The contents of this page will help you understand how the Montessori Method of education began, what makes it unique, how it works, and what happens after a child leaves the Montessori school. Our aim is not merely to make children understand, and still less to force them to memorize, but so to touch their imaginations as to enthuse them to their innermost core. Montessori is a philosophy with the fundamental tenant that a child learns best within a social environment which supports each individual's unique development. As the first woman physician to graduate from the University of Rome, Maria Montessori became involved with education as a doctor treating children labelled as mentally challenged. Then in 1907 she was invited to open a care centre for the children of desperately poor families in the San Lorenzo slums of Rome.
Children create themselves through purposeful activity.
The most important years for learning are from birth to age six. Children possess unusual sensitivity and mental powers for absorbing and learning from their environment, which includes people as well as materials. She carried her message throughout the world, including North America, as early as 1912. The primary goal of a Montessori program is to help each child reach full potential in all areas of life. Activities promote the development of social skills, emotional growth, and physical coordination as well as cognitive preparation.