New Britain herald., 1930-03-07
ITALIAN EDUCATOR
 SCOLDS AMERICANS
Dr. Mont@sori Says ]. s. Schools Stole Her Ideas

Rome, Mar 8 P-The United States has angered Dr. Maria Mon tessori, the world-known educator She has returned to Italy under the patronage of Mussolini, to carry her theory of individual education into practice in the high schools.
 Until recently, Dn Montessori uaid she was pleased with the United States. Educators had accepted her method. There were 10000 Montes- Sori teachers in America.
 But now" she said, people who were formerly my assistants and lieutenants are using my method in whole or in part and putting their own or other names to it. They have taken my ideas, and ere making profitable use of them with out giving me or the Montessori method credit.
 But, what can I do? My method is not patented. They are legally Tree to do as they like"
 In consequence of what she re- gards as betrayal. pr. Montessori will not return to the United States for another two years. Then, if she does go to America. she will have something new to offer - per fected individual education along the Montessori lines. applied to high schools and perhaps 10 colleges.
 In the meantime she will use the facilities the Fascist government has placed at her disposal for applying her system to the high schools. A secondary Montessori school has al ready been started here. The Dot toressa. as she is called in Italy has also begun her 18th international course. Teachers from q nations are attending it.
 The Dottoressa, 60 years old, dressed in black in contract with her white hair, extremely shy consider ing her extensive public life and prefcrring to speak in Italian rather than in English, told the correspon- dent:
 Applying the Montessori method to high schools means fundamen- tally the same as applying it to the elementary schools. each student is developed individually. The teacher docs not drive the student as is done in mass education; the stu dents personality is not subordi- mated to that of the teacher. But there are, of course, some changes 0 be made taking into considera- ton the moro advanced age of the student.
 This will mean change too, in colleges. Universities will have to mako provision for students who rome to them from the high schools using the Montessori method. These students will not be accus- toned to classroom work ordained ;nd directed by the instructor, wherein the student himself has no voice or individuality. They will be students whose personalities are all ready well developed. They will be capable of thinking and working for themselves.
 Dr. Nontcssori believes that - laboratory work in the sciences should begin in the elementary school and be taken out of the col leges except for students who wish to do special work in science.
 Young students she said. "say from the ages of II to fl, do better manual and mental work combined than they do pure mental work. On the other hand, university students do better mental work. Therefore, let the laboratory or manual work he done in the early years, and the mental work be done later.
 "Laboratory work fin science, for Instance, should be done first. and the theoretical development of that work taught later on. This is the natural course of reasoning. First you do something. second you draw a conclusion from what you have done"