The Wonder Spotlight:

Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori is a Wondering Wild heroine because she laid the foundations that changed the face of education.  

Maria was born in 1870 in Chiaravalle, Italy. As a pre-med student, she was shunned by her teachers and class members because she was a woman, yet in 1896 she graduated from medical school to become one of Italy’s first female physicians.

Later, Maria developed an interest in education and pursued studies in this area. She passionately searched for new methods for teaching and experimented with her own ideas. In her first professional educational experience, working with children with learning disabilities, her students made far greater strides in their development than could have ever been imagined.

In 1906 Maria was invited to Rome to care for and educate a classroom with more than 50 unruly children ages three to seven. The school, called Casa dei Bambini, or Children's House, is where Maria began to put her pedagogical genius to work. She equipped the classroom with a teacher's table and blackboard, small chairs and group tables, and teaching tools that she had developed. The space was large and open, and children were encouraged to wander into any area they pleased. Activities included personal care, tending the classroom area, and nurturing the garden. Each child was acknowledged as an individual and allowed the independence to choose what they wanted to learn. The once-rowdy children became engaged and interested learners.

The “Montessori Method”, Maria’s learning materials, and the notable success of her students began to gain attention, and by 1912 Montessori Children’s Houses began opening worldwide. 

The Renaissance painting Madonna della Seggiola by Raphael was hung over the classroom blackboards and became the emblem of “Children’s Houses.” Maria felt that it symbolizes motherhood and “universal human progress,” and as a masterpiece of Italy’s greatest artist, it represents the school’s Italian roots, which Maria wished for the world to acknowledge.

Madonna della Seggiola by Raphael

Wondering Wild embraces the “individual and independent” nature of Montessori education, for we witness our own students flourishing with such self-directed learning. We also bring Montessori materials into our classrooms as they support and excite our students’ natural curiosity.

Through her dedication and innovation, Maria Montessori was, and continues to be, a steward of “universal human progress.”

The Montessori Method is available as a free download. Click here. http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/montessori/method/method.html