For me, this time of year is very special. It is not just the gentle fading of summer and the brisk advent of autumn. It is the annual return of students and teachers to the classroom — a timeless ritual like the leaves falling from the trees and the loons migrating south.
Many decades ago, I was one of these teachers. As a Head Start educator, I experienced the many challenges and joys that accompany looking after some of the youngest among us. These young Mainers were precious. They liked to play and have fun, so my colleagues and I would strive to make learning enjoyable. They were also curious and energetic. They were learning how to get along with one another and how to share and work as a team. They were learning how to say sorry when they had done something wrong or hurt someone. These are the basic life lessons that we all learn. These memories are some of the ones that I return to time and again. Reflecting on them, I would like to pay tribute to a few of the teachers whose impact earned them more than a few pages in the history books.
In the United States, women have made monumental changes to the American education system, changing the lives of generations of students. At the age of 29, one pioneer, Margaret Bancroft, opened the Haddonfield Bancroft Training School, which was the first private boarding school for children with disabilities in New Jersey. Margaret believed that children with special needs should have specialized programs that could be adapted to their unique physical and mental needs. Her lessons were designed for each individual, and these lessons valued the importance of proper nutrition, personal hygiene, exercise, prayer, and sensory and artistic development. Most importantly, teachers were trained how to individually tailor instruction. Also, students were able to enjoy recreational activities and trips such as visits to the circus, theaters, museums and concerts. Margaret’s ideas — and her vision — helped build the foundation for what would become the field of special education.
Another icon, Mary McLeod Bethune, was a daughter of parents who were formerly enslaved. Although she had limited access to education, she enrolled in a one-room schoolhouse, where she learned to read. Eventually, Mary became a teacher and opened her own school in 1904. As an adult, she was a close advisor to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt — becoming the highest-ranking African American woman in government and giving African Americans an advocate in Washington, D.C. Mary became a champion of Black women’s education and founded Bethune-Cookman University, helping women of color receive access to quality education. It set the educational standards for Black colleges today. At the same time, Mary was a tireless advocate for racial and gender equality. Her education helped her lead voter registration drives after women gained the vote. In 1924, she was elected the leader of the National Association of Colored Women’s Club. She later founded the National Council of Negro Women, became the vice president of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People and became a member of the advisory board that created the Women’s Army Corps.
There are countless women educators who have had a lasting impact on the American education system. If you are a teacher and you are returning to the classroom, you may find inspiration as I do in reading their stories. As Margaret and Mary demonstrated in their lives and their times, Maine teachers have the potential to leave their mark on their students and change the world. I thank you all for your dedication to Maine’s children. Your task is noble and worthwhile, and I appreciate your work.
Sen. Eloise Vitelli, D-Arrowsic, represents Maine Senate District 24, which includes all of Sagadahoc County.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
