About Horace Mann | horacemann

Horace Mann:

A Biography

Early Life

Horace Mann was born in 1796 in Franklin, Massachusetts. He was a part of a poor farming family where education was minimal. A small one-room schoolhouse was his source of education, but only for about 8 weeks each year. So, up until 20 years old, Mann was self-educated. His frugal and non-opportunistic childhood lead Mann to strive for a better community in Massachusetts.

Mann was determined to recieve a higher education despite his lack of fomal education. In 1816, at age 20, Mann attended Brown University as a sophomore. It was here that he gained interest in political, social, and educational reform. He then went on to receive a law degree and became a lawyer. Not long after, in 1827, Mann served his first term on the House of Representatives for Massachusetts. Ending his legacy there in 1833, he moved on to the Massachusetts Senate, lasting from 1835 - 1837.

Common School in Montana,

1893

6 Principles of Education

Horace Mann was an accomplished reformer, politician, and teacher of his time. Mann never failed to educate the public on his views and what he thought would be best for America. One of his most famous lectures was on his 6 principles of education, and how if followed, America's youth would grow up to be successful citizens.

Horace Mann's

6 Principles of Education:

1. The public cannot stay ignorant if they wish to keep their rights
2. This education must be headed and paid for by the public
3. This education would embrace children of many backgrounds
4. This education must not be influenced or controlled by any religious or political groups
5. This education must be run by the principles of a free society
6. This education must be provided by teachers that are trained professionals.

Horace Mann: 1796 - 1859

Educational Reform

Education in Massachusetts was not consistent in the early 1800s. Schools were small, not mandatory, and often run down. The length of the school year was highly dependent on the farming season, so an eight-week school year was not uncommon. Lastly, a child could only learn as much as the teacher knew and could teach from the books. While there were adequate textbooks, the teacher's skills and knowledge had a tendency to be sub-par. All of these factors contributed to the first board of education for Massachusetts, with Horace Mann as their secretary.

The goal of the board was to better education and keep it more uniform. Since the board lacked funding, Mann's role was to be more of a leader than anything. It is because of him that a tax-funded, secular, high-quality education was offered to the public by 1830. This movement that swept Massachusetts, and later other states, is known as the Common School Movement, since these new tax-funded schools were known as common schools.

Mann found one simple answer to the question of how to better the education offered to the students - to train the teachers. Mann started a biweekly journal known as the Common School Journal, which talked about education and was aimed towards the teachers who were listening. In addition, Mann was a major influence in the creation of Normal Schools across the country, starting in 1838. Normal schools were institutions specifically aimed at educating teachers in order to give children a higher quality education. Mann was a true believer in this, and preached this new movement for as long as he lived.

A Typical Classroom in

the 19th Century

Controversy

The Prussian Factory Model of Education

1900s

While Mann was instrumental in bringing a more enforced educational system into America, it does not mean that he was the first to create this. Mann received most of his ideas about education from the Prussian school system, where school was under government control and parents were punished if their children did not attend. In Prussia, education was nonsectarian, attendance was mandatory, and the teachers were trained. This standardized way of education in Prussia was known as "The Factory Model of Education" since it utilized industrialization ideals. Mann used these principals and tailored them to Massachusetts' needs by putting school under state control instead of government.

The problem with the factory model of education was that it never changed, even though history did. Essentially, even with the introduction of the internet, education stayed the same since the 1800s. Some have criticized that children should not learn at someone else's pace, and blame Mann for bringing this rigid structure into America. However, that type of schooling was needed during the time, and was even revolutionary because it made sure a free education was available to everyone.

Other problems that rose during the time included the system's disapproval by certain groups. Orthodox and liberal Protestants protested the idea of a nonsectarian school, wanting instead for children to be taught under their parent's beliefs. Protestants also detested the idea of a centralized power having control over education.

Another group that Mann did not attend to was the disabled - especially deaf Americans. Mann believed that schooling depended on oral teachings, so those who were deaf were not expected, by Mann, to learn. There was nothing in Mann's public schools that would accommodate the disabled. Mann also attacked sign language on occasions, too. This was the start of long term consequences for deaf Americans striving for an education.