Maria 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.

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Areas of the Classroom

Practical Life is the foundation for all continued growth with a focus on order, concentration, coordination, and independence (OCCI).  Through these experiences, children refine their motor skills and develop the confidence to take on new challenges.  The lessons teach children to care for themselves, their community, and their environment with lessons like, putting on shoes, respecting another’s space, and dusting shelves.

Sensorial helps children to develop their five senses and use these lessons to develop an awareness of themselves and the world around them.  By studying variations in mass, color, temperature, and other units of measurement children develop and sense of curiosity.

Mathematics applies the use of manipulatives to conceptualize the relationship of quantities using various mathematical functions.  These lessons help children transition from concrete computations to abstract computations, which cover addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, the decimal system, and more.

Language is ubiquitous throughout the classroom, starting at practical life, transitioning to phonetics, storytelling, and writing a journal.  In language, children develop their vocabulary and learn to organize their thoughts to become effective communicators.

Culture encompasses history, geography, biology, art, music and more. These lessons help children understand the relationships and differences relative to their lives and the universe. The lessons here facilitate the development of cognitive processes that foster critical thinking skills.