Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori was one of the greatest logical thinkers of the world. She was a doctor by profession, but rose to great heights with the power of her greatly fel-tiled mind gifted by omnipotent God.
Maria was born in 1870 in Italy. Her parents were quite rich, thus she led a comfortable life. Maria was a bright student. She attained widespread popularity in the youth because of the principles and theories, that she propagated for the benefit of the mankind. She found many accurate theories, which were applied in practice and found extremely useful for the development of the personality of the humankind.
Maria Montessori completed M.D. from the Rome University, at the young age of 24 and thereafter began to serve the mentally handicapped children. In 1898, she established a school for mentally handicapped children. Montessori was a brilliant writer. She wrote many books including ‘Child Training’, the ‘Montessori method’ and ‘education for the new world.’ Montessori said that as a garden creates good environment for the growth of the plants, the same way parents should create a positive environment for the proper development of the children. If the children don’t get positive environment at home, they become destructive personalities.
It is not right to pamper children with too much love or to beat them. Parents and teachers must take the moderate approach to develop their personalities. Children must be convinced why they are wrong and why should they do the right.
According to Montessori discipline should be inculcated in the children through activities, not through punishments.
Maria Montessori established a system in which different activities are done in different rooms. There is a different room for the children to take rest, to exercise, to take food and to bathe.
She said that the children should be taught to write first, before enhancing their spoken skills. After listening to the pronunciation of alphabet, the child learns to speak. The children should be taught mathematics and other subjects after teaching them the language skills.
The education should not be restricted to the few on the basis of their caste, color and creed, but each and every one must get an opportunity to gain education. Maria Montessori left for heavenly abode in 1952 after propagating her `theory of logic’ in different countries of the world.
