School Time with Marie Montessori, born 31 August 1879

Maria Montessori was born on the 31st August 1870 in the town of Chiaravalle, Italy. Her father, Alessandro, was an accountant in the civil service, and her mother, Renilde Stoppani, was well educated and had a passion for reading.

Many people have heard of Montessori schools but not everyone understands what they are or where the idea came from. Maria Montessori was a woman that was incredibly educated during a period of time when many women did not further their education.

She had formal education in both medicine and education. She eventually experimented with a style of learning and quickly saw it’s success. This learning style involved providing children with items that would build their interest and learning in different subjects but allowing the child’s interests to influence their activities.

Students in Montessori schools are known for developing a strong enjoyment of learning due to their ability to explore the subjects in the way that makes the most sense to them.

Maria Montessori was able to achieve this and introduce the world to a new way of learning because she was willing to put her own formal education first. She made tough decisions throughout her life, sacrificing personal relationships in order to build upon her professional advancements. But she forever changed the what we know about the education of children because of it.