Maria Montessori From Marginal to Mainstream Essay

Maria Montessori: From Marginal to Mainstream 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†¦show more content†¦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