AMI Talks - International Women's Day: Finding my Voice
Montessori’s contribution to helping women develop their sense of agency
Years before she became an advocate for the rights of children, Montessori was a voice for the women of her time. Growing up in the late 19th century, Montessori overcame societal strictures that defined what she could achieve as a woman and worked actively to help other women take control of their bodies and advocate for themselves. As we celebrate Women’s Day today, author, researcher and historian, Erica Moretti traces Montessori’s early work in this field.
Reflecting on their observations of the impact of Montessori training on women in different settings, Trainers Uma Ramani and Helen Mohan Elias discussed how the Montessori approach to Education as an Aid to Life helps women gain a fresh perspective on themselves and their role in society, helping them become agents for social change in their communities. As we celebrate Women’s Day, they explored the enduring power of Montessori’s work in helping women find their voice and realise the strength of their contributions to society.
Presenters
Erica Moretti holds a Ph.D. in Italian studies and her research interests include modern Italian intellectual and social history, biopolitics, gender studies, and modern and contemporary Italian literature. Moretti’s book, The Best Weapon for Peace: Maria Montessori, Education, and Children’s Rights reframes Montessori’s pacifism as the foundation of her educational activism, emphasizing her singular vision of the classroom as a springboard to reshaping society. This title was awarded the American Association for Italian Studies (AAIS) and the International Standing Committee for the History of Education (ISCHE) first-book prizes and is shortlisted for the Laura Shannon Prize in Contemporary European Studies.
Helen Mohan Elias holds AMI Diplomas at the 3-6 (1999- 2000) and 6-12 (2018- 2019) levels from the Montessori Training and Research Trust (MTRT), Hyderabad, India. She has been working at MTRT for the last 25 years in various capacities. Helen is deeply involved with the EsF wing of the AMI. She organized the fifth EsF Assembly in Hyderabad in 2016. She was part of the AMI team at the sixth EsF assembly in South Africa in 2017 and the seventh EsF assembly in Mexico in 2019. Helen has been actively involved in developing the Community Rooted Education (CoRE) programme in collaboration with AMI Trainer Uma Ramani. Helen holds AMI Diplomas at the 3-6 (1999- 2000) and 6-12 (2018- 2019) levels from the Montessori Training and Research. She is currently an AMI 3-6 Associate Trainer.
Uma Ramani is Director of Training (3-6) at the Montessori Institute of North Texas (MINT), Dallas, Texas. Uma is passionate about the rights of children and the application of Montessori education in diverse settings. She spearheaded the design of AMI blended training and piloted the AMI 3-6 blended course at MINT in 2019. She coordinated the design of the Montessori Core Principles course and has directed this course at MINT since 2019. She is deeply involved in AMI EsF and designed the EsF Community Rooted Education (EsF CoRE) approach for grassroots level Early Childhood Education providers. She works closely with communities around the world to implement CoRE.
