Why Montessori

Maria Montessori was born in Rome in 1870. She became the first female medical graduate of Rome University. She was the director of the Scuola Ortofrenica, a school for children with special needs. If anyone has read The Lost Girls of Willowbrook written by Ellen Wiseman (a book I recommend every person read), they'd come to deepen their appreciation for the work of Montessori as it relates to children with special needs.

By 1900, Montessori was teaching Pedagogical Anthropology at Rome University. In 1907, she opened Casa dei Bambini, a school for children from the slums. Where humanity dismissed the impoverished, Maria emulated the ways of Jesus and believed that regardless of economic status, every child was capable of developing a joy for learning.

Her teaching methods spread like wildfire. Many regarded her approach as revolutionary. It was possibly her emphasis on the child’s environment—curated to support independent exploration—that drew educators and scholars from around the world to observe her work. After all, aren't we impacted at great lengths by our surroundings?

She felt that for children to flourish and grow in self-esteem, they needed to work in a child-centered environment. It's the principle of "following the direction of the child." It is not that adults lose their authority when following a child around, but that they pay keen attention to their interests in order to "feed" them more of what inspires curiosity. After all, Montessori—like Rudolf Steiner—upheld the importance of respecting the spirit of the child.

Children require direction in:

• Life Skills

• Developing the Senses

• Language Development

• Numeracy Skills

• Science Skills

Montessori’s work reminds us that education is not about control but about cultivation. When we nurture the whole child—spirit, mind, and body—we make space for true growth. Her legacy challenges us to build classrooms that reflect hope, dignity, and endless possibility.