Birth and Family
Montessori was born in
Italy. Montessori's father, Alessandro Montessori was an official of the
Ministry of Finance in the local state-run tobacco factory. Her mother
Renilde Stoppani was well educated and was also the great niece of Italian
geologist and paleontologist. While she did not have any particular mentor, she
was very close to her mother who encouraged her . Maria Montessori also had a loving
relationship with her father, although he disagreed with her choice to continue
her education.
Early Education
The Montessori family
moved to Florence in 1873 and then to Rome in 1875 because of her father's
work. Montessori entered a public elementary school at the age of 6 in 1876.
Her early school record was "not particularly noteworthy", although
she was awarded certificates for good behavior in the 1st grade and for
"lavori donneschi", or "women's work", the next year.
Secondary School
In 1883 or 1884, at the
age of 13, Maria Montessori entered a secondary, technical school Regia Scuola
Technica Michelangelo Buonarroti, where she studied Italian, arithmetic,
algebra, geometry, accounting,history,geography and sciences. She graduated in
1886 with good grades and examination results.
University of Rome- Medical School
Maria Montessori moved forward
with her intention to study medicine. She appealed to Guido Baccelli, the
professor of clinical medicine at the University of Rome, but was strongly
discouraged. In 1890, Montessori enrolled in the University of Rome in a degree
course in natural son "Sciences.This degree along with the additional
degrees in Italian and Latin qualified Maria Montessori for her entrance into the
medical program at the University in 1893 and Montessori graduated from the
Montessori graduated from the University of Rome in 1896 as a doctor of
medicine.
Early career
From 1896 - 1901, Maria
Montessori worked and researched on "Neurasthenic" children. In
recent terms, children having some kind of mental disabilities. Maria
Montessori traveled, researched for women's rights and education for mentally
disabled children.