Poompatta Motessori School

ABOUT MARIA MONTESSORI

Maria Montessori was, in many ways , ahead of her time. Born in the town of Chiaravalle, in the province of Ancona, Italy, in 1870, she became the first female physician in Italy upon her graduation from medical school in 1896. Shortly afterwards, she was chosen to represent Italy at two different women's conferences, in Berlin in 1896 and in London in 1900. In her medical practice, her clinical observation led her to analyze how children learn and she concluded that they build themselves from what they find in their enviornment. Shifting her focus from body to the mind she returned to the university in 1901, this time to study psychology and philosophy. In 1904, she was made a proffessor of anthropology at the university of Rome.

Her desire to help children was so strong, however that in 1906 she gave up both her university chair and her medical practice work with a group of sixty young children of working parents in the San Lorenzo district of Rome. It was there that she founded the first Casa dei Bambini, or "Children's House". What ultimately become the Montessori method of education developed there, based upon montessori's scientific observations of these children's almost effortless ability to absorb knowledge from their surroundings, as well as their tireless interest in manipulating materials. Every piece of equipment, every exercise, every method of montessori developed was based on what she observed children to do "naturally" by themselves unassisted by adults.

Children teach themselves, this simple but profound truth inspired monttessori's lifelong pursuit of educational reform, methodology, psychology, teaching and teacher training - all based on her dedication to furthering the self - creating process of the child.