Maren Bastine Hals Michelet (May 26, 1869 – February 5, 1932) was the first Norwegian teacher in any public high school in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and promoter of

Scandinavian culture Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swede ...

. She was also a referent teacher for Scandinavian languages when the three-language education system (of the land, of the immigrant homes, for professional purposes) was introduced in public school in the United States.

Life

Maren Bastine Hals Michelet was born on May 26, 1869 to Nils Christian Michelet (1838–1920), a former deputy collector of customs and attorney in Minneapolis, and Johanne Hals (1836–1920). The Michelet family moved to Minneapolis from Menomonie, Wisconsin. Maren had three brothers, Simon Themstrup (b. 1871), secretary to Senator Knute Nelson, Wilhelm Ludvig Christian (1873–1946), and Ove Hals Jean (b. 1865). She lived with her parents at 1807 S 4th St, Minneapolis, and attended the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

Career

Maren Michelet was a teacher of Scandinavian languages in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and indeed she was the first Norwegian teacher in any public high school in the United States. During the years 1906–1910 Dr. J. N. Lenker began to campaign for a three-language education—of the land, of the immigrant homes, for professional purposes. Michelet's Scandinavian heritage was essential to her role as a teacher when the Minneapolis School Board decided to include Northern languages in the ordinary curriculum. In 1917 Michelet produced her survey: of 168 high schools contacted in Scandinavian, 73 replied. 43 schools, in 7 states, were teaching in Norwegian to 1,380 students, and 20 schools in 3 states were teaching in Swedish to 918 students. She was also a strong promoter of Scandinavian culture. In 1917 she was nominated officer of the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study. In 1923 she was elected Education Secretary. The main center for Norwegian studies in High School in 1925 was Minneapolis. Michelet was one of the four referent teachers. In 1925 Michelet was decorated by

Haakon VII of Norway Haakon VII (; born Prince Carl of Denmark; 3 August 187221 September 1957) was the King of Norway from November 1905 until his death in September 1957. Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen as the son of the future Frederick V ...

Works

In 1914, Maren Michelet published ''First Year Norse'', a high school textbook for grammar of Norwegian language. In 1916, Michelet published ''Glimpses from Agnes Mathilde Wergeland's life'', a translation of ''Glimt fra Agnes Mathilde Wergelands liv'', the biography of Agnes Wergeland, Norwegian-American historian, poet and educator and the first woman to earn a doctorate in Norway. She also did surveys on schools, prepared course studies, and edited a version of Henrik Ibsen's ''Terje viken''.

Death

Maren Michelet died on February 5, 1932. She is buried at Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis, Plot: Section 5 Lot 405 Grave 8.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Michelet, Maren American historians 1869 births 1932 deaths American women historians Norwegian–English translators Scandinavian studies scholars Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study American people of Norwegian descent University of Minnesota alumni Schoolteachers from Minnesota People from Minneapolis Burials at Lakewood Cemetery 20th-century American translators 20th-century American educators 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American women educators Language teachers