Helen Parkhurst (March 8, 1886 – June 1, 1973) was an American
educator
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
, author, lecturer, the originator of the
Dalton Plan, founder of
the Dalton School and host of ''Child's World with Helen Parkhurst'' on
ABC Television Network.
Parkhurst took her cues from developmental psychologist
Jean Piaget and education reformers such as
John Dewey
John Dewey (; October 20, 1859 – June 1, 1952) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. He was one of the most prominent American scholars in the f ...
and
Horace Mann, producing a progressive education philosophy emphasizing the development of the "whole child".
Early life and education
Born in
Durand, Wisconsin, she graduated from
Wisconsin State Teachers College at River Falls in 1907, studied at the universities of Rome and Munich as well as with
Maria Montessori and was awarded her
M.A. in 1943 from
Yale University. She taught briefly in Wisconsin, moved to
Tacoma, Washington, in 1909, and returned to Wisconsin as the director of the department for the training of primary teachers at
Stevens Point Normal School from 1913 until 1915. For a time, Parkhurst served as director of all
Montessori schools
The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...
in the United States.
Career
After further work with Montessori in Rome, Parkhurst wrote several books like ''Education on the Dalton Plan'' (1922), ''Work Rhythms in Education'' (1935), ''Exploring the Child's World'' (1951), ''Growing Pains'' (1962) and ''Undertow'' (1963) and had her own national radio and television programs. Parkhurst hosted a children's educational program on
ABC Radio Network in
New York City.
Parkhurst was a 1948 recipient of a Radio - Television Critics Award and a 1949 recipient of the 13th American Exhibition of Educational Radio Programs Award.
Parkhurst was the author of ''Education on the Dalton Plan'', which was published in 58 languages; ''Exploring the Child's World'', with an introduction by
Aldous Huxley, and ''Growing Pains'', a book about teenagers. Parkhurst was named one of the 100 Educators of All Time. Parkhurst was decorated by the
Queen of Italy,
Empress of Japan, and
Queen of the Netherlands. Maria Montessori best summarized Parkhurst's career by stating, "Her intelligent activity is truly rare and precious."
Eleanor Roosevelt greatly admired Parkhurst's work and played a significant role in expanding the population and resources of her school.
Legacy
Parkhurst's influence has spread across the globe, with schools in the
Netherlands,
England,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and others adopting the Dalton Plan of education. The Helen Parkhurst Exhibit at the
Pepin County Museum traces the life and legacy of Parkhurst. There is a "Helen Parkhurst Dalton School" in
Rotterdam and a Parkhurst Lecture Hall at
UW-Stevens Point.
References
External links
A short biography from a Dutch web site(in German)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parkhurst, Helen
American educational theorists
1880s births
1973 deaths
Yale University alumni
People from Durand, Wisconsin
Philosophers of education