Photograph of Italian kindergarten class (asilo), Ottawa, 1938 - solo in inglese

Photograph of Italian kindergarten class (asilo), Ottawa, 1938. Instructors were Ada Tiezzi Brandonio (back left) and Signora Mancini (back right).

Ada's grandsons were in the class. Italo Tiezzi appears ninth from the left in the second row. Silvio Tiezzi is the third from the left in the front row.

Italo remembers that they were provided with Montessori toys by the Italian government. In addition to Italian, the children were also taught other subjects like mathematics.

Montessori refers to an educational approach developed by Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori (1870-1952). Until the mid-1930s, the Montessori educational approach was supported by the Italian fascist government.

Ada's son, and Italo and Silvio's father, Gino Tiezzi, was later arrested and interned as a threat to the Canadian state.