L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 6 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS January 1907 became such an important day for the chil- dren of the world. It was on that day Maria Montesso- r i o p e n e d h e r C a s a d e i B a m b i n i (the children's home) in San Lorenzo, one of Rome's poorest boroughs, for children aged 3 to 6. The Casa dei Bambini became an attraction of the capital and many visited it to learn from the children themselves that no award nor punishment could balance out the happi- ness given by being indu- strious. In just a handful of years, more and more case appea- red and Montessori's name became famous. After a Casa d e i B a m b i n i o p e n e d i n Milan, Montessori's writings began circulating outside of Italy. Dr Montessori's Own B o o k a n d T h e A d v a n c e d M o n t e s s o r i M e t h o d w e r e discovered with much clamor in the US. In 1913, in Umbria, the first Montessori method course for teachers was inau- gurated. In later years, more and more American teachers enrolled, which made the thought and work of the Ita- lian psychiatrist more and m o r e f a m o u s a c r o s s t h e ocean. Her greatest intuition was that of applying pedagogical principles commonly used for children with psychiatric issues to all children. Indeed, it was her opinion that chil- dren with handicaps could truly benefit from the right type of education, often more t h a n f r o m m e d i c a l t r e a t - ment. Traditional pedagogi- cal methods were irrational because they repressed chil- dren's potential instead of nurturing it and supporting its development. Sensory education became a prepara- tory moment to cognitive d e v e l o p m e n t b e c a u s e a child's education, just like that of a differently able per- son, needed to focus on sen- sitivity, something everyone, regardless to their mental and physical abilities, had. The Montessori method taught how to educate chil- d r e n t o s e l f c o r r e c t t h e i r mistakes, as well as looking for mistakes even without the teacher's intervention. The child was free to choose the materials for exercise, thus enhancing the role of personal interests and incli- nations and developing his or her self-education and self- control skills. The success of this educational method con- tinued. In 1922, Montessori was n o m i n a t e d K i n g d o m o f Italy's school inspector: she became a tireless trave- ler. With every journey, new Montessori schools opened and she often visited the Uni- ted States. She was also wel- comed with great honors to the White House, special guest of Margaret, the dau- ghter of President Woodrow Wilson. The Montessori Edu- c a t i o n a l A s s o c i a t i o n w a s enthusiastically sponsored by f i g u r e s o f t h e c a l i b e r o f A l e x a n d e r G r a h a m B e l l , further confirmation of a method that was to produce, through the years, more that 5000 private and 200 public schools, along with large numbers of specialized insti- tutions where teachers who w a n t e d t o d e d i c a t e t h e i r career to the method could train. But it wasn't all a bed of roses for this exceptional pedagogue. Montessori schools, as it may easily be understood, were opposed by all totalita- rian regimes, so they were closed during the dark years of the Second World War in countries like Italy, Russia, Germany and Spain. Montes- sori herself was forced to leave Italy and move to Bar- celona first (1934) and, after the Spanish Civil War, to the Netherlands. In 1940, she was imprisoned in a Ger- man concentration camp; f r e e d t h a n k s t o p o l i t i c a l n e g o t i a t i o n s , s h e w a s nevertheless forced to leave the Old World and moved to India. Far from feeling dejec- ted, Montessori opened her first school in Asia in Adyar shortly after. She was back to Europe in 1947 and set- tled in the Dutch town of Nordwijk aan Zee, where she died on the 6th of May 1952. Her death was not to turn into ashes all her activism. Great names of world peda- gogy studied at her school, including Anna Freud, Jean Piaget, Alfred Adler, Erik Erikson. Among her many b o o k s , T h e S e c r e t o f Childhood, The Formation of Man and the Absorbent Mind remain key texts for the formation of all pedago- gues. Celebrating the birthday and, most importantly, the pedagogical genius of Mon- tessori is even more impor- tant today, after the year we've been experiencing so f a r . W e u n d e r s t o o d h o w , without schools, the very glue that keeps together our society, families, habits gets thin. We understood that, without learning, children are more afraid, that know- ledge, even the basic know- ledge given to the younger of kids, can be a powerful and positive weapon against fear. Continued from page 4 Montessori thought that sensory education could be a preparatory moment for cognitive development (Photo courtesy of Fondazione Chiaravalle Montessori) A child learning how to count by handling toys made of beads (Photo: Shutterstock)

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