Maria Montessori was a remarkable women. She defied society by becoming the first woman doctor in Italy and throughout her life she worked for and with people society had, in that past, deemed not only unimportant, but unworthy of serious study. Maria fits Howard Gardner's model for creative genius not only through the brilliance of her studies and her work but also in the aspect of her marginality, both as woman in a male-dominated, male-oriented worldand as an educator and advocate for the underdogs of society. For further information on Maria Montessori one might like to look at Karin Schmidt's paper, as well.

Biographical Background

When I was at school we had a teacher whose fixed idea was to make us learn the lives of famous women, in order to incite us to imitate them. The exhortation which accompanied the narration was always the same: "You too should try to become famous. Would you not like to become famous?" "Oh no,' I replied drily one day, "I shall never be that. I care to much for the children of the future to add yet another biography to the list."

--Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori was born in the town of Chiravalle in the province of Ancona August 31, 1870, the same year Italy became a unified Nation. Her parent were Alessandro Montessori and Renilde Stopanni, niece of the famous scholar-priest, Antonio Stoppani.

Due to the nature of her father's job as a low ranking finance official, Maria's family moved around a great deal when Maria was young. Then, In 1875, when Maria was five years old, the family moved for the last time. Alessandro was transferred to Rome as an accountant first class. When Maria was six years old her parents enrolled her in the first grade of the public school on the Via di San Nicolo da Tolentino. Italy's school system was in shape, disorganized and backward. "Between 1860 and 1900 there were thirty-three ministers if education, each wit his own policies and none with enough government funds to accomplish anything at all."Maria did well, throughout school, in spite of this and, if nothing else, it showed her what education is not supposed to be.

Maria was not thought to be a remarkable scholar during her grade school years. She "was considered to be a sweet, if not especially bright little girl" who was not competitive academically. "When she saw a classmate crying because she hadn't been promoted to another class, Maria couldn't understand her emotion. One room, she told the other girl, seemed just as good to her as another." Yet, upon discovering that she learned easily and did well on her exams, Maria concluded "it would be nonsense not to do so." From that time on, Maria became and avid scholar.

At the age of twelve, Maria decided she wanted to continue her education. It was unusual for girls in Italy at this time to go beyond and elementary education and those who did usually pursued classical studies. Maria, however, decided she wanted to go to a technical school. In the fall of 1883, shortly after her thirteenth birthday, Maria entered the Regia Scuola Tecnica Michelangelo Buonarroti.Maria graduated from the technical school in 1886 with high marks in all subjects. From 1886 to 1889 she attended the technical institute, the Regia Instituto Tecnica Leonardo da Vinci, and continued to do well. She excelled in her favorite subject, mathematics, and had plans of becoming an engineer. Ironically, she refused to even consider teaching, thought to be one of the only "lady-like" professions available, as a future career. As her graduation from the technical school drew close, Maria changed her mind about becoming an engineer. Following hr increasing interest in biological sciences, she decided to go on to the University to study medicine, something no woman in Italy had ever done before.

In 1890, despite the disapproval of her relatives, her father in particular, and that of Guido Baccelli, the professor of medicine at the University of Rome, Maria enrolled in the University of Rome as a student of mathematics, physics, and natural sciences. Less than two years later, in the spring of 1892, she received her Diploma di licenza, making her eligible to begin the actual study of medicine. All that stood in the was the fact that she was a woman.

For a woman to study medicine in Italy at the turn of the century was not only unheard of, it was unthinkable and Maria met with much opposition. However, she persisted and though it is not known exactly how she contrived to be admitted, though Montessori claims Pope Leo XIII intervened on her behalf, Maria was allowed to pursue her medical degree.

During the next few years Maria struggled not only with the torment and pressure of her male peers, the disdain of some of her professors, and the forced segregation of the dissection labs, but also with her owns doubts and weaknesses. As it was unthinkable for male and female student to be together in the presence of a naked corpse, Maria was given permission to go to the anatomy building after hours to work alone among the cadavers. Late at night she would do her work among the dead bodies and one night the stress got to her so that she fled the building and very nearly quit medical school. But Maria forced herself to overcome her anxieties and went back to the school. Her hard work paid off. In 1894 she won the Rolli Prize and its accompanying scholarship. By doing private tutoring and continuing to win scholarships, Maria was able to pay most of her own way through Medical school.

In 1896, at the age of twenty-five, Maria graduated from the medical school with an outstanding record. At her final, oral exam, she was rated by eleven professors, each of who could contribute up to 10 points towards a candidate's final grade. "Anything over 100 was considered to be a brilliant showing. Montessori scored 105."

When Maria received her diploma as a doctor of medicine and surgery, she became the first woman doctor in all of Italy. As the diplomas were printed with masculine pronouns, Maria's had to be hand changed to the feminine with pen and ink.

In August, 1896, only a month after her graduation from medical school Montessori was chosen as one of the delegates to represent Italy at an international women's congress to be held in Berlin that fall." At that congress, Maria stood out, not only for her beauty and charm but for her commanding speeches that often moved her audience, both male and female, to standing ovations. She was hailed as an excellent representation of modern womanhood and lauded for her efforts.

Later, in 1896, Maria became the new surgical assistant at Santo Spirito. She spent most of her time working in women's and children's hospital's and she had her own private practice as well.

In 1901 Maria was appointed Director of the new Orthophrenic school. Here she was to work with retarded and mentally ill children who, in the past, has just been lumped in with the insane. Maria initiated several reforms and after studying the children for a while, Maria began to implement methods for teaching the "deficient children". After two years time, these "deficient children" were able to pass the basic entrance exams to public school along side "normal children".

Intrigued by her discoveries Maria entered a second period of study, study various education methods including the works of Seguin and Itard. she also took up a university teaching position from 1904 to 1908. Maria longed to see how her methods worked on normal children. Her chance came in 1906 when she was asked to coordinate a series of day-care centers for the children of working class parents who were too young to attend public school. These Children's Homes" were located in the worst slums of Rome and Maria had very little funding and no trained help.

Maria's first Casa dei Bambini opened officially on January 6, 1907, a second opened up three months later. It was an overwhelming success. People from all over the world traveled to see Montessori's miracle children who spontaneously taught themselves to read and write. Montessori's book Metodo della Pedagogia Scientifica applicato all'educazione infantile nelle Casa dei Bambini(later translated into English as the Montessori Method) was published in 1909.

After the success of the Casi dei Bambinis, Maria traveled the world extensively, spreading the fundamental ideas of her pedagogy. She wrote several books on the Montessori Method and continue to give lectures on her method until her death. Upon her death at age eighty-one, in her adopted county of Holland, Maria's work passed on to her son, Mario.

Maria's Marginality

Maria Montessori defied conventional society in many ways. 'She grew up in country considered most conservative in it's attitudes toward women, yet even against the considerable opposition of her father and teachers, Montessori pursued a scientific education and was the first woman to become a physician in Italy." She was an active feminist, and she was an advocate for all children, normal or otherwise, who, for centuries, had been treated as though they were meant to be seen and not heard. Maria not only gave these children a voice, her Montessori Method of education was designed to give children the freedom to do right.

As fits Gardner's model of "forced marginality", Maria Montessori was born into her marginality. She was a woman in a male-dominated world and not only did she succeed, she excelled. In the end, she was lauded for her difference and while she did not exploit them, her marginality was an important factor in shaping both Maria and her work. As one of the minority in society she tended to advocate the minority's causes. And When she became largely accepted by the world's society she did not seek a forced marginalitybut rather, she used her renown to further her cause.

Maria Montessori was an amazing woman, not only for her intelligence and perseverance, but for her compassion for others and her determination to use her knowledge to benefit those unfortunates deemed unworthy by society.

2. Kramer, Rita. Maria Montessori: A Biography. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1976

3. Orem, R.C., and Marjorie Foster Coburn. Montessori: Prescription for Children with Learning Disabilities. New York: Capricorn Books. 1978

4. Seldin, Tim. "Maria Montessori: An Historical Perspective. http://www.montessori.org/mariawho.htm

5. Standing, E.M. Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work. New York:Hollis and Carter, Limited, 1957.