Iowa’s Carrie Chapman Catt: Teacher, activist, and suffragist

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Carrie chapman Catt

Suffragette and Iowa schoolteacher Carrie Chapman Catt. Photo Credit: thought.com

Many times throughout American history, talented teachers earn national recognition for achievements outside of the classroom. Such is certainly the case for Carrie Chapman Catt, a school teacher and activist from Iowa who labored tirelessly to earn the vote for women.

Carrie was originally born Carrie Clinton Lane in Ripon, Wisconsin, to parents Lucius and Maria Louisa Lane. She was raised in Charles City, Iowa, where her family had moved when she was seven.

After high school, Carrie graduated from Iowa State Agricultural College, having worked her way through school as a teacher in the summer months. Her father, a subsistence farmer, contributed only $25 a year to her education, partly because he didn’t have a lot of financial resources, but mostly because he didn’t believe in advanced education for girls. But the young woman was determined to get a college degree. After her graduation, she continued to teach, earning a stellar reputation as an educator. In time, she was promoted to the position of Superintendent of Schools.

Carrie could have remained in that comfortable job until retirement, but she was determined to improve the lives of the women of her day. The right to vote for women became her life’s passion. The intrepid teacher became one of the leading forces for the Suffragist movement, which lobbied state by state, and eventually descended upon Washington, DC, to pressure Congress into passing a constitutional amendment that would grant women the right to vote. Once that goal was accomplished, Carrie spent the rest of her life advocating for peace and human rights.

You can read more about the life of this remarkable educator in my second book, Chalkboard Heroes: Twelve Courageous Teachers and Their Deeds of Valor, available on amazon.

Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, founder of Hawaii’s Kamehameha Schools

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Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop established Kamehamea Schools to teach Native Hawaiian students how to preserve their culture, history, and language. Photo credit: Public Domain

While conducting research for my book Chalkboard Champions, I learned a great deal about numerous types of schools that I had never heard about in my thirty-odd years as an educator. Industrial schools, emancipation schools, farm schools, normal schools, specialist schools. Where were all these terms when I went through student teaching? One type of school I learned about that I found particularly intriguing is the Kamehameha School located in the beautiful state of Hawaii.

Kamehameha Schools were first established in 1887 at the bequest of Bernice Bishop, also known as Princess Pauahi, a member of the Hawaiian royal family when the state was still a territory. Princess Pauahi and her beloved husband, an American named Charles Reed Bishop, had no children of their own, and so when she passed away in 1882 at the age of 52, she directed that her vast estate should be used to benefit and educate underprivileged Native Hawaiian children. Two schools were built: one for boys and one for girls. Eventually the two schools were merged to form a coed school, now located on a six-hundred-acre campus on the main island of Oahu overlooking Honolulu Harbor.

Kamehameha Schools serve the important function of preserving Native Hawaiian culture, history, and language. One of the ways this is done is through the annual choral competition known as the Kamehameha Song Contest, where traditional Hawaiian songs and dances as well as new compositions in the genre are performed by the students. This is a wonderful tradition that goes back 45 years.

When I think of Chalkboard Champions, my first thought is of teachers, of course, but individuals such as Princess Pauahi who support schools financially and with their volunteer hours are also heroes to our students!

Read more about Kamehameha Schools in my book Chalkboard Champions, available on amazon.

Ruth Q. DePrida worked tirelessly for retired California educators

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Retired teacher and principal Ruth Q. DePrida worked tirelessly for the benefit of retired educators and others in the state of California. Photo credit: Find A Grave.

There are many Chalkboard Champions who work tirelessly for the benefit of their colleagues. One of these was Ruth Q. DePrida, a retired teacher and principal who threw her considerable energy into improving retirement benefits for her fellow California educators.

Ruth DePrida was born and raised in Southern California. As a young woman, she attended UCLA, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in education. She earned her Master’s degree in Education from USC.

Once she earned her degrees, Ruth accepted a position as a teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She taught for 13 years, and then was promoted to the position of elementary principal, where she served another 23 years as the head of both the Rosewood Ave. Schools and third Street Schools..

After Ruth retired from the teaching profession, she became dedicated towards improving the lives of retired teachers. She became active in California Retired Teachers Association. In 1981, she was appointed to Chair the State Legislation Committee, a position she held until 1996. While serving on this body, she worked toward guaranteed purchasing power protection for retirees, and she advocated for the Elder Full Funding Act and the Desert Protection Act. During her term, the Elk Hills Petroleum Reserve agreement was developed. The state wanted to put the funds gained from this agreement into the general fund, but Ruth worked to see that those profits were designated for retired teachers in the Supplemental Benefit Maintenance Account instead. In 1984, Governor George Deukmajian appointed Ruth was appointed to the State Teachers’ Retirement Board, where she served until 1996. She brought to the Board the perspective a system retiree.

All throughout her life, Ruth was a tireless worker for the welfare of all, including children and seniors. She spent 50 years lobbying for children’s hospitals, schools, teachers, and retried teachers. She also became interested in the cause of nursing home reform based on her own difficulties in finding adequate care for her own family members and friends.

To learn more about Ruth Q. DePrida, see this obituary published by the Los Angeles Times.

Blind teacher of the blind, Chalkboard Champion Genevieve Caulfield

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American teacher Genevieve Caulfield pioneered Special Education for the blind in Asian countries. What’s most amazing about her was that she was nearly blind herself! Photo credit: 5000’s Magazine

Our nation’s special education students are truly fortunate to have talented and dedicated teachers working tirelessly on their behalf. One such teacher was Genevieve Caulfield, a teacher for the blind who was, herself, visually challenged.

Genevieve was born on May 8, 1888, in Suffolk, Virginia. When she was only two months of age, she lost her sight when a doctor accidentally spilled a bottle of corrosive medicine over her eyes. A later operation restored some sight to her right eye, but for the rest of her life she saw only shades of gray. Despite her handicap, she taught herself to live like a sighted person, and to be independent and useful.

Genevieve was seventeen years old when an incident involving prejudice and a lack of cultural understanding prompted her to choose a career in teaching. She determined to learn about Japanese culture while helping the blind in their country. It took the persevering  young lady fifteen years to achieve her goal. By then she qualified as a teacher of English, practiced teaching to the blind, and proved she could survive on her own and earn a living.

In 1923, Genevieve traveled to Japan, where she taught English and Braille to blind students. In 1938, after learning that in Thailand, blind children were considered throw-away children, she mastered the difficult Thai language, traveled to that country, and founded the Bangkok School for the Blind, an institution partially financed by her own savings. When World War II ended, the hardworking educator opted to remain in Bangkok and continue her work with her school. From 1956 to 1960, at the invitation of the government of VietNam, Genevieve organized a school for the blind in Saigon. This institution also served as a rehabilitation center for boys.

This Chalkboard Champion received several honors for her many dedicated years of service. In 1961, Genevieve was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding. On December 6, 1963, seventy-three-year-old Genevieve received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her work for the blind in Asia. The award was authorized by President John F. Kennedy, but due to the young president’s assassination, the honor was bestowed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1960, Genevieve published an autobiography about her achievements entitled The Kingdom Within.

This remarkable educator passed away on December 12, 1972.