The Soul of a Child by Kate Fuglei

Author:Kate Fuglei
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mentoris Project

Renilde Montessori greeted her daughter warmly when she returned from Milan. Knowing she would be tired and hungry, Renilde prepared one of Maria’s favorite meals, pasta marinara. Alessandro smoked a pipe as they lingered over a dessert of fig tarts. It was early spring 1909. A slight breeze ruffled the dining room curtains.

With her parents, and especially her mother, Maria could express herself openly about her professional life.

“On some days, I feel I am being torn into pieces,” she said. “There are so many things to keep track of. The new schools that are opening. Staffing them with correctly trained teachers. Manufacturing all the materials and making sure they are paid for. Then there are my lectures and my continued teaching at the university.

“Don’t get me wrong. I know God has given me a gift. But because the Montessori method is new and not always understood, I feel I have to be there myself to oversee new schools and teachers. A desire to teach in a Montessori school isn’t enough. It took me weeks with Lucia, even though no one could have been more willing and eager. I spent nearly twenty years developing these concepts, and I can’t expect anyone to understand them in just one day. They also need to understand the underlying principles, the history, and the specificity of how important it is to offer the right thing to each child at the right time. And they need to practice with real children.”

“And then there are the letters,” said Alessandro, pointing with his pipe to the stacks of mail on the hall table.

“And the presents that have arrived from around the world,” said Renilde. “The Americans sent something in a huge box. It was so heavy the postman could barely carry it up the stairs.”

“Now you’ve piqued my curiosity,” Maria said.

They opened the box together. It was a beautiful set of linen sheets. Beneath the sheets were several large, heavy bottles of an amber-colored liquid. A note read:

Dear Doctor Maria Montessori,

This gift represents the two sides of my life. The linen sheets are handwoven on our estate in Perugia. The liquor is Kentucky bourbon whiskey that can only be made in the state of Kentucky in my native America.

Thank you for allowing my husband and me to visit Casa dei Bambini. It was enlightening, and I hope to bring Montessori to the schools on our estate in Perugia. I will be in Rome on May 2 and would love to see you. I will come for you at 9 a.m.

Yours truly,

Alice Hallgarten (Baroness Franchetti)

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