My Relationship with Horace Mann opus 411
| 6 August 2024 1515 Hours | | Education, Massachusetts |
"Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity."
This, of course, is a quote from Horace Mann,
The father of American Education in our country.
He started his work in Newton, Massachusetts,
Where I spent my first 18 years of life and attended school!
I had never heard of him--he was never mentioned in our curriculum.
I graduated from Newton High (now Newton North)
And went on as an undergraduate
To Antioch College (1964), Yellow Springs, Ohio,
The school from which my father also graduated.
Horace Mann was a president of the College (1852-1859),
Attracted because of its not being religious,
And, incredibly, that it was co-ed!
I spent five years attending Antioch, which included 'Education Abroad',
Teaching math at the Ecole d'Humanite in Goldern, Switzerland.
The school was quadrilingual, so I worked on Italian, French, German,
(and English).
Back on the Antioch campus, I continued to pass by a small obelisk
Bearing the Mann quote cited at the commencement of this essay/thought.
This quote has penetrated my thoughts throughout my life.
I have created (40 years) an educational, polyculture farm;
Have begun a land trust, Quail Ridge Wilderness Conservancy (35 years);
Created the Tartan Stone (25 years), commemorating Scottish Americans
Of whom I discovered I was one--connected with the first king of
Scotland (Alba).
(These Tartan Stones are housed in 35 state institutions)--
The creations were all manifested with a mallet and chisel,
Similar to my Pictish ancestors--great early (500 AD) stone carvers
of, now, Scotland.
Through all this, Horace Mann's admonition urged me ever forward
And still, even now, permeates my 83 years' actions and thoughts.