The Montessori philosophy of education was developed by Dr. Maria Montessori, the first woman to graduate from the University of Rome Medical School.
She became interested in education while treating mentally challenged children at the University’s psychiatric clinic. Gradually Dr. Montessori realized that these children were capable of learning much more than it was generally believed. Her teaching brought about remarkable results and set the foundation for the Montessori system.
Dr. Montessori began her work with children of normal intelligence in 1907 when she was invited to organize schools in a reconstructed slum area of San Lorenzo, Italy.
Her work was so successful that when she arrived in the United States at the end of 1913, she was heralded as “a woman who revolutionized the educational system of the world.” The author of several volumes and numerous articles about education, Dr Montessori died in 1952 at the age of 82.