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The Miseducation of Maria Montessori
Article

The Miseducation of Maria Montessori

Her method was meant for the public. Then it became a privilege.

Jessica Winter
The New Yorker, 2022
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Eye Opening
  • Overview
  • Engaging

Recommendation

If you’ve ever wondered about the Montessori approach to early childhood education, Jessica Winter’s account – historical, current and often funny – is a good place to begin. She outlines Maria Montessori’s start in Rome’s insane asylums to the commercialization of her methods, to the modern parent’s conundrum where even the cheapest Montessori classroom is beyond financial reach. If it’s any consolation to the cash-strapped parent, Montessori’s methods are now an inescapable part of most preschools and kindergarten classrooms, and if Jeff Bezos has any say, it’ll be a bigger part of public education in the future.

Take-Aways

  • The Montessori approach to education suggests that given the right environment, children are attentive, self-directed and disciplined learners.
  • Maria Montessori’s revolutionary ideas about early childhood education originated in Rome’s insane asylums.
  • Montessori started out serving Italy’s most destitute students, but her schools have become so commercialized that many can’t afford them.

About the Author

Jessica Winter is a Brooklyn-based writer and an editor at The New Yorker. Her work has been published in The New York Times, Slate and Bookforum.

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