Jan Ligthart (11 January 1859 - 16 February 1916) was a
Dutch teacher
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. w ...
and
philosopher. He became known for his innovative educational methods and the modernisation of the Dutch education system. He wrote many articles and books about education.
Biography
Jan Ligthart was born on 11 January 1859 in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
, in the
Jordaan district. His father Cornelis Ligthart, was a carpenter and grocer, who suffered from
epileptic seizures. His mother Anna van Spall, daughter of a
pastor
A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...
, came from
Klundert. Both of his parents died during his childhood. Ligthart graduated from the Reformed Christian college of
Bloemgracht.
Afterwards he worked in several schools as a teacher. In 1886, he married Marie Cachet, with whom he had three children, two daughters and one son. Due to his illnesses he was put in a
sanatorium. On 16 February 1916 he died after falling in a canal and drowning.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ligthart, Jan
1859 births
1916 deaths
Dutch educators
Writers from Amsterdam
Accidental deaths in the Netherlands
Deaths by drowning