Biography
Miss Martha Mildred Simpson was born on 3rd May 1869 in County Tyrone, Ireland.
In the year of 1883 she and her father emigrated to Australia, living in the Northern rivers area of New South Wales.
Martha began working with the Department of Public Instruction in 1886 and was later made head of the Kindergarten section of the Public School in Tamworth.
She later became a Lecturer on education matter within the district and was to become involved in new ways of education after an overseas visit.
The new system was named the 'Montessori method of Education'. The Blackfriars Demonstration School located in Sydney, Australia was one of the first public schools in the world to adopt the Montessori approach to education.
Miss Simpson was by now he Mistress of the Infants' Departrment became enthusiastic for the Montessori approach and travelled to Europe in 1912/13 to research the method.
In 1914 Miss Simpson prepared a "Report on the Montessori Methods of Education" commissioned by the Hon. A. C. Carmichael, Minister for Education. The report included numerous photographs of the Blackfriars Montessori environment. this method was to be adopted at Blackfriars school upon her return to Australia. ..
