Maria Montessori : A fighter for FREEDOM!
On August 31, 1870 Maria was born in Chiaravalle, Archona, Italy to Renilde and Alessandro Montessori.
Renilde came from a well educated family. She was a passionate woman who encouraged Maria to pursue her dreams and become anything she desired to be.
Her father was a strong- willed military officer, equally as passionate about freedom and politics. And as a political figure in Italy was also very conscious of the societal proprieties of that day. Alessandro's work took him many places. In 1873 they moved to Florance, Italy and two years later, Rome.
At age 13 Maria was admitted to a boys school to study mathematics. This was only the beginning of her "out of the box thinking". This same boldness would bring her to the University of Rome when she would begin her studies of physics, mathematics, and natural science in 1890.
Passion lead to passion. Now Maria sought to become a doctor. She was 22. This was unheard of and she met with much disapproval from her colleagues. Interestingly, despite his disapproval, her father walked her back and forth to school every day as it was inappropriate for her to walk the streets alone.
She studied hard, and long into the night. Many nights she worked only after the men had gone, since her profession required her to study cadavers, and it was unseemly for a woman to work with men on such things together.
On July 10, 1896 Maria graduated as the first female doctor in Italy. A month later she was chosen as one of the delegates to represent Italy in an international women's conference being held in Berlin on the 20th of September.
In 1898 she and her new colleague, Dr. Giuseppe Montesano were asked to be the co-directors of a school designed specifically for educating the emotionally troubled, and mentally challenged children.
This endeavor brought them very close over the next few years, and would eventually become a romance. In Italy at this time when a woman married she must give up her career. This became a struggle for Maria who was on the path of such a great work. She and Giuseppe decided not to marry. However they did have a son. But because of this societal struggle she gave the child up to be raised in the country by a family of farmers, not far from Rome.
Six years later, on January 6, 1907, Maria opened her first children's house in San Lorenzo, called "Casa de Bambini". These children were gathered from the slums of Rome, and given to Maria that they might stop causing trouble. Theses children who entered the door, frightened and timid, soon came to life desiring to put into order every material she placed before them.
Two years later (1909) Maria gave her first teacher training to a group of about one hundred students. During this time she wrote a book now known as The Montessori Method. This was published in 1910.
At age 43, Maria visited the United States for the first time. Here she met other influential people such as Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, and Helen Keller.
During their conversation, Helen Keller told Maria " [we are] both fighters for freedom". And Maria dedicated her next book Dr. Montessori's own Handbook, to Helen. How magnificent that these two incredible women got the chance to meet and talk to one another! To share their passion for the freedom of all people everywhere! It must have been a glorious moment!
By now her approach to education had been adopted in Switzerland and used in their kindergartens and orphanages, and now was opening in Spain (1913). There were now over one hundred Montessori Schools throughout the world!
In 1915 Maria returned to the U.S. where she designed a model Casa Dei Bambini at the San Francisco World's Fair. Alexander Graham Bell (shown to the right, with his friend Helen Keller) became the head of the Montessori Educational Institute in America.
In April, 1924 Maria met Mussolini, who agreed to give her schools official governmental support.
(This is later recounted in 1934 when she refused to have her students wear the fascist uniform. Mussolini closed all the Montessori Schools in Italy).
In 1931 Maria met Gandhi while they were both in London, and that October he addressed her teachers at a Montessori training about all the incredible things we can learn from children, the chiefest of which being the Law of Love.
In 1936 Maria left Spain to settle in Holland. Here she published another book, The Secret of Childhood.
In 1939 WWII broke out. Maria and her son left Holland to forward the cause of peace while working in India. She was 69 years old. Maria was put under house arrest during the war, but allowed to travel. She used this time to forward her work, personally training over one thousand teachers in India. Meanwhile her son Mario was held in an internment camp. He was released to her as a gift from the British Empire in 1940 for her 70th birthday.
In 1948 several of her speeches were published as books. These included What you should know about your child, Discovery of the Child, To educate the Human Potential, and The Absorbant Mind.
She was nominated in 1949 for the Nobel Peace Prize, and again in 1950 and 1951.
On May 6, 1952 Maria was sitting in the garden of a friends house located in Noordwijk ann Zee, considering a trip to Africa when she experienced a cerebral hemorrhage and passed away. Mario was with her. This incredible force for good had given her all to the cause of freedom!