Lucy Wheelock
Encyclopedia
Lucy Wheelock was an educator and founder of Wheelock College
, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
She was born in Cambridge, Vermont
, the daughter of Edwin Wheelock and Laura Pierce. Her father was a Congregational minister and superintendent of schools, and also served in the Vermont state legislature. After early education in local schools and at home, Lucy attended Underhill Academy, then went to high school
in Reading, Massachusetts
, where she graduated in 1874.
After a brief stint teaching back home in Vermont
, Lucy Wheelock went to the Chauncy Hall School, Boston, to prepare for entrance to Wellesley College. After visiting a kindergarten
class, however, she decided that was her vocation. On the advice of Elizabeth Peabody
, she attended the Kindergarten Training School in Boston. She graduated in 1879 and returned to Chauncy Hall to teach kindergarten.
In 1888 the Boston public schools added kindergartens, and Miss Wheelock began a one-year training program for teachers at Chauncy Hall. The school was a success, and she expanded it to two years, then turned it into an independent school. Later the school added training for primary and nursery school
teachers. The school moved to its permanent location, 100 The Riverway, Boston, in 1914.
Lucy Wheelock served on several crucial national committees focused on issues in kindergarten education and teacher training. She served as president of the International Kindergarten Union (IKU) from 1895-1899. She chaired the so-called Committee of Nineteen, appointed by the IKU to prepare a definitive report on the status of kindergarten philosophy and methods. She addressed education issues with a number of national groups, and wrote books on kindergarten education.
Miss Wheelock received an honorary doctorate
from the University of Vermont
in 1925.
Lucy Wheelock retired in 1939. At that time the Wheelock School was incorporated and became Wheelock College
.
Lucy Wheelock, Talks to Mothers (1920).
Lucy Wheelock, ed. Pioneers of the Kindergarten in America(1923).
Wheelock College Library Milestones: A Timeline of Wheelock College at www.wheelock.edu
Biography of Lucy Wheelock at www.wheelockgenealogy.com
Wheelock College
Wheelock College is a private, coeducational college located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school was founded in 1888 by Lucy Wheelock. The mission of Wheelock College is to primarily improve the lives of children and families...
, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
She was born in Cambridge, Vermont
Cambridge, Vermont
Cambridge is a town in Lamoille County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,186 at the 2000 U.S. Census. Cambridge includes the village of Jeffersonville.-History:...
, the daughter of Edwin Wheelock and Laura Pierce. Her father was a Congregational minister and superintendent of schools, and also served in the Vermont state legislature. After early education in local schools and at home, Lucy attended Underhill Academy, then went to high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Reading, Massachusetts
Reading, Massachusetts
Reading is an affluent town situated in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, some north of central Boston. The population was 24,747 at the 2010 census.-Settlement and Independence:...
, where she graduated in 1874.
After a brief stint teaching back home in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, Lucy Wheelock went to the Chauncy Hall School, Boston, to prepare for entrance to Wellesley College. After visiting a kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
class, however, she decided that was her vocation. On the advice of Elizabeth Peabody
Elizabeth Peabody
Elizabeth Palmer Peabody was an American educator who opened the first English-language kindergarten in the United States. Long before most educators, Peabody embraced the premise that children's play has intrinsic developmental and educational value.-Biography:Peabody was born in Billerica,...
, she attended the Kindergarten Training School in Boston. She graduated in 1879 and returned to Chauncy Hall to teach kindergarten.
In 1888 the Boston public schools added kindergartens, and Miss Wheelock began a one-year training program for teachers at Chauncy Hall. The school was a success, and she expanded it to two years, then turned it into an independent school. Later the school added training for primary and nursery school
Nursery school
A nursery school is a school for children between the ages of one and five years, staffed by suitably qualified and other professionals who encourage and supervise educational play rather than simply providing childcare...
teachers. The school moved to its permanent location, 100 The Riverway, Boston, in 1914.
Lucy Wheelock served on several crucial national committees focused on issues in kindergarten education and teacher training. She served as president of the International Kindergarten Union (IKU) from 1895-1899. She chaired the so-called Committee of Nineteen, appointed by the IKU to prepare a definitive report on the status of kindergarten philosophy and methods. She addressed education issues with a number of national groups, and wrote books on kindergarten education.
Miss Wheelock received an honorary doctorate
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
from the University of Vermont
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
in 1925.
Lucy Wheelock retired in 1939. At that time the Wheelock School was incorporated and became Wheelock College
Wheelock College
Wheelock College is a private, coeducational college located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school was founded in 1888 by Lucy Wheelock. The mission of Wheelock College is to primarily improve the lives of children and families...
.
Publications
"Report of the Committee of Nineteen." Proceedings of the Fourteenth Annual Meeting of the International Kindergarten Union, April, 1907, New York City. Cleveland, Ohio: Electric Printing Co., 1907Lucy Wheelock, Talks to Mothers (1920).
Lucy Wheelock, ed. Pioneers of the Kindergarten in America(1923).
Sources
- Catherine C. DuCharme. "Lucy Wheelock: Her Life and Work" Childhood Education 76 no. 3, 164-9. Spring 2000.
- Abigail Adams Eliot, "Lucy Wheelock." In Edward T. James, ed., Notable American Women 1607-1950 (Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1971).
- Durward Howes, ed. American Women: The Official Who's Who Among the Women of the Nation, 1935-36. Los Angeles: Richard Black Publishing Co., 1935, p. 585.
- Albert Nelson Marquis, ed. Who's Who in New England, 2nd ed. Chicago: AN Marquis & Co., 1916, p. 1139.
- Milestones: A Timeline of Wheelock College. Available at:
Wheelock College Library Milestones: A Timeline of Wheelock College at www.wheelock.edu
- Biography of Lucy Wheelock. Available at:
Biography of Lucy Wheelock at www.wheelockgenealogy.com