#FirstMontessorischoolinNorthAmerica

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Montessori USA History Part 2- Clamoring for Educational Solutions

Clamoring for Educational Solutions In part I we wrote: The genesis of the Montessori movement in the USA can be traced to five pertinent developments: Americans visiting Montessori schools in Rome (some training with her), the publication of Montessori’s books in the US, the first journalistic articles on the Montessori phenomenon appearing in the US, the support of famous individuals, and Montessori’s visits to and tours across the US.

THE FIRST MONTESSORI ASSOCIATIONS IN THE US The growing interest in the Montessori method led to the formation of the Montessori Educational Association (MEA) in 1913. Many luminaries were involved with this association - Mabel Bell was the founding president, and Margaret Wilson (the president’s daughter) the founding secretary.  Dr Montessori recognized the association and worked closely with them. By the middle of the following year, the association had several hundred members. Its main objective was to disseminate Montessorian views and to assist with the development of Montessori schools and teacher training. They published a journal called the Bulletin. After the National Montessori Promotion Fund was established by Montessori herself, the MEA decided to dissolve in 1916.

Margaret Wilson, Founding Secretary Of the Montessori Educational Association At the end of her second tour of the US, Montessori founded the National Montessori Promotion Fund, with herself as the chairperson and Helen Parkhurst as the resident chief administrator. Later, Parkhurst and Montessori had a fallout and the former left Montessorianism and promoted the Dalton plan, her child-centered initiative. McClure AND McClure's MAGAZINE PAVED THE WAY In the early 1900s, Montessori’s leading promoter in the United States was Samuel S. McClure, owner of the popular and stimulating McClure’s Magazine. It cannot be denied that he was in awe of the Montessori method and saw it as the future of education in the US with himself playing an instrumental role in that history. As a businessman, he also saw it as a new road to financial glory.  In the two years leading up to Montessori’s first visit to the US, “McClure’s Magazine ran a series of laudatory articles on Montessori and her method; for a time, the magazine featured a monthly section entitled the Montessori Department. Touting Montessori as an ‘educational wonder worker,’ McClure proclaimed that the development of the Montessori method marked ‘an epoch in the history of education and a turning point in the lives of all who take part in it.’ Ellen Yale Stevens, principal of the Brooklyn Heights Seminary, praised McClure’s efforts in bringing Montessori to an American audience: "For the first time, I believe, in the history of educational thought, a new movement has come to the front through the medium of a popular magazine instead of employing a scientific treatise by a specialist in education, which would naturally have limited appeal. The result of this is that the interest of the whole country has been aroused, not only in the work of Dr Montessori in Italy but in the present state of education in this country." (The Montessori Method, p.25 New York, 2004, Gerald Lee Gutek ) Due to business-related developments, he was forced to sell his magazine but remained an ardent supporter of the Montessori movement. Armed with the support of many key US Montessorians (and the support of the Montessori Educational Association), he travelled to Rome in 1913 and persuaded Montessori to visit the US on a speaking tour in a joint program with him. This led to a most remarkable event in the American Montessori annals. It was due to his ambitious financial expectations that an unbreachable rift occurred between him and the source of his admiration. By Mid-April 1914, the McClure era in the US Montessori movement had come to a sad end; however, he made a contribution that should not be forgotten. MONTESSORI’S 1913 AND 1915 US VISITS By the time of Montessori’s first visit in 1913, the US was home to over 100 Montessori schools (she stayed there for most of December). She received a very warm welcome and was feted by famous politicians and social thinkers; she was given a reception at the White House and gave talks across the US to huge crowds (including at the famous Carnegie Hall, where over 1000 people had to be turned away ). She returned to Rome after a very successful tour, which had generated renewed interest in all things Montessori. The success of this visit and the Montessori clamor in the US that had followed it prompted her to make another visit in 1915. This time she stayed for two years - her son, Mario, had accompanied her. This visit was sponsored by the National Education Association (NEA) the massive professional teachers association of the US. She visited the US a few times after that in her personal capacity, the last visit being in 1918.

Carnegie Hall    A ROLLING WAVE  The five pertinent developments that established the Montessori movement in the US, were crowned by Montessori’s tours. Enthusiasm soared and the number of Montessori schools kept growing in leaps and bounds up to just before 1920. The period, 1910 -1920 is appropriately called the first wave of Montessorianism in the US by Gerald Lee Gutek (2004). LOOK OUT FOR PART 3 - THE EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENT BITES BACK SOURCES: Montessori A Modern Approach, Paula Polk Lillard, 1972 Montessori Comes to America, Phyllis Povell, 2010 The Montessori Method, New York, 2004, Gerald Lee Gutek Free Resources: Fun & Interactive Montessori Quizzes Montessori Books & Lesson Plans Montessori Terminology Popular Post - Montessori in the Public Sector Read the full article