Horace is the Mann (kind of)

Except his misguided thoughts on the alphabet & learning to read

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What does it say about me that when I set out to write about Horace Mann it promptly led me into singing The Man by T.Swift? When that song first came out it always made me involuntarily cry. Not big ugly sobs but the quiet and restrained tears we reserve for Superbowl commercials and those Sarah Mclachlan sad-puppy PSA’s.

The tears triggered by The Man stem from a simmering frustration at being a woman in this society that is really good at holding up men. My insular little life lets the feelings lie dormant most of the time, but the dragon is there, ready to rain tears at the suggestion that being a man would make life easier by allowing your every action to be perceived differently. Maybe I’ll unpack that in a future newsletter because I am raising a strong-willed daughter and hope to raise a feminist son which will fully require more research, support, and a lot of thoughtfulness.

BUT this week, I am talking about a man (go figure). Horace Mann to be exact.

Horace Mann looking dapper with a very thick throat wrap

OK, so if you have heard or read about Horace Mann you might know him as the Father of American Education, and for good reason. When he became the first elected Secretary of Education for the newly founded Massachusetts Board of Education in 1837, he came in swinging hard with some full-on educational reform. He took it upon himself to personally visit as many schools in his State as he could, riding to them on horseback (I love to fully romanticize this image), to observe how the schools were being run and how they could improved. He took his honeymoon in Europe and used the trip to help further his educational research by visiting different European schools to compare their educational approaches to what he was seeing and experiencing in Boston. (This I do not romanticize but instead sympathize with his then-wife).

Mann grew up in the rural community of Franklin, Massachusetts, where he had only two months of required schooling a year. Hungry to learn more at a college, he first needed to gain the required knowledge and skills that his education did not afford him, and had to hire a private tutor. He proved an eager and successful student and was able to apply and attend Brown University, where he graduated Valedictorian in just three years.

Perhaps because of his educational background, he left his successful law career to become a philanthropist focused on ensuring public education was available to all children in the United States. He made a 6-month school year the standard and created a mandatory attendance policy, which got pushback from immigrant and rural communities whose children often helped at the family business to support the cost of living. But he also opened schools up to those children who lived in the community but did not have a permanent address, thus allowing unhoused children the opportunity to attend schools.

He was inspired by Prussian and European schools to create content that was relatable to children and to encourage teachers to use a friendlier approach, doing away with corporal punishment, and arguing for non-sectarian education that did not favor one religion over others.

He convinced the masses that public-funded free education for all would bolster democracy, productivity, and morality. In his Address No.12, which he gave to Congress in 1948, he suggested that education had the potential to close the socio-economic rift between the rich and the poor, an increasing concern in Massachusetts as it was the most populated state with an increasing discrepancy between the rich and the poor.

He created 50 high schools in his state during his tenure as Secretary of Education because he believed in education beyond the primary school.

He was an excellent orator and skilled writer, convincing the masses that schools should be publically funded by arguing that a more educated society is a more lucrative society. He championed education for all, despite their creed, class, or heritage.

He pushed for more women in teaching roles and standardized curriculum and methods by founding the first teacher training schools, called normal schools, to ensure that teachers were getting trained as specialists so education being offered could be consistent and quality. He had me cheering for him because he truly believed in providing equal educational opportunities for every American.

"Education … is the equalizer of the conditions of men, the great balance wheel of the social machinery." - Horace Mann

And then he had to go and hate the alphabet. Seriously. Mann called the alphabet letters “bloodless, ghostly apparitions.” HARSH. He went so far as to suggest that children were afraid of the alphabet. (I think maybe more they feared the corporal punishment and harsh Protestant messages they received in common schools primarily funded by religious institutions, but you know).

Scary Scary Alphabet

He said kids didn’t need to learn the alphabet but should approach reading from a whole-word method, where they would be presented with words on the page and then have to guess what they meant. He argued that you wouldn’t have a child understand a puppy by presenting it in its parts, but by giving the child the whole puppy. To which I say…..what?! I would argue if a child got a puppy and pulled its tail, you would quickly teach the child not to pull the tail unless they want to become familiar with the puppy’s teeth — and now we have learned about the puppy by studying its parts.

Knowing what I do about Mann after my research, I am sure that his whole word theory came from a good place. When he observed classrooms in Prussia, he noticed the kids engaging in reading texts in a way that the kids back in the States were not. The European schools were using pictures of simple items kids would recognize, such as a ball, and pairing the picture with the word BALL to help kids learn to read. This approach was in such stark contrast to the bible verses, catechisms, and rote phonics lessons laid out in the Primers, and it engaged young children in a way that made a lot of sense. It fell in line with the progressive thinking of the day which argued that if you want kids to learn something, you need to make learning appealing to them.

I am glad he wanted to do away with the brimstone and hellfire method of teaching, and that he didn’t believe in corporal punishment, but I sure wish that the alphabet hadn’t been struck down as well. In essence, Mann’s whole-word approach could arguably be the first pendulum swing in what has become The Reading Wars.

Despite meeting strong opposition for what were then radical views on education and his whole alphabet argument having some obvious holes, his reformation of the educational system was so successful and influential that by 1850, a scant 13 years after Massachusetts set up its Board of Education, all 31 states in the Union had set aside a fund for public education.

Mann stepped down from the Board of Education in 1848 when John Q. Adams died and Mann was his successor in the House of Representatives. After he held that office, he ran for governor (it is worth mentioning that he ran on antislavery platforms), didn’t win, quit politicking, and moved to Ohio to become a lecturer and the first President at Antioch College. Antioch spearheaded equality, non-sectarian, and co-education from its creation in 1852. It was the first college in the US to employ a woman faculty member as an equal to her male counterparts and admitted Black and white students over a century before the law required equal educational rights. In a historical commencement speech, he encouraged students to

"Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity." - Horace Mann

Tear. I guess I will forgive him for his alphabet faux pas.

Because he was so persuasive, so tireless, and so inspiring, it makes sense that his methodologies became strongholds in public education that persisted and permeated through the institution as public education grew. So many of his beliefs are worth championing, and even his desire to get young readers to engage more readily with the provided texts is worth applauding. His whole-word reading approach and his dislike of the alphabet, however, influenced the look-say reading approach (think the wildly popular Dick & Jane books) which may have caused more harm than good when it comes to literacy rates in the United States.

RESOURCES

https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/social-sciences-and-law/education-biographies/horace-mann, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Horace-Mann, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horace_Mann, https://www.pbs.org/onlyateacher/horace.html, https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-education/the-rise-and-fall-of-vibes-based-literacy

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FROM THE STAX

SCHOOL’S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL by Adam Rex Illustrated by Christian Robinson

School just got built and so far has only had Janitor in his building. But starting tomorrow he is going to be filled with kids and he is a bit nervous about the whole ordeal. A super fun and creative role reversal that takes some of the classic fears associated with starting school and lets the school feel the fear instead of the child. My eldest, who can so relate to being a bit nervous about starting school, loved the part where the kids in the cafeteria told a joke and made milk come out of a friends nose. Classic. This is a great read if you have a kid about to start school.

EARTH SPACE MOON BASE by Ben Joel Price

From a base on the moon an astronaut, robot, and “cheeky monkey” help protect all of mankind from terrifying space beasts by placating them with (what else) bunches of bananas. If it sounds a bit silly, it is! The monsters are fabulous, the rhyme scheme is great, and my kids love choosing which beast they’d want to bring home.

LIZARD FROM THE PARK by Mark Pett

Walking home from school one day Leonard takes a shortcut through the woods and discovers an egg. When a little lizard busts out Leonard names him Buster, and so the adventures begin. But is Buster really just a lizard? Or something much much bigger? When Buster grows too big for city life, how will Leonard get him back to where he belongs? My kids loved this book so much they’d ask me to read it to their friends. That is the ultimate stamp of approval.

WELL DONE, MOMMY PENGUIN by Chris Haughton

Mommy Penguin is going to get some food and she will be right back. Daddy and baby penguin watch her on her wild adventure at sea. She is nearly back to them when she accidentally wakes a walrus and is scattered back to the sea. Will she let the Walrus stand between her and her family? No way. My kids delight in Chris Haugton’s books for their mischevious nature, the bright blocky art, and the humor. If your local library doesn’t have this one, snag any title by him and you are sure to enjoy.

THE GREAT DRAGON RESCUE by M.P. Robertson

George is gathing eggs one morning from the chicken coop when he feels the whole coop shudder, looks out, and sees his friend dragon carrying him away. The tale quickly shifts to the land of make believe full of witches, dragons, and adventure. George uses his quick wit and bravery to save the day. My favorite thing about this book series is how quickly they become a full immersion into fantasy in a way that feels rare and truly magical. Check out any of the books in these series to be quickly and fully flown into a land of dragons and make-believe.

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Any songs making you randomly cry lately? Let me add them to my playlist! Which alphabet letter do you think is the scariest? Maybe W?? So pointy, so easy to get trapped in those big dips. Yikes.

See y’all next week and happy reading!