Education for Young Women

meline Joslin was very fortunate to receive an excellent education as a young girl. E She attended Keene Academy, earning the honor of being the youngest student ever accepted there; and was given the excep- tional opportunity to attend college. In the early 19th century, education for females was not wide spread as implied in Maria’s April 1861 letter, “…talk proper then it will come handy to write so, you know I do not but there was no pains taken with me when I was young but I hope you will take care & try to use good language all the time.” Maria obviously took pains to educate herself as an adult because she was able to coach her daughter in college-level courses.

In colonial New England, most boys and girls were taught to read, however, few girls attended formal schools. Each town had some form of primary school, paid for by taxes; but only 10% offered secondary education. Also, children were often educated in “Dame schools” where basic subjects such as reading and writing were taught by women in their own homes. Dame schools were based on an English model of home instruction. The majority of these female instructors did not hold advanced degrees in education or teaching credentials from accredited academic institutions. Most were in their teens or early twenties, with many having little or no education beyond the eighth grade. Wealthier families hired governesses often with the same untrained experience. C. 1850 Maria Emes Joslin C. 1850 Emeline Emes Joslin Boys who attended Dame schools were prepared for town school or academy but girls were not allowed to make this advancement until the 19th century.

Emeline at School

Topics she studied included Geometry, Trigonometry, Geography, Physical Education/Gymnastics, German, Mental Philosophy, Algebra, French, Botany, Surveying, Geology, Latin, History, Chemistry, Elocution, Music and Astronomy. The Beginnings of Framingham ~ January 1860 Normal School Emeline reports that “Mr. Bigelow had me stop after school today & have a private interview with him. He is as good as pie. He urged my coming back for the Advanced In Lexington, Massachusetts on July 3, 1839, three young women braved a fierce storm to Course. He said he wanted to fit some young ladies to take the Higher Schools… I asked enroll in a new experimental school of higher education. This Normal School, the first him about the studies. Well, he named over a long string of the high English Studies & state-supported school dedicated to training teachers in America, would one day become ended up with Latin, French & German. He said that I had a natural capacity for the Framingham State University. languages [and]…should make an excellent teacher in the languages!!!!! …he said he wanted young ladies whose manners were good, & general characters excellent, fitting The Normal School began in a building standing on the northeast corner of Lexington them for high [school] stations …” Common. The school’s mission was established by Unitarian minister Reverend Cyrus Peirce. The curriculum was a model for educating future teachers. ~ March 1860 Emeline says that, in her advanced studies, “Mental Philosophy… is now called The institution in Lexington was awarded the designation of State Normal School by the Logic… In German we are declining nouns. It is real fun.” Massachusetts Legislature. In 1850, to certify a standard of professionalism for its graduates, the School’s first printed diplomas were ~ January 1861 issued.”

C. Maria tells her aunt “My lessons for tomorrow are Theory & Art & Eng. History The Normal School outgrew its facilities twice, moving first to they are … splendid only there are too many dates in History”. West Newton in 1844 and finally in 1853 to its permanent

location in Framingham. a new school building, designed by a ~ March 1861 local architect named Alexander Esty, was constructed. Emeline writes “…we have just commenced Solid Geom. It is much like beginning a new book… I like Mr. B. very much in French …The other day … After we had read short C. 1860 photo of Framingham Normal School. sentences a while, he said ‘Miss Joslin may read the whole exercise.’ So up I got & Perhaps Emeline is one of the students standing on the porch. blasted away. I like it far better than German … I’ve taken quite a fancy to Men. Philoso phy lately. We are in Reasoning which is quite interesting. I have been reading on the subject out of one of those books I took from the Library, & find it a great help … Yester From 1848 to 1898, the Normal School conducted an advanced program for students who day afternoon we had Gymnastics … We had some new exercises that were very pretty. aspired to careers in high school and college teaching, school administration, law and We went by couples & on my side of the room took the promenade step. They called it medicine. This program opened unprecedented educational and career opportunities for skipping, not dancing by any means. A good many girls who would call dancing awful women. The Normal School became a model for the education of excellent teachers to thought that skipping very delightful!” She adds that Dr. Lewis “lectured about Tea & meet the demand of common schools. Coffee… he said ladies never drink strong tea. He never found one who drank strong tea any more than one who wore a tight dress.” There were also Normal School graduates who participated in the suffrage and temperance movements, and in all of the significant education are forms of the time. ~ March 1862 Emeline reports that “Mr. Hovey the principal of the Phillips school in Boston (where In 1866, Annie Johnson was appointed Principal. Although she was not a graduate of the cousins Will & Gilman used to go) presented himself at our school …and we think he school, she was the first woman to serve as head of a Massachusetts Normal School. was…looking for a teacher to take some place in Boston … Maria had an interview with him & he said he knew Mr. & Mrs. Joslin. On Thursday…Mr. Mason of Boston, one of Ellen Hyde, class of 1862, succeeded Johnson as Principal in 1875 and served until 1898, the Board of Visitors, came into school… At recess, we had a nice talk …He said a good becoming the first graduate of Framingham to be its chief administrator. many Grammar Schools in large towns were to have females to take the head instead of The school expanded under the leadership of both these women. men on account of hard times.”

Letter Writing

Writing was perhaps one of the most important subjects because letters were the main way to communicate.

Reed and quill pens date back to the writing of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The metal pen point was patented in 1803. They were mass produced in England by 1811. Paper was invented by 2nd century BC. Paper envelopes, known as chih poh, were used to store gifts of money. In the west, another British patent was granted in 1845 for the first envelope making machine. Prior to that, hand-made envelopes were all that were available for use, both commercial and domestic.

~ March 1861 Maria cautions Emeline, “write some thing deffinate, to show that you minded what you heard & saw…to show by your letters that you have a mind & use it to some profit” She adds “you need not write so much about the looks of people & their dress, they all look well enough if they dont look cross.”

Little Women & Louisa May Alcott

The sisters portrayed in Little Women were obviously educated.

* Amy was attending a school in Concord, making references to her girl friends there.

* The accomplishments of Meg, Jo and Beth are implied to have been from home schooling.

* Meg, being the oldest was employed by a local family as a governess.

* Jo was very well read, books and writing being two of her loves.

Lousia May Alcott and her three sisters were educated by their father, Amos Broson Alcott. He was an education theorist and put his ideas to work on his family. Alcott believed that education should be a pleasant experience, and he included physical education, dance, art, music, nature study, and daily journal writing in the course of studies he established at his school, the Temple School, in Boston, Massachusetts. The school was successful at first, but it later failed when he insisted on allowing a black child to attend, and by 1835, all the remaining pupils had withdrawn.

The Alcotts moved to Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts, where Bronson established the Concord Summer School of Philosophy in a converted barn. The school flourished until shortly after his death in 1888. Louisa’s early education also included lessons from the naturalist Henry David Thoreau who inspired her to write Thoreau's Flute based on her time at Walden's Pond.