Margaret Ann Montgomery Bailey (9 June 1879 – 5 June 1955) was the headmistress of

Ascham School , motto_translation = With Heart and Soul , established = , type = Independent, day and boarding , gender = Girls , educational_authority = , oversight = , district = , denomination = , slogan = , ...

Edgecliff, New South Wales Edgecliff is a small suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Edgecliff is located 4 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woollah ...

. During her 30 years as headmistress, her educational philosophy raised Ascham School to prosperity and prominence across Australia. The school totaled over 400 students at her retirement in 1947. She was an educator, world traveler, and women's activist.

Life and career

Bailey was born at

Toowoomba, Queensland Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...

. She was the eldest child of John Bailey, grazier, and his wife Jane, née McCurdy, who raised her in the

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

faith. She graduated from the Newnham School for Girls in Toowoomba, and won an exhibition to the University of Sydney. She completed her baccalaureate in 1900, taught at various schools in the area, and later studied abroad in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. While abroad, she discovered that she could not converse in the

French language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...

, despite having graduated with honors in French. This circumstance sparked her interest in language pedagogy, which she would research in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. She would later earn an education diploma from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. Bailey returned to Sydney in 1914, and bought

from former headmaster H. J. Carter. In 1916, she became an educationist at the school, and found opportunity to solve the school's problems pragmatically—for instance, purchasing student uniforms from army disposal outlets. She adapted the

Dalton plan The Dalton Plan is an educational concept created by Helen Parkhurst. It is inspired by the intellectual ferment at the turn of the 20th century. Educational thinkers such as Maria Montessori and John Dewey influenced Parkhurst while she created ...

to her school in 1927. The plan's

Montessori school 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 ...

inspiration, combined with the school's enthusiastic staff, saw the plan launched to great success. Bailey would also introduce the purchase and construction of several other buildings and classrooms to accommodate Ascham School's growing body of pupils. In 1937, Bailey and a council of governors incorporated the school as a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

. She became an active member of the Headmistress' Association of Australia and the New Education Fellowship, later serving as vice-president and then president of the Sydney University Women Graduates' Association. Bailey retired in 1947, and died peacefully in

Roseville, New South Wales Roseville is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Ku-ring-gai and Willoughby. Roseville Chase is a separate ...

in 1955.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Margaret Ann Montgomery Australian schoolteachers 1879 births 1955 deaths Australian headmistresses