Pleasant Valley Springs
Casa dei Bambini
Maria Montessori
Montessori
Maria Montessori was an Italian physician, educator, and innovator, acclaimed for her educational method that builds on the way children naturally learn.
She opened the first Montessori school—the Casa dei Bambini, or Children’s House—in Rome on January 6, 1907. Subsequently, she traveled the world and wrote extensively about her approach to education, attracting many devotees. There are now more than 22,000 Montessori schools in at least 110 countries worldwide.
Maria Montessori was born on August 31, 1870, in the provincial town of Chiaravalle, Italy. Her father was a financial manager for a state-run industry. Her mother was raised in a family that prized education. She was well-schooled and an avid reader—unusual for Italian women of that time. The same thirst for knowledge took root in young Maria, and she immersed herself in many fields of study before creating the educational method that bears her name.
Beginning in her early childhood years, Maria grew up in Rome, a paradise of libraries, museums, and fine schools.
Maria Montessori was a prolific and highly quotable writer. In her long and varied career as a physician, professor, intellectual, and full-time educator, she wrote for both professional and lay audiences, penning books, journal articles, newspaper articles, and editorials. In addition, many of her lectures have been transcribed and published.
Here are a few key ideas from her best-known books.