Maria Montessori left her mark in the education field. She was and still is an inspiration
This list is a compilation of some of her most inspiring quotes on a variety of topics!
Who was Maria Montessori?
Maria Montessori was born on August 31, 1870. She was an Italian physician, educator, and innovator, who is acclaimed for her educational method that is built on the way children naturally learn.
Her mother, raised in a family that prized education, was well schooled and an avid reader—unusual for Italian women of that time. The same thirst for knowledge took root in young Maria Montessori, and she immersed herself in many fields of study before creating the educational method that bears her name.
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The development of “The Montessori Method”
Maria Montessori’s early medical practice focused on psychiatry, and she later developed an interest in education. Her studies led her to observe, and ponder the methods of teaching children with intellectual and developmental disabilities at that time.
The opportunity to improve on these methods came in 1900, when she was appointed co-director of a new training institute for special education teachers. She tried out and tested various teaching methods. Finding a combination that worked, many of the children made unexpected gains, and the program was proclaimed a success.
In 1907, Maria accepted a challenge to open a full-day childcare center in San Lorenzo, a poor inner-city district of Rome. The students were under-served youngsters, ages 3 – 7, who were left to their own devices while their parents went out to work. This center, the first of its kind in the nation, and a high-quality learning environment, became the first Casa dei Bambini.
The children showed great interest in working with puzzles, learning to prepare meals, and manipulating the learning materials Maria Montessori had designed. She observed how the children absorbed knowledge from their surroundings, essentially teaching themselves.
Using scientific observation and experience gained from her earlier work with young children, Maria Montessori designed learning materials and a classroom environment that fostered the children’s natural desire to learn and provided freedom for them to choose their own materials.
To the surprise of many, the children in the programs thrived, exhibiting concentration, attention, and spontaneous self-discipline. The “Montessori Method” was born! She opened the first Montessori school—the Casa dei Bambini, or Children’s House—in Rome on January 6, 1907.
By 1910, Montessori schools could be found throughout Western Europe and were being established around the world, including in the United States where the first Montessori school opened in Tarrytown, NY, in 1911. There are now thousands of Montessori schools in countries worldwide!
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30 of Maria Montessori’s most inspiring quotes
This list of quotes is compiled of some of Maria Montessori’s most inspiring quotes on education, learning, teaching and peace.
“Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.”
“The greatest gifts we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.”
“Education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being.”
“The first two years are the most important in the whole span of human life.”
“Any child who is self sufficient, who can tie his shoes, dress or undress himself, reflects in his joy and sense of achievement the image of human dignity, which is derived from a sense of independence.”
“The most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six.”
“The child has a mind able to absorb knowledge. He has the power to teach himself.”
“He does it with his hands, by experience, first in play and then through work. The hands are the instruments of man’s intelligence.”
“It follows that the child can only develop fully by means of experience in his environment. We call such experience “work”.”
“The child has a different relation to his environment from ours… the child absorbs it. The things he sees are not just remembered; they form part of his soul. He incarnates in himself all in the world about him that his eyes see and his ears hear.”
“There is in the child a special kind of sensitivity which leads him to absorb everything about him, and it is this work of observing and absorbing that alone enables him to adapt himself to life. He does it in virtue of an unconscious power that exists in childhood….The first period of the child’s life is one of adaptation.”
“To let the child do as he likes when he has not yet developed any powers of control is to betray the idea of freedom.”
“The education of even a small child, therefore, does not aim at preparing him for school, but for life.”
“What the hand does, the mind remembers.”
“The child is truly a miraculous being, and this should be felt deeply by the educator.”
“Play is the work of the child.”
“The child, in fact, once he feels sure of himself, will no longer seek the approval of authority after every step.”
“The first essential for the child’s development is concentration. The child who concentrates is immensely happy.”
“Free choice is one of the highest of all the mental processes.”
“Growth is not merely a harmonious increase in size, but a transformation.”
“Within the child lies the fate of the future.”
“Let the children be free; encourage them; let them run outside when it is raining; let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water.”
“The land is where our roots are. The children must be taught to feel and live in harmony with the Earth.”
“Early childhood education is the key to the betterment of society.”
“The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind.”
“We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are part of the universe and are connected with each other to form one whole unity.”
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Montessori resources
If you are interested in reading even more inspiring Maria Montessori quotes, check out a few of her most famous publications.
The Secret of Childhood
The Discovery of the Child
The Absorbent Mind
In conclusion
Maria Montessori, like many others was an inspiration and way ahead of her time with much of what she created and developed. Her methods, teachings, and philosophy are still very prominent throughout many areas of the world!
She is truly an inspiration!
Until next time!
Thanks for sharing these awesome quotes!
I love quotes and these are beautiful. Thank you for sharing!
I loved this. Beautiful, meaningful, and inspiring. Thank you for sharing!
She was an amazing woman, wasn’t she. I love the never help a child with a task he feels he can do on his own. So much of her teachings and ideals have made their way into my classroom and home.
What a great collection of quotes! Maria Montessori certainly was wise and understood children and their needs. Thanks for sharing.
These are all such amazing quotes. Thank you for sharing them.
Play is the work of the child is one of my favorite quotes!
I did not know about the story of Maria Montesorri. Thanks for sharing with me and I also enjoy the quotes.
What a fascinating woman! I love the quote “play is the work of a child.”
I love these quotes. Maria is an amazing woman.
Great quotes you have here! Love this ““Let the children be free; encourage them; let them run outside when it is raining; let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water.”