ANDOVER - Earlier this month, 1,400 educators gathered in Rome to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first Montessori school.

They came from every continent, from Austria to Zimbabwe, but they all discovered that their schools - and the philosophy behind them - were remarkably similar to each other's, and to the first school opened by Maria Montessori in 1907.

"Children are children," said Janine Vecchia Leach, a teacher at Andover School of Montessori. "They haven't changed over the course of 100 years. They have their own internal drive to learn and to work."

Leach and nine of her colleagues traveled to Rome for the weeklong celebration of Montessori's founding and growth through the years. They toured the first school that Maria Montessori opened, which is still up and running, and heard from some of the world's foremost experts on the Montessori philosophy.

"This one woman has spread her philosophy across all continents, and we all got to celebrate that philosophy," Andover teacher Sarah O'Brien said.

When Maria Montessori opened her first school, known as Casa dei Bambini, the child-centered philosophy became one of the world's first forms of alternative education, said Myra McGovern, spokeswoman for the National Association of Independent Schools.

In the century since, thousands of Montessori schools have been established around the world. And its influence can now be seen in other public and private schools, where increasing numbers of teachers are moving away from lectures and allowing students to experience and figure out things for themselves, McGovern said.

"It's becoming much more of a part of general education," she said.

Any school can adopt the Montessori name, so there is no official count of how many there are in the world. There are five in the Merrimack Valley, including two in Haverhill and one each in Andover, North Andover and Methuen.

Local Montessori educators agree that the philosophy's unique approach is the key to its continued growth and popularity.

"Montessori education is very individualized, and it's very hands-on," said Peg Roberts, executive director of Hill View Montessori Charter School of Haverhill. "They use a lot of concrete materials and not a lot of textbooks so the children learn the basics and understand why things happen."

Montessori gives children chances to figure things out for themselves, which helps them become more independent and confident. Teachers lead few group lessons and do not rely on textbooks.

"When you walk in, it doesn't look like it's structured," Roberts said. "But it's very structured. The children are all working on their own things, and they learn time management."

The Andover teachers who traveled to Italy said classrooms are like that throughout the world because Maria Montessori's observations of children's behavior apply to all children. If anything, they came to realize that U.S. Montessori schools have too many extra resources and materials that can take away from the philosophy's mission.

"We really need to get back to the root of her cause," O'Brien said.

The trip to Italy will not be Andover School of Montessori's only celebration of the 100th anniversary. Some teachers will travel to New York in March for American Montessori Society's commemoration - as will a contingent from Hill View.

"We can't wait," Roberts said.

About Montessori

Montessori classrooms provide a prepared environment where children are free to respond to their natural tendency to work. The children's innate passion for learning is encouraged by giving them opportunities to engage in spontaneous, purposeful activities with the guidance of a trained adult. Through their work, the children develop concentration and joyful self-discipline. Within a framework of order, the children progress at their own pace and rhythm, according to their individual capabilities.

Source: Association Montessori Internationale