Maria Montessori Phrases: The 10 Best
Maria Montessori was one of the great minds of the twentieth century. She was a doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist, philosopher, anthropologist, biologist, pedagogue and scientist. His cultural background was impressive. She was also the first Italian woman to graduate in medicine. Today we recall some phrases of Maria Montessori.
Maria Montessori revolutionized education. His ideas and theories had a global impact on pedagogy. Many of its teachings are still applied today, although those who use it do not always know where they come from.
In the sentences of Maria Montessori many of the ideas she presented about education are reflected. Her approach was loving and respectful towards the child. He gave a very important value to the game and a central role to autonomy. Below we present some of the most famous phrases of Maria Montessori.
Phrases by Maria Montessori
Help the children
One of Maria Montessori’s phrases says the following: “Those who are served, instead of being helped, are in a certain way harmed in their independence. This concept is the foundation of human dignity: ‘I do not want to be served because I am not helpless, but we must help each other, because we are sociable beings’; this is what you need to achieve before you feel truly free. “
The concept of help for Maria Montessori always hinges on the consequences of not clarifying what support is and what is not. Facilitating things for the child for no reason instead of helping him only serves to stop him. He reiterates this by saying that “any useless aid is an obstacle to development”.
The meaning of education
Maria Montessori establishes a close relationship between education and freedom. We teach and learn to be more independent and atonomy. To avoid being manipulated and to be able to act consciously and without pressure. One of Maria Montessori’s phrases says that “development is an impulse towards ever greater independence; it resembles the arrow that, when launched with a bow, flies straight, safe and strong ”.
The teacher is a guide in this process towards autonomy. He cannot and must not make his pupils depend on him. On the contrary, his goal is to make them depend less and less on him. Maria Montessori remembers it once again: “ The greatest sign of success for a teacher is to be able to say -the children are working as if I didn’t exist-“.
Education changes everything
Montessori was certain that education was a key factor in changing the world. He thought it was the quintessential scope for giving a better direction to the history of humanity. One of Maria Montessori’s phrases says: ” If there is hope for salvation and help for humanity, this help can only come from the child, because man is built in him “.
Similarly, another of Maria Montessori’s phrases points out: “Education from the dawn of life could really change the present and the future of society”. Both in the previous postulate and in this one, the emphasis is placed on the value of the child as a builder of new realities. On the determining role of education as the setting that makes these great changes possible.
Physical and mental dimension
Much of Maria Montessori’s pedagogical method is based on facilitating the child’s interaction with his reality. He must not only observe it, but connect with it, explore it and learn from that experience.
This concept is highlighted in the sentence: “If we consider physical life on the one hand and mental life on the other, we would break the relationship cycle and , consequently, man’s actions would remain dissociated from the brain”.
Pass on education to a child
For Maria Montessori, education was an integral process. It is not just for forming minds, but people. For this reason, teaching is not just about transmitting knowledge. It is also an ethical act of respect and love. Express the big difference between education and instruction in the following sentence: “The best teaching uses the least amount of words needed for the task.”
One of Maria Montessori’s most beautiful phrases reads as follows: “If you criticize a child too often, he will learn to judge others”. With this statement he wants to underline the fact that, in the end, the child reflects what the adult transmits to him.
The Montessori method is one of the most lucid and intelligent in pedagogy. Its impact was very strong. Almost a century after its appearance it continues to be in force, because it is the result of a profound sensitivity and overwhelming clarity.
