From Nursing to Nursery School: The Life and Works of Harriet M. Johnson from 1900-1934

Abstract

Dr Jeroen Staring teaches mathematics at secondary schools in The Netherlands. His 2005 Medical Sciences dissertation describes the life, work and technique of F. Matthias Alexander. In 2013 he successfully defended a second dissertation, on the early history of the NYC Bureau of Educational Experiments. 2 Dr Jerry Aldridge is professor emeritus at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has published extensively on progressive education and women"s issues. Before returning to Birmingham, Alabama recently, he lived in Jakarta, Indonesia and New York City.

Marietta L. Johnson’s Early ‘Organic Education’ Work

“…Still, sometimes one recognizes Henderson"s authority in nonconforming situations. For instance, Harriet Forbesin 1916 member of the NYC Bureau of Educational Experimentstogether with her co-author as well her life-long companion Harriet M. Johnson in 1916 one of three founders of the Bureau of Educational Experiments and in 1919 founder of the Bureau"s Nursery School (Staring, 2013;Staring & Aldridge, 2015) -inserted a quote from Henderson"s work in the title-page of their book Home Nursing (1905). Henderson (1902) propagated an Organic Education roughly meaning the development of the senses, good health, and schooling of "personal control."…”

Frederick Matthias Alexander and the Bureau of Educational Experiments

“…In 1913, following her marriage to economist Wesley C. Mitchell she moved from Berkeley to Manhattan and offered her services to the Public Education Association of the City of New York (PEA). At first she worked as a volunteer under Harriet M. Johnson, head of the PEA visiting teachers program (Staring & Aldridge, 2015a) (Staring, 2014), and long-time socialist friends Helen Marot and Caroline Pratt regularly came together to lengthily discuss a plan to set up and organize an educational clearinghouse. In the spring of 1916, they united as the Bureau of Educational Experiments (Staring, 2013a(Staring, -b, 2014Staring & Aldridge, 2014a, 2015b.…”