Dr. Maria Montessori

Dr. Maria Montessori was the first woman to practice medicine in Italy. A scholar of biology, psychiatry, anthropology, and medicine, she graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Rome in 1896. As a physician, Dr. Montessori had extensive contact with young children and became deeply interested in their development. Through careful and comprehensive observation, she realized that children develop their own identities as they interact with their environment. She also observed how they learned by independently choosing and working with the autodidactic materials she provided.

Dr. Montessori studied children of all races and cultures in various countries around the world, soon recognizing the universality of the laws of human development. She continued her observations throughout her life, expanding and deepening her understanding until her death in 1952. Additionally, she was a dedicated humanitarian, nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize for her advocacy efforts toward a more peaceful humanity.

As a scientist, Dr. Montessori was both grounded and deeply spiritual in her pursuit of truth. Through her studies of educational methods, she established two principles as the foundation of Montessori pedagogy: the universal characteristics of the human child, and the child as a unique, unrepeatable, noble, and brilliant individual to be unconditionally accepted as one of life’s most marvelous expressions.