method worldwide
In 1909, Montessori held the very first class in her educational approach to 100 students.
Then came the creation of a myriad of Montessori schools, societies, and training programs all over the globe. Maria was soon engaged in public speaking and lectures in various countries, but she decided to break up these obligations and remain dedicated to her main goal.
During the same time frame when fascism took hold, the rise of the movement in Europe resulted in a massive loss for Montessori schools, as all of them in Germany were closed by Nazis at the time of 1933. In the end, she was not an integral part of Mussolini's plans to integrate Montessori schools into the youth movement of fascists. He shut down all of her schools. After 1939 Maria, along with her child, travelled to India to teach a course for three weeks in Madras. However, due to the outbreak of conflict, she was put under house arrest and detained for seven years. However, Maria's enthusiasm did not fade despite the situation, and she took the chance to teach more than 1,000 educators in India.
After returning to Europe, Maria was asked to speak at UNESCO on Education and Peace. Then came being nominated for Nobel Prize Award in 1949. She believed that "The child can develop and is capable of providing tangible evidence to the possibilities of a better human being. He has revealed the process of creation of the human. We have witnessed children completely change when they become obsessed with things, and their sense of discipline, order, and self-control grows within them... A child can be both source of hope and a future for humanity."