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Childhood
08/31/1870: Maria Montessori was born in Chiaravalle (Ancona), Italy on August 31. Her parents: Alessandro Montessori and Renilde Stoppani. 1875 Maria Montessori moved to Rome so she would grow up in the capital, a cultural center. -
Schooling
Choose to attend a technical school in order to become an engineer as she had developed a passionate interest in mathematics. This school was for men, and only Maria and another girl attended it. During recess, both girls had to be in a special room to protect them from teasing. She became increasingly interested in the biological sciences and decided to study medicine, something no woman in Italy had ever done. -
Schooling
Enrolled in the University of Rome in the fall, as a student of physics, mathematics, and natural sciences and continues with the opposition from her father and society into the medical career, which were four more years of courses in anatomy, pathology, and clinical work leading to a medical degree. Her last two years before her degree she studied pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital as well as attended the psychiatric clinic, studying the material on which she would write her thesis. -
Schooling
On July 10th, she graduated from medical school. She was given a job as an assistant at the San Giovanni Hospital attached to the university. and also she was a member of the Italian delegation to the International Congress on Women’s Rights held in Berlin. -
Working
1897: Worked in a mental hospital in the nervous and mental disease ward and came into contact with mentally deficient children. 1898: Discovered the works of Itard and his disciple Edouard Seguin who had followed Pereira who worked with deaf-mute individuals and taught them to speak. Sense experience was the basis of all knowledge; the most important is the process of learning rather than what is learned. She visited the Bourneville Institute in Paris to study these pedagogues. -
Motherhood
March 31, Mario, her only child is born. -
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Further Studies
1900: Congress in London: in which Maria Montessori spoke on women’s rights and against child labor. 1904: She was appointed to the Chair of Anthropology at the University of Rome. 1906: An opportunity to work with normal children appeared in the Quartiere di San Lorenzo. -
The First School (Casa dei Bambini--Children’s House)
The opportunity for this knowledge came when workers housing in the San Lorenzo quarter of Rome was renovated. To take care of the many children under the age of six and to protect the houses against vandalism, the children were put in a basement room and provided with adult supervision. Maria Montessori asked if she could work with these children. On January 6th in Via dei Marsi 58, the first Casa dei Bambini is opened -
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Life in the USA
1912: First time in USA on a lecture tour 1913: The first Montessori organization was founded in USA with Alexander Graham Bell as president and Margaret Wilson, daughter of President Wilson, as board member. 1915: First International course is held in Los Angeles, California. A prepared environment with children from three to 6 years, wins two gold medals at the World Fair in San Francisco. -
1913
‘The 1913 Rome Lecture’ first international course in Rome was held -
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1916-1918
She worked alternately in Spain and in the United States. -
AMI founded
International Congress held in Denmark at which time the Association Montessori Internationale was founded. (A.M.I). -
1934
Italy banned her method because she could not agree with the fascist political views. She went to Spain, and left because of the civil war, went to England and finally Netherlands. -
War
Italy entered the war and as an Italian, Dr. Montessori was confirmed in Karachi in the Theosophical Society. Her son, Mario was held in a concentration camp and is returned to her as a 70th birthday present from the government of India. -
1946
Returned to Europe. -
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Framework of Assistants to Infancy
Montessori visits Costa Gnocchi’s classroom in Rome. They discussed bringing in younger children to the Casa, previously just for 3-6. Costa Gnocchi took in these younger children children and developed a curriculum based on her observations and Montessori’s advice. The two women together realized these children below 3 need a different environment than children from 3-6. They created a framework for this environment and a classroom for toddlers began at CG’s school. -
The End of Her LIfe
On May 6 she dies at Noordwijk aan Zee in the Netherlands. On her tomb is written, "I beg the dear all-powerful children to unite with me for the building of peace in Man and in the World.
