A brief history of Maria Montessori and her work.

Maria Montessori (1870-1952) was always a little ahead of her time. She was born in Italy in 1870, and in 1896, became the first female doctor in Italy. Dr. Montessori based her work on the direct observation of children. She accepted no preconceived opinions or theories about their abilities, nor did she attempt to manipulate their behavior by reward or punishments toward any end. She constantly experimented and developed materials based on the interests, needs and developing abilities of children. As a scientist, Dr. Montessori was among the earliest professionals to recognize the importance of honoring the child's developmental stages as the true building blocks for education throughout the student's life. Educators called Dr. Montessori a miracle worker.

When Maria Montessori came to America in 1913, Woodrow Wilson was President of the United States. She was warmly received in America as a great genius in the education of young children. Some of the people who heard her lectures and provided hospitality and encouragement were Samuel McClure of McClure's Magazine, Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Graham Bell, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Edison, Helen Keller, President and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, Publisher William Morrow, Harvard professors of education, and throngs of enthusiasts who wanted to see her vision of education thrive. As a result, by 1914 there were 100 Montessori schools in America.

The materials, procedures and lessons developed by Dr. Montessori in the early 1900s have withstood the test of time. The skills these materials develop, and their progression from the simple to the complex, meets the needs of children today just as they did in 1907 at Rome's first Children's House. We are only beginning to see traditional model schools embrace sensorial educational materials, multi-grade levels in one classroom, a move toward individualization of instruction and a focus on the whole child -- all attributes emulated by Maria Montessori 100 years ago. Maria Montessori's ideals still speak to our hearts and the hearts of our children today. Presently, the Montessori Method is used in 6,000 schools in the United States, both private and public, and there are Montessori schools in most countries of the world.

Dr. Maria Montessori's work has grown steadily in all its branches. It has gradually assumed the dimensions of a social movement based on the child as a personality of immense value for Social and human uplift. Especially in our times, the most important contribution of her work is that it focuses attention on the fact that no attempt to solve social and moral problems will succeed if it concentrates on the adult and his activities and not on the whole man. It is the young child who determines man's future as an adult member of society. How he does so, how he can be helped to do so, and what the consequences are of negligence or misguidance during this decisive period of human life, are illustrated in the works of Maria Montessori. Peace is the vital question for the world today. Dr. Montessori has shown the great role of the child as the builder of the inner foundations on which alone that peace can be built.