History of Adult Education: 1910-1920: Jackie Davis

History of Adult Education: 1910-1920

Jacqueline S. Davis

Ball State University




History of Adult Education: 1910-1920

Your name	Commented On
Jackie Davis	Darla Harrington  Will Cooper  Amelia Boggess

Introduction

The decade between 1910-1920 is most often referenced as the time of The Great War – World War I (1914-1918) (World War I, n.d.). However, this was a time of change and advancement – fire and building safety ordinances, organization of labor unions to better working conditions, limitations of child labor, and four constitutional amendments – federal income tax (1913), popular election of senators (1913), prohibition (1919) and the women’s right to vote (1920) (Amendment, Constitutional, n.d.). This was also a time when educating adults became a health and safety issue as well as a movement to break generational cycles of illiteracy and poverty.

Highlights

Throughout history, the military has played a role in educating soldiers. During the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, the US military used teachers and chaplains to become a vehicle for education for not only white soldiers, but also those of color and immigrants who fought alongside them (Sticht, 2002). During World War I, the US Army was the first to develop standardized “intelligence” tests for recruits, identifying (Sticht, 2002). During World War I, over 25,000 illiterate and non-English-speaking troops were taught basic literacy skills (Sticht, 2002).

Besides those in the military, other marginalized groups needed educational support: laborers, immigrants and minorities. It became apparent that education and basic literacy skills were a necessity for coal miners, canallers, foresters, loggers, railroad workers (Wilde, 2012). Technology and increased demand took these laborers further from cities and mill and textile factory workers became isolated as they worked long days (Williams, 2012). In the absence of child labor regulations, children worked to contribute to the household, leaving no time for school learning (Moehling, 2004).

            Ontario Bureau of Mines, Reading Camps Association and the Deputy Minister of Education put forth efforts to education not only the children of the miners, but the miners themselves (Wilde, 2012). However, remote locations, hard working conditions and long hours made it difficult for men to learn, even if they wanted to. In many cases, there were more opportunities for adult education than there were participants (Wilde, 2012).

            Additional complications for adult education of laborers stemmed from the large percentages of immigrants in these manual jobs, meaning not only literacy was a challenge, but also language barriers. Many laborers were illiterate and did not have basic understanding of the English language. This lack of knowledge led to many accidents, and sometimes death (Wilde, 2012). A language barrier could prove fatal if shouts to avoid an area are mistaken for cries for help. In some areas, the immigrant workers came from a variety of countries, therefore multiple languages were being used at the same time. In 1904, 40% of Ontario’s miners were immigrants, increasing to 65% by 1925 (Wilde, 2012). Ontario’s Bureau of Mines describes one crew of 31 workers that included 11 different nationalities, and less than half spoke English (Wilde, 2012). Such groupings made education of the laborers more difficult, and, after working such long grueling days, many lacked a willingness to learn (Sticht, 2002).

Influential Factors

In the early twentieth century, US, Mechanic Institutes, Trade Schools, Factory Schools and Normal schools were being established, but these still eluded the illiterate laborers in remote locations. Mississippi was building a network of educational institutions and community groups for black communities (Wilson, 1947), but they were still scarce in other areas. Many of these early groups formed gave rise to or joined those existence today, including the YMCA (Luxis Clubs) and the YWCA (Wilson, 1947)

In Appalachia, educators had to develop a different approach. Cora Wilson Stewart (1875-1958) opened “moonlight schools” (Tabler, 2017). She coordinated night classes that were held when the moon was bright enough to light the paths to the school houses. Stewart realized that adults needed their own materials to learn to read, so she created the Rowan County Messenger, a newspaper with simple sentence structure and word repetition, as well as used mastery of smaller lessons to build self-esteem (Sticht, 2002). Stewart was the Superintendent of Public Schools in Rowan County, Kentucky (Tabler, 2017) and leveraged early success of the moonlight schools and her position to impact change within the state, persuading the Governor to create an illiteracy commission in Kentucky, the first of its kind in the US (Sticht, 2002).

            Crediting Stewart, Emma Julia Selden (1880-1927) established Moonlight Schools in Spartanburg, South Carolina after learning about their success from a presentation by Stewart at a South Carolina Education Association meeting in December, 1919 (South Carolina Education, 1919).

Others focused on directly engaging the mill workers and working within their routine. David English Camak (1880-1967) created a cooperative institution with textile workers that eventually became Spartanburg Methodist College. In the February 1920 edition of South Carolina Education, it is stated that Camak “is widely known as ‘A friend to the fellow who wants a chance’” (South Carolina Education, 1919).

Many think these early successes stemmed from the recognition that adults learn differently than children. Stewart’s method of adult education was different than vocational schools who taught a trade. Adult literacy education was more broad, impacting all facets of daily life – not only “how to do a task.” From the February 1921 edition of South Carolina Education, Miss Lillian Shirley describes this approach in her article “Getting the Illiterates into School” (South Carolina Education, 1919).

    When the grown-up feels that he lowers his community because of his inability to read and write, feels that the community pride has been awakened, and furthermore when he feels that there is some one who wants to teach him, that his county is interested in his going to school to the extent of furnishing him books, that his State wants him to become a bigger, a broader citizen, the it is that he feels that he must go, for there are too many after him.

    The organizer for an adult school should be tactful in approaching an illiterate, forceful in arguing and zealous in wiping out illiteracy. Needless to say, the teacher must go out after them not once, but many times. Go with a smile, enter into their life as much as possible to get their viewpoint and from this new angle present her arguments or plea. Go froth armed with facts and pictures of people who have learned, show them the books, tell them they were made for gown-ups.

...

   All that promised to be there will not be present but do not let this feaze [sic.] you. Go after them again, encourage them not to miss another lesson. Make each day in school count from the first thru the last. Make them feel that it has been worth while. Let there problems be every day problems If those who are coming get something good, word will be passed on (South Carolina Education, 1919)

Implications

During this decade, the commitment by society and government to provide basic literacy skills to marginalized groups paved the way for adult education programs on a wider scale. Acknowledgment of separate teaching methods for children and adults helped spark early success and build self-esteem in the learner (Sticht, 2002). Military education provided proof that even those with the lowest literacy could learn basic literacy skills through six to twelve weeks of instruction (Sticht, 2002). Further, government entities used adult education as a means to “Americanize” those not native born (Sticht, 2002). This expanded communities as language barriers were eliminated.

Health, safety and socio-economic status were big drivers of adult education between 1910-1920 (Moehling, 2004; Robinson, 2011; Sticht, 2002; Wilde, 2012; Wilson, 1947). Literate workers could follow written instructions, grow in autonomy, and use more safe practices. It has been noted that illiteracy influences the next generation (Moehling, 2004). This perpetuation of disregard for education alienated many communities where mining and mill factories thrived – creating a workforce who lacked basic literacy skills (Williams, 2012). By addressing the literacy of the workers, their children are more likely to be literate, providing opportunities in the community that were previously closed (Moehling, 2004).

Areas	Summary
Social background	World War I Safety Ordinances Labor Unions Child Labor Laws Constitutional Amendments
Highlights	Military education     25,000 illiterate and non-English-speaking troops educated Marginalized groups:     Laborers – long, hard work in remote locations     Immigrants – language barriers     Minorities – access to community support
Influential Factors	Community groups Moonlight schools Recognition that adults need different learning      materials than children, Spreading best practices, Taking education to where the people are, not just in classroom Incorporating education into daily life,      not just through trade and vocation.
Implications	Evidence that short course instruction      can provide basic literacy skills Americanization of immigrants Increased safety of workers Breaking the generational cycle of illiteracy.

References

Amendment, Constitutional. (n.d.). Retrieved September 15, 2019, from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-and-law/law/law-divisions-and-codes/constitutional-amendment

Moehling, C. (2004). Family Structure, School Attendance, and Child Labor in the American South in 1900 and 1910. Explorations in Economic History, 41, 73-100.

Robinson, K. J. (2011, September). The Rise of Choice in the U.S. University and College 1910-2005. Sociological Forum, 26(3), 601-622.

South Carolina Education (Vols. 1-3). (1919). University of South Carolina. Extension Department. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=KTMwAAAAYAAJ

Sticht, T. (2002). The Rise of the Adult Education and Literacy System in the United States: 1600-2000. The Annual Review of Adult Learning and Literacy, 3(2). Retrieved from http://ncsall.net/index.html@id=569.html

Tabler, D. (2017, December). Kentucky’s Moonlight Schools. Retrieved September 14, 2019, from Appalachian History: Stories, quotes and anecdotes: https://www.appalachianhistory.net/2017/12/kentuckys-moonlight-schools.html

Wilde, T. (2012). Literacy at the Resource Frontier: A Matter of Life and Death. Historical Studies in Education, 24(1).

Williams, J. (2012). The limits of good intentions: A historical analysis of pioneering progressive educators in Upstate South Carolina (1910–1920). University of South Carolina. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1022640003

Wilson, Sr., C. H. (1947). Education for Negros in Mississippi since 1910. Boston: The Meador Press. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015022233558

World War I. (n.d.). Retrieved August 27, 2019, from American History Through Literature 1870-1920; Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/culture-magazines/world-war-i