Birthday of Maria Montessori, M.D. (1870 - 1952)
August 31
Psychiatrist and first woman medical doctor in Italy (1894); pioneer in education whose first school opened in 1947. Today schools bear her name in more than 50 countries. She told teachers in training, "You yourselves must be filled with wonder."
The Montessori Method honors each child, encouraging self-motivation and letting the child develop "naturally" as his or her latent learning potential awakens. Dr. Montessori applied her philosophy of education with equal effectiveness to gifted and developmentally challenged children. Her book The Secret of Childhood (1936) serves as a model for educators who demonstrate the wisdom of her holistic approach.
Dr. Montessori received two nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize in honor of her “Education for Peace.” She wrote that “establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war."
“We must help the child to act for himself, will for himself, think for himself; this is the art of those who aspire to serve the spirit.” (Education for a New World, p. 69)
No comments:
Post a Comment