Montessori at Sandy Ford

On this day, 116 years ago, the first Montessori School opened in Rome Italy

A Montessori home begins with a mindset of independence and freedom and is always within clear boundaries of safety, kindness and respect.

On this day in 1952, Maria Montessori died peacefully at the age of 81 in her friend's garden. She dedicated herself to advancing her child-centered approach and broke barriers in education during tumultuous times. Everyday, we work towards the words written on her gravestone, "I beg the dear, all-powerful children to join me in creating peace in man and in the world."

Just some of the fascinating research on screens and child development: https://www.theottoolbox.com/research-on-screen-time-for-kids/

Photo: 1951, London. Montessori hanging out with children at the Phyllis Wallbank's Gatehouse Montessori School.

'The new life is not limited only to the child. The teacher must possess it. So, the great discovery is that the teacher is also capable of undergoing a change with the help of the child... This is really the co-operation between the soul of the child and the soul of the teacher. Both are now free, both have reached the same peak. The child is grateful to the teacher. The teacher looks upon herself and recognises the new being she has become, and asks herself, "To whom do I owe this? Must I not be grateful to the child? After all which of us is the teacher?" So the word "teacher" rises farther aloft to become a unity...' (Montessori, 1998, p.115)

Montessori, M. (1998) Creative Development in the Child, Vol II. Madras: Kalakshetra Press.