Visiting Marie Montessori’s Home in Amsterdam

While in Amsterdam I had the privilege of visiting Marie Montessori’s home where she lived till her passing in 1952. This is where she resided upon her return from India with her son Mario after World War II

The second floor (with the French balcony) houses her study which has been preserved to its original state.

I was in awe as I enter this space which reveals the accomplishments and historical heirlooms of her life. Her graduation gown is on display as are some of the early Montessori materials, like colour box three beautifully crafted with silk ribbon.

To stand at the desk, look around at the achievements flanking the walls and to leaf through her actual handwritten notebooks was surreal. This is where she sat to write lectures and speeches, letters to family and influential world leaders. Dr. Montessori is a hero of mine and I was overwhelmed with a wave of emotion.

Dr. Montessori was a pioneer, her tenacity and commitment to children was unwavering. She had to fight her way in a male-dominated world, breaking barriers and laying the first stones on a pathway of gender equality.

I had to smile while viewing her degree from the University of Rome certified as a doctor of medicine in 1896. This was the first time they had ever had a female graduate and had to carefully amend the template which reads “Signor” (Italian for mister) to “Signora” (madam) with a handwritten “a”! Dr. Montessori was often alienated and ostracized as the only female in the class and was not allowed to work on cadavers in the presence of her male classmates and would have to wait till they were finished to enter the room alone. How isolating this must have felt, yet she continued on. I admire her strength and perseverance when it would have been encouraged and welcomed for her to quit.

With this in mind, my smile becomes even bigger when I view a photo taken as Dr. Montessori addresses the UNESCO conference in Florence Italy in 1950, at the age of 80, two years prior to her death. It is evidence not only of Dr. Montessori’s influence on the world stage but also her vitality and passion even in her final years of life.

In this picture, I quickly noted the confidence and poise she had while presenting her views to rows upon rows of men. This is a realistic depiction of what Conferences of this time would look like, white male-dominated. Yet, she was welcomed and given the opportunity to speak at an event of that prestige a short 54 years after reviving her doctrine. Although she is not often remembered as a feminist icon, after this trip it was yet another title I would attribute to this remarkable women.

Dr. Montessori was admired and recognized by some of the most influential people of her time such as Gandhi, Pope Leo Xll, Helen Keller and was nominated for a noble peace prize twice.

It is an honour to be called a Montessorian. And a privilege to educate children following her method and philosophy. I will be forever changed by this experience as it reconfirms the path I myself am on.