Maria Montessori Biography

Maria Montessori was a brilliant woman. She was Italy's first female doctor, was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, and her face could be on Italy's currency before they switched to the euro. Although she was a well known woman in Italy, Montessori gave it all up to teach poor children in the slums of Rome. The public believed these children were mentally deficient, however, Montessori believed the children lacked stimulation from their environment. In 1907, a program was started by Montessori for children ages 4 to 7. This program, named Casa dei Bambini, was highly successful in teaching the young children, revealing they were perfectly capable of learning. Maria Montessori created self-correcting learning materials for children (puzzle pieces with knobs for young children, cloth board with buttons and button holes, and more). Maria Montessori continued to work with children until the day she died on May 6th, 1952. (1)