The Montessori Method

Maria Montessori, born in 1870, was the first woman in Italy to receive a medical degree. She worked in the fields of psychiatry, education, and anthropology. She believed that each child is born with a unique potential to be revealed, rather than as a "blank slate" waiting to be written upon. She worked initially with children with disabilities and then expanded her educational methods to all children. Her method consisted of providing the children with an environment in which they can learn and explore. One of her famous quotes is “The greatest sign of success for a teacher... is to be able to say, ’The children are now working as if I did not exist."