Dun Laoghaire Montessori School

Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori was born on 31 August 1870 in Italy and trained as a doctor. She was the first Italian woman doctor of her day and went on to lecture at university and then studied philosophy and psychology.

She became an educationalist and devoted her life to working on behalf of the child.

Dr Montessori’s main objective was to help children everywhere to reach their full potential, while becoming well balanced individuals able to cope with the pressure of modern day living. She developed the Montessori method of education which provides a wide range of experiences and activities to help stimulate a child’s love of learning and discovery.

In January 1907, Maria Montessori opened her first school Casa dei Bambini (Children’s House), in Rome. She travelled the world with the Montessori Method of education and wrote extensively about her child centred approach to education. She was nominated for 3 Noble Peace awards. At the end of the war, she spent her final years in Amsterdam. She died peacefully in a friend’s garden on 6 May 1952, after a lifetime devoted to the study of child development.

Link to Irish Montessori Education Board    http://www.imebtrust.org/