Category Archives: Education

Marietta Johnson founded experimental school during the Progressive Movement

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During the Progressive Movement of the early 20th century, teacher Marietta Johnson founded an experimental school that earned national and international acclaim. Photo credit: Public Domain

Many exceptional educators spearheaded the Progressive Education Movement in our country in the early 20th century. One of these was Marietta Johnson, the founder of an experimental school which earned national and international acclaim.

Marietta was born on Oct. 8, 1864, in St. Paul, Minnesota. As a young woman, she graduated from the normal school now known as St. Cloud State University in 1885. In Marietta’s day, the purpose of a normal school was to educate and prepare teachers for teaching in public schools.

Marietta launched her career as an educator in rural elementary and secondary schools in Minnesota. She even served as a trainer of new teachers in various normal schools. Marietta was recognized as an exceptional teacher using established teaching methods, but during these years, she embraced the emerging philosophy of progressive education. She came to believe that children should be exposed to child-centered environments, immersed in nature, studying outdoors, and learning at their own pace.

In 1902, Marietta moved with her family to Fairhope, Alabama. Five years later, she founded a progressive school she named the School of Organic Education. The school was built near the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, a location selected for its natural beauty, temperate climate, and potential for growth. The modernized curriculum emphasized learning in outdoor environments and offered crafts and folk dancing in addition to traditional academic subjects. There were no final exams, no homework, and no failing grades.

Marietta’s school was so successful it was profiled and praised by the leading educational philosopher of the day, John Dewey, in his book Schools of Tomorrow, published in 1913. As a result of this notoriety, education professionals from all around the country and in Europe visited the school to observe progressive education in action. A powerful and charismatic public speaker, Marietta toured the United States and overseas on the lecture circuit to promote her progressive educational practices. Today, Marietta’s school still operates and is known as the Marietta Johnson School of Organic Education.

Sadly, Marietta passed away in Fairhope on Dec. 23, 1938. She was 74 years old. She is buried at Colony Cemetery in Fairhope. To learn more about the Marietta Johnson School of Organic Education, click on this link to the school’s official website.

VT English teacher Leanne Harple elected to her state’s House of Reps

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High school English teacher Leanne Harple has been elected to serve in her state’s House of Representatives. Photo credit: Vermont House of Representatives

Many fine public school teachers also represent their communities in political bodies. this is true of Leanne Harple, a high school English teacher from Vermont who is currently serving in the Vermont House of Representatives.

Leanne was born and raised on a Christmas tree farm in Glover in rural Northeast Kingdom. Once she graduated from Lake Region High School, she attended Vermont’s Johnson State College, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and Theater Arts and her Master’s degree in Education. She currently lives in Glover with her husband and two young children.

For more than a decade Leanne has taught English courses at Hazen Union School in Hardwick, Vermont. She has taught there for 11 years. She formerly served roles as the President and the Vice-President of the Orleans Southwest Education Association. In the past, she has served her community as a Select Board Member and she currently serves as a Justice of the Peace.

In Nov. 2024, Leanne was elected on the Democratic ticket to a seat in her state’s House of Representatives representing Orleans-District 4, which includes Albany, Craftsbury, Glover, and Greensboro.. She was sworn in on Jan., 2025, and her current term expires on Jan. 6, 2027. In her capacity as a state representative, Leanne has declared she intends to focus on such issues as affordable housing, climate action, education, health care, and mental health support, emphasizing the particular challenges faced by rural communities in Vermont. While serving, Leanne says she hopes to “address the many systemic problems that prevent kids from being ready to learn when they come to school, including childhood poverty, hunger, and anxiety.”

To read more about Leanne Harple, click on this link to an interview with her published online by the vtdigger.

Great gifts and inspirational reading for Winter Break

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Season’s Greetings!

I’m sure busy educators all over the country are busy wrapping up their current instructional programs, creating holiday lessons and programs, working on finals, and calculating semester grades. So much to do before the onset of Winter Break. At the same time, these dedicated professionals are decorating their classrooms, homes, and yards for the season, while also addressing holiday cards, baking cookies, and shopping for gifts. So much to do to get ready for Christmas, too.

Speaking of Christmas shopping, I have a suggestion. Why not buy an inspirational book for the teacher in your family, your child’s special teacher, or that favorite co-worker at your school? Or you could indulge yourself, and stock up on something inspirational to read during your much-needed Winter Break. I have two splendid titles to suggest:  Chalkboard Champions: Twelve Remarkable Teachers who Educated America’s Disenfranchised Students (available here) and Chalkboard Heroes: Twelve Courageous Teachers and Their Deeds of Valor (available here), each one available in print or in e-book formats and reasonably priced.

Enjoy!

Civil Rights activist Fannie Richards first Black teacher in Detroit

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Civil Rights activist Fannie Richards of Detroit, Michigan, is recognized as the first African American school teacher in her city. Photo credit: Black Then

Throughout our country, many excellent educators logged “firsts” in their community. One of these was Fannie Richards. She is recognized as the first African American school teacher in Detroit, Michigan.

Fannie was born on Oct. 1, 1840, in Fredericksburg, Virginia, the child of free persons of color. When she was just a child, her family moved to Toronto, Canada. She enrolled in Canadian public schools, and once she graduated, she continued her studies at Toronto Normal School and then in Germany, where she worked with education expert Wilhelm Frobel as he developed the innovative new concept of kindergartens.

Once she returned to the United States, Fannie landed in Detroit. Because of her exceptional scholastic record, she was able to secure a position as a teacher in Detroit city schools. But in 1863 Fannie decided to strike out on her own. She opened a private school for African American children, which she operated for five years. In 1868, she returned to public schools when she was hired to teach in Colored School No. 2.

Under the leadership of John Bagley in 1870, Fannie and members of her family protested vehemently against Detroit’s segregated school system. The effort yielded the desired results when, in 1871, the Michigan State Supreme Court ordered the Detroit Board of Education to abolish separate schools for White and African American children. That same year, Fannie was transferred to the newly-integrated Everett Elementary School, where she established the first kindergarten in Detroit. In all, she taught at that school for 44 years.

Fannie’s activism went beyond the classroom, as she founded the Phyllis Wheatley Home for Aged Colored Ladies which was established to meet the needs of poor and elderly Black women in her community. In 1898, she became the home’s first president.

In 1915, after a career that spanned more than 50 years, Fannie retired. She passed away seven years later on Feb. 13, 1922, at the age of 81. For her work in Michigan’s schools, the Chalkboard Champion was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame.

Missouri Home Ec teacher Bonnie Leman inducted into Quilters Hall of Fame

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Home Economics teacher Bonnie Leman of Missouri was inducted into the Quilters Hall of Fame. Photo credit: Quilters Hall of Fame

Many outstanding educators also earn a name for themselves in fields outside the classroom. This is certainly the case with Bonnie Leman, a teacher from Missouri who has been inducted into the Quilters Hall of Fame.

Bonnie was born on Sept. 28, 1926, in Purdin, Missouri. When she was only 16 years old, she enrolled at Park University, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Home Economics with a Minor in English in 1947. After earning her degree, she inaugurated her career as a teacher of English and Home Economics at the junior high level in Shannon City, Iowa. Later she relocated to Abilene, Kansas, where she taught school.

In 1953, Bonnie left Kansas to move to Colorado, where she earned her teaching credential from the University of Denver.  While studying there, she met George, a fellow graduate student, and the two were married. The couple raised seven children together.

By 1969, Bonnie had left the classroom to pursue a career in publishing. She founded Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine, the first publication to celebrate the following art to be published in the United States. In fact, she is credited with reviving and fostering an appreciation for the art form. Eventually her readership grew to more than 200,000 subscribers in over 100 countries. She wrote and published numerous books about the making of quilts. In 1982, this accomplished former teacher was inducted into the Quilters Hall of Fame. In 1994, she was honored with the first Silver Star Award from Quilts, Inc., the parent company of the International Quilt Festival and Quilt Market.

Bonnie Lehman passed away on Sept. 4, 2010, in Arvada, Colorado. She was 83 years old. To read more about her accomplishments, click on this link to an online article about her published by The Quilters Hall of Fame.