FEMINIST FRIDAY

By Bernadette

When my children were preschool age it was very popular to send your child to a Montessori Preschool.  I really knew nothing about Dr. Montessori or her method, so I was intrigued to learn about what an inspiring woman she was.  In honor of the first week of school in our district, I would like to introduce you to this innovator.

Maria Montessori was born in Chiaravalle, Italy (1870). She was a bright student, studied engineering when she was 13, and — against her father’s wishes — she entered a technical school, where all her classmates were boys. After a few years, she decided to pursue medicine, and she became the first woman in Italy to earn a medical degree. It was so unheard of for a woman to go to medical school that she had to get the approval of the pope in order to study there.As a doctor, she worked with children with special needs, and through her work with them she became increasingly interested in education. She believed that children were not blank slates, but that they each had inherent, individual gifts. It was a teacher’s job to help children find these gifts, rather than dictating what a child should know. She emphasized independence, self-directed learning, and learning from peers. Children were encouraged to make decisions. She was the first educator to use child-sized tables and chairs in the classroom.

During World War II, Montessori was exiled from Italy because she was opposed to Mussolini’s fascism and his desire to make her a figurehead for the Italian government. She lived and worked in India for many years, and then in Holland. She died in 1952 at the age of 81.

She wrote many books about her philosophy of education, including The Montessori Method (1912), and is considered a major innovator in education theory and practice.

MARIA MONTESSORI YOU ROCK

The information in this post first appeared in the The Writer’s Almanac.

I invite you to share a link to your story of an inspiring woman.  I will try to share your post over the weekend.

About Bernadette

I live in the small town of Haddonfield, NJ. I am at an age in my life when I seem to spend time thinking and musing about life. These musings are usually stimulated by my walks through Haddonfield, my reading of books and fellow bloggers, and my interaction with my group of fabulous family and friends.

15 Responses

  1. Shallow Reflections

    My 3yo grandson started Montessori school this week, and my 5yo grandson attended too. So interesting to learn about the founder – she was a pioneer for sure! Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of my mother’s death and it was a rough day for me. Today I want to share a post I wrote about Mum and one of the women who inspired her – Erma Bombeck. http://www.shallowreflections.com/who-was-erma-bombeck-and-why-does-she-matter/

    Liked by 2 people

  3. delphini510

    Thank you so much Bernadette. This is such a positive and strong story about a woman we heard about, mainly in connection with education.
    I am thrilled to learn of her courage and belief in what she did.
    And I couldn’t agree more with her about the fact that each child has their own inherent gift that should be nourished.

    The whole article is great. Fancy needing the ‘yes’ from the Pope to be able to study medicine!
    If it hadn’t been for your blog I might not have learnt.
    miriam

    Liked by 1 person

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