History of Horace Mann

Horace Mann

I learned about Horace Mann in an education class I took in college. I'm sure not many people heard of Horace Mann so I wanted create this blog to educate and make everyone more aware of his many contributions to education in America. His ideas from 1840 are still in place today in many schools today. His reform changed education in this country and helped women's rights to an education. Read some of the facts about the history of Horace Mann:

• Born May 4, 1796 in Franklin, Massachusetts


• He worked and lived on a farm


• Studied at Brown University


• Worked as an assistant under Judge James Gould in Lichfield, Connecticut


• Admitted to the Bar in Massachusetts in 1823


• Elected to be a member of the Massachusetts General Court in 1827


• Became Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education in 1837

As the Secretary of the Board of Education Mann had the most influence on schooling and education. today we take for granted that schools will have running water and toilet facilities but when Mann visited many schools in the 1830's he found them to be inadequate and found they posed health and safety risks to the children. School buildings had no ventilation, no toilet facilities, and no water for drinking or washing. Students sat on backless benches and the rooms were too small to accommodate all the students.
Mann realized education needed reform. The industrialization of America was posing a threat on moral values and Mann though it would be easier to instill values on the youth rather than change adults. Schools became the place to instill such values in children. Mann's belief in education changed this country and changed the way we look at education even today. Read more about Horace Mann and his contributions to education in my blogs......

Sources:
School: The Story of American Public Education ., Innnovators retrieved from
http://www.pbs.org/kcet/publicschool/innovators/mann.html


Tozer, S., Senese, G., Violas, P., (2008) School and Society: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives. (pp 63-77 ).