Montessori, A Great Idea!

"Scientific observation has established that education is not what the teacher gives; education is a natural process spontaneously carried out by the human individual, and is acquired not by listening to words but by experiences upon the environment. The task of the teacher becomes that of preparing a series of motives of cultural activity, spread over a specially prepared environment, and then refraining from obtrusive interference. Human teachers can only help the great work that is being done, as servants help the master. Doing so, they will be witnesses to the unfolding of the human soul and to the rising of a New Man who will not be a victim of events, but will have the clarity of vision to direct and shape the future of human society."

- Maria Montessori, Education for a New World

Dr. Montessori often reminded teachers in her course, "When you have solved the problem of controlling the attention of the child, you have solved the entire problem of education." (Kramer, 1976, p. 217).

Maria's theories of the "Sensitive Periods" in the development of a child were new to people at this time, however, now they seem to correspond with what we consider to be the "needs" of a child at different stages of their development.

Maria, with her beloved

children. Above, in London

Below, at her school in Italy.

Dr. Montessori was as astonished as anyone at the realized potential of children:

"Supposing I said there was a planet without schools or teachers, study was unknown, and yet the inhabitants - doing nothing but living and walking about - came to know all things, to carry in their minds the whole of learning: would you not think I was romancing? Well, just this, which seems so fanciful as to be nothing but the invention of a fertile imagination, is a reality. It is the child's way of learning. This is the path he follows. He learns everything without knowing he is learning it, and in doing so passes little from the unconscious to the conscious, treading always in the paths of joy and love."

Maria Montessori, 1951

In 1929 the Association Montessori Internationale was established to further the Montessori method by sponsoring conventions and training courses for teachers. The Montessori method experienced a renaissance in many American schools during the late 1950s, and in 1960 the American Montessori Society was formed.

AMS, the American Montessori Society, founded in 1957, is a globally recognized organization known for the strict standards to which all of their members are held accountable for membership and affiliation. The CBMS family of schools is proud to be affiliated with AMS.

Here at CBMS, as well as our sister schools,

Covered Bridge Academy, also in Smyrna, GA and

Country Brook Montessori School, in Norcross, GA., we have fully implemented the teachings of a remarkable woman, whose discoveries have outlasted scrutiny and have been continually reaffirmed as the most effective methods for beginning a child on the road to learning and development. We remain dedicated to the Montessori method of education

Dr. Maria Montessori was born into a time of history when new ideas, particularly those introduced by women, were not easily adapted into the mainstream. She was the first female to graduate from medical school in Italy. She set about opening her practice and established a successful clinic in a small village in Italy.

Her dedication and devotion to children soon became her passion. Her discoveries of natural processes allowing a child to learn, with the assistance and guidance of a trained teacher, are still in practice all over the world today.