Gateway Montessori School

The Montessori philosophy of education was developed by the Italian physician Maria Montessori in the first half of the 20th century. Trained as a scientist, not a teacher, Dr. Montessori observed children closely and methodically to learn their natural drives, desires and behaviors, an enlightening process she dubbed “The Discovery of the Child.” Using her tremendous insights, she created environments specifically suited to children at their various stages of development. In this way, her schools placed the child, rather than the teacher, at the center.

Dr. Montessori’s most radical assertion was that children construct their own minds, and that they do so through activity. She realized that the first six years of a child’s life are the most important in his development.