Who was Maria Montessori?

Maria Montessori, founder of the Montessori method, was the first female to become a physician in Italy, back in a time when women were not allowed in the same discipline as men. Dr. Maria Montessori was born in Italy on August 31, 1870. As a young girl, Maria Montessori had a love of math, and wanted to pursue engineering, which was not a discipline offered to females in her time. This meant that Maria had to go to school with the boys to learn engineering. Later, when she had changed her mind and wanted to pursue her desire of becoming a doctor, the board of education was conflicted with her decision and reject her first request. Not giving up at all, Maria Montessori’s tenacity granted her the opportunity she needed to attend medical school. Despite all the challenges and discrimination Maria Montessori faced in medical school. She became the first female doctor at the age of twenty-six. While working in a psychiatric ward for underprivileged children, Dr. Montessori observed that after a meal, children would play with the crumbs on the floor. While others thought that the children were deranged, she though otherwise. Dr. Montessori saw children manipulating the crumbs to substitute for toys they did not have. This discovery spurred her to study the behavior and habits of the children on another level. After translating and studying the work of two French doctors, Eduard Seguin and Jean Itard, Dr. Montessori believed that that education, not medicine, was the answer.

In 1907, after having much success from studying and working with the children from the psychiatric ward, Dr. Montessori opened Casa Dei Bambini, which is Italian for the Children’s House, in the ghetto in San Lorenzo. After opening her third Children’s House in Milan, She gained fame around the world for her work of turning unruly children into well-mannered individuals. The children were found to sustain their interest in lessons over a long period of time. Not only were they growing in concentration, they were eager and spontaneous in their learning. From countless hours of observation, Dr. Montessori made the classroom a prepared oasis for children.