I may have a biast opinion in how I feel about the teaching methods of Maria Montessori considering my mother is a teacher of one of her schools and I myself am a product of a Montessori system. The kinesthetic teaching style has produced nothing but profound results in the young mind and is becoming a more highly considered school of thought rather than the ways and requirements of a “normal” public school system. Granted, the idea of a normal school system varies based on area and economic stature, however, across the board Montessori’s style proves beneficial in all arenas.
Maria Montessori studied medicine at Italy’s University of Rome La Sapienza and was the first graduated woman of the school and one of the first female doctors of her time. Her focus on a study of uneducable children and how to educate them spawned into the thoughts and methods of teaching we know today, as the experiment was a huge success and test results came back with the above average scores. The idea she developed was not that the teacher would the primary source for the educational process but rather a guide. The children themselves were meant to be their own influence onto the next level of education. This was achieved with a series of special equipment developed by Maria in order to enhance a sort of curiosity in the mind of the child, granting them their own teacher and learning at the pace they desired without the pressures of a testing system where every child is expected to be ready at a certain time.
Montessori is an inspiration to me in that her mind seemed to have no full capacity limit to dreams, making them become realities. Her life’s work was dedicated to the improvement of children’s welfare, not only within their education but lifestyles as well. For the time of her accomplishment, and being that she was a women is profound. She not only crossed the line of feminist ideals, but established herself as a household name in the early 1900’s for the sake of better education.