In reading Montessori's The Secret of Childhood, I noticed her mention a poet and author who declared that the 20th century would be the "century of the child". The name of this writer was Ellen Key. A little wikipedia research later and I discovered that this woman with whom I share a surname was a real pioneer as both a feminist and a humanist. She was one of the first to point the way to child-centered education. And you can read some of her work for free, courtesy of Project Gutenburg. Strange, I know it is just a faint connection of three letters but I feel excited to learn about such a fascinating woman. I am always on the hunt for role models and from the brief biography I read of Key, I think I might have found a new one.
