Montessori Elementary School and Its Influence

The standards for each Montessori elementary school were created in 1907 when founder Maria Montessori created the first of her schools in a small city in Rome. Her plan was to provide a proper primary education for children between the ages of four and seven who came from families unable to financially support their child's educational endeavors. The idea of having schools as revolutionary as these began to spread all over the country and later to regions as far as India, and eventually to the United States as well.

The Emergence of the Montessori Grammar School

The massive development of American Montessori grammar schools took place between the years of 1910-1920 when the methods were left far back into the background of the country's education system. It was later revived at the beginning of the 1950s. A second movement of founding other Montessori schools began to emerge during this time but was not as true to the purpose that Maria created a century ago. While these schools were originally formed for those who could not pay for education and were primarily middle class, they were established as private learning institutions instead.

The schools began facing a massive dilemma after its initial wave of development because there were not enough teachers to facilitate assistance and guiding in all of the schools. This shortage of teachers led to the establishment of teacher training centers inside of these schools so that they could mold traditional teachers who were willing to apply the Montessori Method to their educational techniques. These training facilities were separate from other universities and colleges and served to teach the Montessori dogma to aspiring teachers and other educators.

Abounding Popularity

By the end of the 1960s, many parents wanted to see the Montessori Method be taught in public schools because at that point, only private schools offered these teachings. The only Montessori schools opened in the 1960s were on a preschool level so children were forced to go back into a school system that only offered traditional learning ideas. Because of this, parents were worried their children would not have the best educational experience.

Current State of the Montessori Grammar School Program

With the help of many parents and some government funding, these Montessori programs became available in public elementary schools all the over the country so that those who requested it could spread the Montessori philosophy to other children and students. The United States presently has over 100 school districts devoted to the Montessori Method and most of these are fully developed and thriving.

When people wonder why these schools had such growing popularity back in the 1960s, they theorize that it was because Montessori schools provided an efficient alternative to the problems that were prevalent in public schools. Thanks to the Montessori Method, many children have experienced improved reading, writing, and comprehension skills at early ages. Also, they have expressed a greater desire and motivation to learn new things while being able to learn at their own pace and experience the expansion of knowledge in a whole new light, making it the ideal educational outlet for children who wish to learn.