Maria Montessori
(1870 - 1952)
Dr. Maria Montessori, the first woman to earn a degree of Doctor of Medicine from the University of Rome in Italy (1896), had a varied and extensive background in science before beginning her work as an educational reformer.

 

At the turn of the century Montessori became famous for her work with special needs children. Not only did she teach them to read and write, but these children passed the state examinations which many normal children failed.

While her success was heartening, it was also alarming, for it pointed to a deficiency in the educational system that brought normally schooled children to failure.

For the rest of her life Montessori developed methods to educate children to set free their personalities, to liberate their inner life and potentialities, within the context of a coherent and unified educational philosophy and curriculum