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Botany lesson in College Museum, c1895
© Cheltenham Ladies' College
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Those who can’t, teach: Dorothea Beale & Cheltenham Ladies' College |
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The eye of the needle
In her paper entitled ’On The Education of Girls’, read at the Social Science Congress of 1865, Dorothea Beale outlined what she saw as the critical flaw in the upbringing of young girls: “I think that the education of girls has too often been made showy, rather than real and useful… thus, while temporary pleasure and profit have been sought, the great moral ends of education have too often been lost sight of.”
Chemistry lab, 1876
© Cheltenham Ladies' College |
Careful to distance herself from extremist viewpoints, Miss Beale saw education as a cure for “the mind diseased”, referring to those prone to swings of lethargy or gossip as a result of inactivity, “for the glory of the Creator and the relief of man’s estate.” By citing Christian dignity and encouraging women to support rather than supersede their husbands, fathers and brothers, Miss Beale courted a state of grace amongst detractors of the field in which she took such tentative steps.
The timetable from the outset was a mix of refinement and cerebral gristle. Parents were appeased to see dance, music and other such civilities well catered for, alongside a sound if not quite radical introduction to Scripture, Grammar, Languages, Arithmetic and Callisthenic Exercises. A cautious start blossomed as the college expanded, relocated to purpose-built premises and grew to encompass an eclectic range despite difficulties obtaining even rudimentary texts. Field Clubs flourished in Archaeology, Botany, even Zoology. Most boundaries could now be considered breached, albeit the flock was still tethered to the fence post.
Teachers of the calibre Miss Beale required proved in perpetually short supply. In 1876 the college opened a Training Department for teachers with certificates awarded at completion, an important component of which was the process of shadowing more experienced mentors and discussion or tutorial method still used today. Its very success and subsequent adoption elsewhere meant that in time the scheme was phased out as such cultivation became commonplace across the nation.
Words: Bren O’Callaghan
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