- She was the first women in Italy to earn a medical degree.
- A scientist by trade, she applied a “scientfic approach” to education. Her pedagogical methology was deeply inspired by her background in pediatrics as well as her psychological, anthropological and philosophical research.
- She began her work with “mentally deficient” children. These children learned to read and write while in her care.
- She started her first school, Casa dei Bambini (Children’s House), in 1907 at the age of 36. The school was located in one of Rome’s worst slub districts.
- Her method of teaching stressed independance, freedom, respect and tolerance.
- She did not refer to her approach to education as The Montessori Method.
- Exiled by Mussolini, she was forced to flee Italy for refusing to allow her students to be made into soldiers.
- She established the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) in 1929.
- She worked cooperatively with Albert Nienhuis to produce Montessori classroom materials. Neinhuil Montessori is currently one of the largest manufactures of Montessori materials in the world.
- She was a three-time nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize (1949,1950 and 1951).
“Our son attended Children’s House at Holly Hill Montessori for preschool and kindergarten (ages 3 – 6). While we believe in the Montessori teaching, we were worried about the large classroom sizes that most schools offer. Our son is shy in larger groups and we were worried that he would not do well if he was overwhelmed and over-stimulated by the noise of too many kids. The small environment at CHHH helped our son socially and emotionally, and he was able to play and learn with a diverse group of friends. We were very impressed with Jordan’s growth and development over the three years there. We had no doubt that he was well-prepared for first grade. Although he was the youngest in his first grade class, his teacher stated that he was very mature and respectful for a child his age. Mid-year, he was advanced to second grade classes. I truly believe that this had a lot to do with his attending Montessori at Children’s House at Holly Hill.”