Maria Montessori (August 31, 1870 – May 6, 1952) was an Italian physician, educator, philosopher, humanitarian and devout Catholic; she is best known for her philosophy and the Montessori method of education of children from birth to adolescence. Her educational method is in use today in a number of public as well as private schools throughout the world.

Important events in Dr. Maria Montessori's life

• 1870 Born
• 1896 Became Doctor of Medicine
• 1896 Represented the Women of Italy at a Conference at Berlin
• 1896-1906 Held a chair in Hygiene at a Women's' College in Rome
• 1898 Gave birth to Mario Montessori Sr. and sent him to a family in the countryside of Italy
• 1899 Addressed a Pedagogical Conference in Turin - stressed on the benefits of Education to defective children
• 1900 Represented at the Feminist Conference in London - attacked the exploitation of children in the mines of Sicily
• 1901 Enrollment in the University of Rome as a student of Psychology and Philosophy
• 1904 08 Professor of Anthropology in the University of Rome. Her first major publication -"Pedagogical Anthropology"
• 1909 Publication of "The Method of Scientific Pedagogy as applied to infant education in the Children's Houses"
• 1913 Conducted the First International Training Course
• 1914 She visited the United States of America. She was a guest of Thomas Alva Edison. The formation of American Montessori Society under the Presidentship of Mr. Alexander Graham Bell
• 1918 The Education Society of London sent Mrs. Hutchinson to take a course under Dr. Montessori. The course wasconsidered a "Rhapsody" by the Department of Education
• 1919 The first official visit to London. She was given a royal reception.
• 1922 Dr. Montessori appointed the Inspector of schools by the Italian Government.
• 1925 International Montessori Congress at Helsinki
• 1929 Founded the Association Montessori Internationale in Amsterdam
• 1932 International Montessori Congress in Europe
• 1939-1947 Dr. Montessori makes India her home. She with the help of her son conducts 16 batches of the Indian Montessori Training Courses, thus laying a strong foundation for the Montessori Movement in India.
• 1947 Reestablishment of the Opera Montessori in Rome, Italy
• 1948 Dr. Montessori visits India again.
• 1949 Appoints Albert Max Joosten as her personal representative to conduct the Indian Montessori Training Courses. Conducts the First International training Course in Pakistan. Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
• 1951 Conducts the International Montessori Course in London. Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for the second time.
• 1952 Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for the third time. All three occasions the Nobel Prize eludes her. Dr. Montessori passes away. Interred at Noordwijk-aan-Zee in Holland

Influence

• A conference in Rome on 6/7th January 2007heralded the start of a year of celebrations for children and schools around the world. Dr. Maria Montessori’s innovative approach was that “Education should no longer be mostly imparting of knowledge, but must take a new path, seeking the release of human potentialities.”
• What followed worldwide has been called the "discovery of the child" and the realization that: "...mankind can hope for a solution to its problems, among which the most urgent are those of peace and unity, only by turning its attention and energies to the discovery of the child and to the development of the great potentialities of the human personality in the course of its formation.”
• The efficacy of Montessori teaching methods has most recently been demonstrated by the results of a study published in the US journal, Science (29 September 2006) which indicates that Montessori children have improved behavioral and academic skills compared with a control group from the mainstream system. The authors concluded that "when strictly implemented, Montessori education fosters social and academic skills that are equal or superior to those fostered by a pool of other types of schools."
• The Montessori method of education that she derived from this experience has subsequently been applied successfully to children and is quite popular in many parts of the world. Despite much criticism of her method in the early 1930s-1940s, her method of education has been applied and has undergone a revival. It can now be found on six continents and throughout the United States, but is still subject to some criticism.
• The Association Montessori Internationale is member of the International Coalition for the Decade for the Culture of Peace and Nonviolence.