Maria Montessori initially resisted a career in teaching, one of only a few professions open to women in that time period.
Maria Montessori initially resisted a career in teaching, one of only a few professions open to women in that time period. She became one of the first women to become a medical doctor in Italy in the 19th century, and specialized in psychiatry and pediatrics.[7] Maria Montessori began developing her educational philosophy and methods in 1897, attending courses in pedagogy at the University of Rome and learning educational theory.[8]: 60  While visiting Rome's mental asylums during her schooling with a teacher, Montessori observed that confined children were in need of more stimulation from their environment.[9] In 1907, she opened her first classroom, the Casa dei Bambini, or Children's House, in a tenement building in Rome.[8]: 112  From the beginning, Montessori based her work on her observations of children and experimentation with the environment, materials, and lessons available to them. She frequently referred to her work as " scientific pedagogy".