Dr. Maria Montessori began her career as an educator of children working with a group of fifty children, three to five years old, on January 6th, 1907 in the city of Rome.
She had at her disposal an untrained assistant, a room, a bit of furniture and developmental materials to aid sense perception which she had previously used when working with mentally handicapped children. Those children who were older had to be encouraged before there interest was aroused. Once enticed to use the materials, their attention was volatile.
Dr. Montessori was astonished to see that the little ones, however, were intensely attracted by the materials, working spontaneously and repeatedly with them in total concentration.
She believed in the idea that the world can be changed for the better if education is adapted to the child’s true nature instead of being limited to the transmission of academic knowledge.
There is certain phase that a child passed in their life, from birth to six is the stage of the absorbent mind. Where as human baby starts taking in and absorbing the environment in which he/she finds him/herself.
Child also has a sensitive period. A transitory period in which time he / she has prompted by an inner urge to focus his / her environment. It is the child’s first instinct to carry out his / her actions by him / herself without anyone helping him / her and his / her first conscious bid for independence is made when he / she depend him / herself against those who try to do the action for him / her.
An appropriate lesson of self – discipline will make him / her a great human being. We claim that an individual is disciplined when he / she is a master of him / herself and when he / she can as a consequence, control and follow a rule of life.
A child’s liberty should have as its limit the interest of the group to which he / she belongs. Its form should consist in what we call good breeding and behavior.
We should prevent a child from doing anything that may offend or hurt others. However, every act that can be useful in any other way maybe expressed. It is essential and the teacher should observe it.