It might have been the fiercely independent path she carved through life that made Maria Montessori so attentive to the developing independence of her own students. She attended medical school at the University of Rome in the 1890s, ignoring strong admonitions by her father and university staff that it was an improper path for a woman. She stuck it out despite the hostility (and despite being forced to dissect cadavers alone after hours, since it was deemed unacceptable for her to be around a naked body in the presence of men).

From there, she took an interest in mentally disabled children through her research into pediatrics and psychology, and co-directed a school designed to educate teachers on best practices for working with students who had been deemed “uneducable” by mainstream schools. (Some of those students went on to pass “normal” exams after going through the school.)

Finally, she turned to the pursuit that would define her life. It was 108 years ago on January 6, 1907 that Maria Montessori opened her first Casa dei Bambini (or “Children’s House”) to about 55 low-income Roman kids. She brought many of the methods she had taught at the school for disabled students, this time applying them to a group of average kids. She noted that when students were given a choice of activities (within limits), they tended to pick practical activities over toys. She expanded their options, and the students cleaned, gardened, cared for pets, exercised, and cooked without being told to.

Montessori expanded her educational method to other schools, emphasizing a model that allowed students to explore their environments and interests, and map out their own days within a limited structure that also contained uninterrupted learning time. Her model spread throughout Europe and spread to other parts of the world too. She would eventually leave Italy after her activities as a peace activist placed her on the wrong side of the Mussolini government in the 1930s. She died in 1952, aged 81.

Today hundreds of classrooms (many, but not all, in private schools) in the United States alone employ some variation on the Montessori Methods. Research is mixed on whether students perform better under such conditions (comparisons range from about even with outcomes of “regular” schooling methods at worst to significantly better in some cases). In the U.S., Montessori education fell out of favor in the early 20th century before roaring back in the last 50-60 years. With such a wide spread, clearly something about the approach has appealed to parents and educators for over a century.

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