The First Montessori Students

Maria Montessori first taught what were termed as 'feeble-minded' or 'retarded' children ; 'the learning disabled'. I think that's why her results were so outstanding and drew so much attention -not just nationally either. It was in 1907 ,the first 'Casa dei Bambini' of it's kind situated in apparently one of the poorest areas of Rome, San Lorenzo that these 'miracles' occured. Children deemed unable to learn or function were within 6 months teaching themselves to read and write using the equipment she provided. This equipment is now produced by a chosen few manufacturers worldwide.
Because she'd observed these kinds of children already as part of her voluntary and post graduate work at the University of Rome, she already had the idea that children's minds absorbed the most when placed in a prepared environment. That meant it should be laid out in an orderly fashion with apparatus and equipment available for the children to choose from. Furniture, for example, should also be child size to reduce any obstruction to their willingness to undertake a task.
It has been written that no one else has so accurately understood children both on a soul and an academic level.Nor has anyone else attempted to develop their immense capacities to learn which often outweigh their present ability to express it.