Most people know little or nothing of the history of Montessori education. Maria Montessori was an Italian doctor-Italy's first female physician. In 1898 she observed "idiot children" in insane asylums and decided they needed education and training more than medical treatment. The Montessori method was originally designed to work with these developmentally delayed children. Repetitive tasks and real-life skills were essential parts of this model designed to give some independence to these children with mental retardation.

Montessori education has grown beyond its remedial roots. Maria Montessori's methods were found to work well with typically developing children as well. In the intervening one-hundred years Montessori has become a successful brand- perhaps the only educational method that many parents know. As a result, many early childhood centers use the name Montessori as a way to attract families without incorporating much in the way of Montessori methods or materials.

Knowing that a school is a Montessori site doesn't give you enough information to make a decision of whether that school is right for your child. I think it is a mistake to think of the question as a decision between Montessori or regular school, particularly when "Regular school" encompasses a whole variety of teaching models and philosophies of education.

Maria Montessori can certainly be credited with revolutionizing education for young children. But there is no reason that parents should feel tied to one educational model that may or may not fit the personality of their child. You need to choose a school for your child based on your own philosophy of education, your child's learning style and your own comfort with what goes on in the classroom.

Learn more about this author, Kiara Buchanan.
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