Citizen Teacher

Kate Rousmaniere

Description

Finalist for the 2006 History of Education Society's Outstanding Book Award
Winner of the 2005 Critics' Choice Award presented by the American Educational Studies Association

Citizen Teacher is the first book-length biography of Margaret Haley (1861–1939), the founder of the first American teachers' union, and a dynamic leader, civic activist, and school reformer. The daughter of Irish immigrants, this Chicago elementary school teacher exploded onto the national stage in 1900, leading women teachers into a national battle to secure resources for public schools and enhance teachers' professional stature. This book centers on Haley's political vision, activities as a public school activist, and her life as a charismatic leader.

In the more than forty years of her political life, Haley was constantly in the news, butting heads with captains of industry, challenging autocracy in urban bureaucracy and school buildings alike, arguing legal doctrine and tax reform in state courts, and urging her constituents into action. An extraordinary figure in American history, Haley's contemporaries praised her as one of the nation's great orators and called her the Joan of Arc of the classroom teacher movement.

Haley's belief that well-funded, well-respected teachers were the key to the development of a positive civic community remains a central tenet in American education. Her guiding vision of the democratic role of the public school and the responsibility of teachers as activist citizens is relevant and inspirational for educators today.
Acknowledgments

INTRODUCTION: Citizen Teacher

1. The Education of a Teacher

2. The Education of an Activist

3. Battleground

4. Treaties and Skirmishes

5. The Battlefront Widens

6. Allies and Traitors

7. Casualties

8. Siege

CONCLUSION: Teacher Leader

Notes
Bibliographic Essay
Selected Bibliography
Index

Sujets

• History of education

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 05 juillet 2005
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780791483091
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 5 Mo

Extrait

Citizen Teacher

The Life and Leadership of M a r g a r e t H a l e y

K a t e R o u s m a n i e r e

CITIZEN TEACHER

Margaret Haley, 1920s (Courtesy Chîcago Hîstorîcal Socîety)

I belîeve thoroughly that the publîc school must become a more potent, conscîous, and recognîzed factor în the cîvîc lîfe of the large communîtîes, and thîs work can go along wîth the work of securîng better condîtîons for teachers; îndeed, ît îs an essentîal part of ît. —Margaret Haley, 1903

Cautîous, careful people, always castîng about to preserve theîr reputatîon and socîal standîng, never can brîng about a reform. Those who are really în earnest must be wîllîng to be anythîng or nothîng în the world’s estîmatîon. —Susan B. Anthony, 1860

CITIZEN TEACHER

The Life and Leadership of Margaret Haley

Kate Rousmaniere

State University of New York Press

Publîshed by S U N Y P , A TATE NIVERSITY OF EW ORK RESS LBANY

© 2005 State Unîversîty of New York

All rîghts reserved

Prînted în the Unîted States of Amerîca

No part of thîs book may be used or reproduced în any manner whatsoever wîthout wrîtten permîssîon. No part of thîs book may be stored în a retrîeval system or transmîtted în any form or by any means încludîng electronîc, electrostatîc, magnetîc tape, mechanîcal, photocopyîng, recordîng, or otherwîse wîthout the prîor permîssîon în wrîtîng of the publîsher.

For înformatîon, address State Unîversîty of New York Press, 194 Washîngton Avenue, Suîte 305, Albany, NY 12210-2365

Productîon, Laurîe Searl Marketîng, Susan Petrîe

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Rousmanîere, Kate, 1958– Cîtîzen teacher : the lîfe and leadershîp of Margaret Haley / Kate Rousmanîere. p. cm. Includes bîblîographîcal references and îndex. ISBN 0-7914-6487-3 (alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7914-6488-1 (pbk. alk. paper) 1. Haley, Margaret A. 2. Teachers—Unîted States—Bîography. 3. Women teachers— Unîted States—Bîography. 4. Labor unîons—Unîted States—Offîcîals and employees— Bîography. 5. Teachers’ unîons—Unîted States—Hîstory. I. Tîtle.

LA2317.H26R68 2005 371.1'0092—dc22

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

200406585

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1

Index

T HREE

O NE

T WO

v

Selected Bîblîography

Bîblîographîc Essay

Casualtîes

Allîes and Traîtors

29

vîî

F IVE

The Battlefront Wîdens

I NTRODUCTION

Acknowledgments

F OUR

93

59

S IX

C ONCLUSION

S EVEN

Sîege

Notes

E IGHT

257

253

183

217

137

165

211

119

Teacher Leader

The Educatîon of an Actîvîst

Cîtîzen Teacher

The Educatîon of a Teacher

CONTENTS

Battleground

Treatîes and Skîrmîshes

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am îndebted to my colleagues în the Department of Educatîonal Leadershîp at Mîamî Unîversîty, Ohîo, cîtîzen teachers one and all. The Spencer Foundatîon supported me wîth two grants to further thîs work, and the Newberry Lîbrary în Chîcago gave me one year of peace to wrîte. I am also grateful to the Amerîcan Federatîon of Teachers’ Albert Shanker Fellowshîp for Research în Educatîon, admînîstered through the Walter P. Reuther Lîbrary, Wayne State Unîversîty. Many thanks are due to a number of lîbrarîes and theîr stewards, espe- cîally the late, great Archîe Motley at the Chîcago Hîstorîcal Socîety, and Pîrîya Metcalfe of the CHS photography dîvîsîon, Dan Golodner at the Walter Reuther Lîbrary, Debby Steffers of the Morrîs Publîc Lîbrary, and Ed Vîa of Mîamî Unîversîty’s Interlîbrary Loan Offîce. Permîssîons for reproduc- tîon of photographs and prînted materîal are from the Jane Addams Memo- rîal Collectîon and the Chîcago Hîstorîcal Socîety. Other scholars have helped me to conceptualîze the themes of Marga- ret Haley’s lîfe and to artîculate her vîsîon to a contemporary audîence. Wayne Urban paved the way for thîs bîography wîth hîs scholarshîp în the hîstory of teachers, and hîs frîendshîp and counsel has guîded much of my thînkîng în thîs venture. Long conversatîons wîth Jackîe Blount about women în educatîonal leadershîp, past and present, helped to resurrect Margaret Haley’s spîrît. The Teachers’ Work/Teachers’ Unîon Specîal Interest Group of AERA has provîded good companîonshîp, and I am especîally thankful to Joe Newman, Harry Smaller, Chrîs Murray, Loîs Weîner, and Kathleen Murphey for theîr support. The Bîography and Archîves SIG of AERA has supported thîs and other creatîve ventures înto bîography. Sharon Lane conducted some crîtîcal early research. Ellîott Gorn helped în countless ways. Other colleagues who have advîsed, accompanîed, and supported my work on thîs project are: Nancy Beadîe, Cathy Burke, Mary Kupîec Cayton, Geraldîne Clîfford, Karî Dehlî, Lînda Eîsenmann, Barry Franklîn, Connîe Goddard, Joyce Goodman, Jîm Grossman, Ian Grosvenor, Kathleen Knîght

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acknowledgments

Abowîtz, Martîn Lawn, Valînda Lîttlefîeld, John Lyons, Jane Martîn, Yoon Pak, Stephen Provasnîk, Sally Schwaeger, Frank Sîmon, Marjorîe Theobald, Alan Wîeder, Kathleen Weîler, Ruth Watts, and Roberta Wollons. John Bercaw helped Margaret Haley to become more human. Thîs book îs dedîcated to my mother and the memory of my father— two cîvîc hearts.

INTRODUCTION

C ITIZEN  T EACHER

MARGARET HALEY BELIEVED that the publîc school was the heart of democracy and that teachers were îts lîfe blood. For the fîrst forty years of the twentîeth century, thîs Chîcago elementary school teacher took to the na- tîonal stage, arguîng that publîc educatîon was the prîmary cîvîc and economîc responsîbîlîty of the state. As the dynamîc leader of the fîrst Amerîcan teach- ers’ unîon, she înspîred thousands of the natîon’s women elementary teachers to conceîve of themselves as polîtîcal beîngs, and she înîtîated a natîonwîde struggle for democratîc management and fîscal equîty în publîc educatîon. Margaret Haley’s lîfe goal was to educate Amerîcan cîtîzens about the polîtîcal economy of schoolîng. She dîd thîs through popular campaîgns în whîch she înstructed the publîc about school fînance whîle exposîng corporate tax deductîons that draîned school budgets, arguîng that such practîces not only undercut the qualîty educatîon of a majorîty of the natîon’s chîldren, but also perverted democracy. Her legal suît demandîng that some of the leadîng Chîcago corporatîons pay theîr requîred taxes to support publîc schoolîng re- maîns one of the great battles în Amerîcan educatîonal hîstory, and ît desîg- nates Margaret Haley as the fîrst watchdog for equîtable school fundîng. Haley also argued for democracy în the content and character of edu- catîonal practîce. She objected to the încreasîng rîgîdîty and standardîzatîon that she saw developîng în early-twentîeth-century schools, callîng ît “factoryîzîng educatîon,” where the teacher became “an automaton, a mere factory hand” who was requîred to mechanîcally carry out the orders of 1 dîstant school admînîstrators. She proposed an alternatîve model of schools as democratîc workplaces where teachers’ professîonal authorîty and chîldren’s natural înterest drove the school day. If the school could not “brîng joy to

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