Montessori teachers and administrators are often quoting the highly esteemed Dr. Maria Montessori. You'll see these same quotes on our blog; they are words from the source. Montessori educators use Dr. Montessori's words to explain virtually everything. If disagreement should arise, we go back to her books and interpret her words. In Montessori, her words are gospel. But, to a person who has not studied her methodology and philosophy, or dedicated their life to achieving her vision, it can all leave you with one simple question.
Who is this Dr. Montessori and why are her words so important?
Dr. Montessori's story is a complex and interesting one, and to condense it to a blog post is a complicated task. It is rich in detail and long with events. So, before we give you a brief (very) account of how she became the leader of an educational movement, it is important to understand that she did not leave us with answers. She left us with the questions and the guidelines for how to answer those questions. Montessori's legacy is more than a method. It is a pursuit for understanding; a pursuit for understanding the child.
Born in a small town in Italy, Maria Montessori lived from 1870 to 1952. She lived in a time where women rarely held professions and children were seen as little "adults" and enjoyed little of the rights that they do today. Child labor laws in the United States would not be enacted until 1938. A scientist at heart, drawn deeply to biology, she dreamed of becoming a doctor, a pursuit not common to women during that time. With amazing support from her family and what must have been some exceptional interview and negotiating skills, she became the first woman accepted from and graduated from (1896) a medical school in Italy, and on a scholarship!
From the start, she had not intended to work with children and developing an entire educational movement had not been on her mind. But, as her life would unfold, it would reveal that Dr. Montessori was not only drawn to children, but she had a natural gift for understanding them. She began working with different psychiatric patients until she ended up at a children's mental institution. She was told by the staff that the children were so "stupid" they would play with crumbs. Dr. Montessori observed that these children were given no toys or any kind of stimuli. The more she observed them, the more she believed that the issue at hand was not medical, but educational. She shared this view with French doctors Jean Itard and Edouin Seguin, whom she studied and had developed a number of educational approaches towards these children (activities that you can now find in a Montessori classroom). She began to use these materials (and ones she developed herself) with the children from the institution. The result was astonishing. The children transformed through mental stimulation.
Eventually, Dr. Montessori would have the opportunity to work with children not deemed "mentally deficient," and established Children's Houses in poor neighborhoods in Rome. Her work in these homes and her results would become known around the world. She took her work to other countries, inevitably settling in India when World War 2 came to Italy. From the results she saw, she established a method and taught it so others could create more schools.
Dr. Montessori's methods and materials are not the result of a theory. They are the result of observations. Dr. Montessori's understanding of biology and the human body along with an innate gift to observe and understand children allowed her to identify needs and develop materials that would meet those needs. But, she could never have predicted the outcomes. She wrote in The Secret Of Childhood, that when she observed the children's actions of concentration and focus she would think "I won’t believe this time; I will wait until the next time to believe." She discovered that when children were given the opportunities to learn how to do things and interact with real things, they would develop a host of traits like independence and confidence. They would become peaceful, self-disciplined, and develop a love for learning. Her approach was that of a scientist. She would give the children things to do and see what happened. Ultimately, she developed an understanding of the true nature of the child and how the child learns. She did not create a method, she simply wrote down what she observed and what she did. “It is not true,” says Dr. Montessori, “that I invented what is called the Montessori Method. I have studied the child, I have taken what the child has given me and expressed it, and that is what is called the Montessori Method” [What You Should Know About Your Child: Based on Lectures Delivered by Maria Montessori, transcribed and translated by Gnana Prakasam].
The life of children today is very different than it was then. Dr. Montessori probably never imagined that any child would have something like a television in the home, let alone three or four, or smartphones, or tablets. But, even with all the changes of the world, what Dr. Montessori discovered still holds true. Scientific research (that was impossible then) continues to prove her discoveries scientifically valid (for more information, read The Science Behind The Genius). The discoveries of scientific research that informs educators today, most Montessorians already know, because she discovered those very realities through her observations. She challenged parents and educators to observe and respect the nature of the child, and when that was accomplished, we could begin to guide and support the child. For this reason, those of us who support her mission to help children develop to their fullest potential always return to her words and her ideas. She continues to help us find the answers with her questions, her observations, and her compassionate approach.
For more in-depth information on Dr. Montessori's life and discoveries, E.M. Standing's Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work is a wonderful read.
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