Main Facts
Mary Lyon went to school until the age of thirteen. She was first employed as a teacher when she was still a teenager. She worked as a teacher and manager of schools in Massachusetts and New Hampshire before founding Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in 1837.
Early Years
Mary Mason Lyon was born on February 28th, 1797, in Buckland of Massachusetts. Her parents were called Jemima and Aaron Lyon. She lost her father, a farmer and veteran of the Revolutionary War, when she was only five. She was the sixth child in the family.
Mary attended school until she was thirteen, as was customary at that time. Her mother married another man and she was left to take care of her siblings and the family’s farm. When she was seventeen, she was hired as a teacher at a neighboring town. She loved her job, though she had not received appropriate training for it. Acknowledging her need for further education, in 1817, she resumed her studies at the Sanderson Academy in Ashfield, where she enjoyed learning about science.
Revolutionary Teacher
She worked in various schools, including the Ipswich Female Seminary, before setting up her own educational establishments. Even though the country was faced with financial crisis, she managed to find adequate funding for her school. In September 1837, the school accepted its first students, who were eighty. The number of students increased soon. Lyon’s aim was to offer female students a sound grounding in math and science. For this reason, she taught the girls herself, even though she also had several administrative duties. To keep tuition at an affordable level, the students also had to do chores. She wanted to offer all girls the opportunity to be educated regardless of their financial situation.
Many of her students became religious or educational missionaries. Mary’s educational principles and viewpoints became known around the world. Her book A Missionary Offering (1843) led others to found similar educational establishments for women, such as Wellesley College and Smith College.
Death and Influence
She passed away on March 5th, 1849, in Massachusetts. Her work as an educator is groundbreaking. Thanks to her, female students received education of a much higher quality than of the standard norm. Over 2,000 students now attend her school. In 1895, the school was renamed Mount Holyoke College. Notable personalities, such as poet Emily Dickinson, former Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins, and dramatist Wendy Wasserstein graduated from it.
What legacy would you like to leave?
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