Doctor Montessori (1870-1952)

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Doctor Maria Montessori was born in Caravelle, Italy. Against many odds and with great personal sacrifices she became the first female physician in Italy. However, her calling was not to be found in medicine but in education. A chance observation of a child's absorbed fascination with a small piece of coloured paper sparked her life long interest in "following the child".

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Her first project was introducing current educational advances to children living in an asylum. The success of raising these children's intellectual and emotional responses encouraged her on her chosen path. She was presented with an opportunity to work with a group of children in San Lorenzo, one of Rome's most impoverished areas. With a limited budget and few resources to better these children's lives she creatively responded to their needs. She built child-sized furniture to enable their movement, attractive and interesting materials to capture their imagination. She encouraged them to take responsibility for themselves and to take ownership in their classroom by allowing them to cook and clean. Miraculously the children thrived in a spirit of pride and caring. What had been a rather wild bunch became self possessed and empathetic junior citizens with a love of learning.

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People from all over the world came to see her classroom and to see for themselves these 'miraculous' children. As word spread, she was invited to lecture at home and abroad. Along with her son Mario she continued expanding her pedagogy for children of all ages. Throughout her lifetime she traveled the world, observing children and establishing teacher training centers, so that other trained Montessorians could extend her methods in a world wide movement.

Dr. Montessori firmly believed that the way to peace is through education. Her efforts to build a peaceful future for the world were twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.