Who Was Maria Montessori?

Written By Johnathon Nolen

Learn About Dr. Maria Montessori & Her Montessori Method

Maria Montessori was one of the first women to receive a medical degree in Italy in the late 19th century. She opened her first “Children’s House” for 3-6-year-olds in 1907. The many organizations devoted to Maria Montessori’s legacy and to advancing Montessori education provide extensive biographical information. For some of the best online resources, check out:

Maria Montessori and the Needs of Adolescents

In 1948, Dr. Montessori wrote From Childhood to Adolescence where she outlines the need for a different approach to adolescent education, noting that “Schools as they are today are adapted neither to the needs of adolescence, nor to the times in which we live.” She observed, “Society has not only developed into a state of utmost complication and extreme contrasts, but it has now come to a crisis in which the peace of the world and civilization itself are threatened.” She believed that the human psyche and reasoning had not kept pace with the changes in the “external environment,” with technology and science. Does this sound familiar? 75 years later, we are still struggling with these very same issues! So, what did she suggest as the remedy?

In her outline for adolescent education, she aims to “improve the individual in order to improve society.” Her ideal environment for an adolescent program was one “in the country.” At their “country house,” they could develop a connection with “the land.” By careful observation and deep relationships with the land, the students had a way to connect all of their various studies to reality. The abstract could immediately connect with the concrete. “The land” opened up discussions and work in a wide variety of subjects from anthropology and history to biology and physics. For this reason, she called the adolescents the “Erdkinder,” which translates to the “Land Children.“

Dr. Montessori’s approach in Practice at The Mosaic Field Scho

On our property, in the lowlands by the creek, we can easily identify several invasive species. If we take the topic of “invasive species and their eradication” as our starting point, how many directions could we go? Here is a brief list of possibilities:

  • Botanical classification of plants and plant identification,

  • Classification of insects and arthropods,

  • Economic and environmental impact of invasive species,

  • Role of experts and citizens in identifying and controlling invasive species,

  • Plant reproduction techniques and how to use that understanding to eradicate invasive species,

  • History of plant and animal migration related to the overseas shipping trade,

  • Organic means of controlling insect and arthropod reproduction,

  • Practical uses of grasses and greenery for everyday items and the history of grasses and greenery in the arts,

  • Experiments in composting and the temperatures or techniques required to destroy weed seeds.

Adolescents Who Flourish

Dr. Montessori wrote, “The chief symptom of adolescence is a state of expectation, a tendency towards creative work and a need for the strengthening of self-confidence. Suddenly the child becomes very sensitive to rudeness and humiliations that he had previously suffered with patient indifference…this is the time, the “sensitive period” when there should develop the most noble characteristics that would prepare a [person] to be social, that is to say, a sense of justice and a sense of personal dignity.” And when these developmental needs are not met, individuals can suffer from “timidity, anxiety, depression,” and feelings of inferiority, while the repercussions for society include human beings characterized by an “incapacity to work, laziness, dependence on others, or cynicism.” But when they are met, adolescent can flourish. They feel “capable of succeeding in life by [their] own efforts and on [their] own merits, and at the same time…in direct contact with the supreme reality of social life.” In short, she saw the grand importance of adolescent education for the good of the individual and for the betterment of society.

This article is the first in our series, The Genius of Maria Montessori. If you would like to learn more about Dr. Montessori’s writings on adolescence, here is a link to an English translation of From Childhood to Adolescence: https://ia803003.us.archive.org/14/items/fromchildhoodtoadolescentmariamontessoripdfdrive.com1/From%20Childhood%20to%20Adolescent%20-%20Maria%20Montessori%20%28%20PDFDrive.com%20%29%20%281%29_text.pdf

Johnathon Nolen
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