Be
a Woman on a Mission
By Patti
Chadwick
www.historyswomen.com
“I press
toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus.”
Philippians
3:14
God has given
each of us a task to complete in this life. We are women with
a mission! Fulfilling your life’s mission on earth is an essential
part of living for the glory of God.
Our mission
in life includes serving God, serving other believers, and serving
the world at large. Our mission is actually a continuation of
Jesus’ mission on earth: we are to go into the world and tell
others the good news of God’s saving grace. We are also to build
each other up in our faith and use the gifts God has given us
to serve one another. Though it is a big responsibility, it is
also a wonderful privilege to be used by God.
Mary Lyon
is a woman who took her life’s mission seriously. Her only fear
in life was that she would not recognize what God wanted her to
do or that she’d fail to complete her assigned task. Her mind
was put at ease as, from her own personal experience, Mary found
her God-given mission and spent her life improving the educational
opportunities for women.
Mary Lyon
was born on February 28, 1797 on the family’s 100 acre farm near
Buckland , Massachusetts to Aaron and Jemina (Shepard) Lyon. Her
parents were from strong New England Stock, her father being a
veteran of the Revolutionary War. Mary grew up in the Christian
faith passed down to her from generations. The family lived in
a comfortable farmhouse surrounded by relatives and she attended
services in the local church.
When Mary
was a child in the early 19th century, schooling for girls was
considered by many to be a waste of time. A girl’s education was
uneven, at best, and frequently non-existent. Most felt that girls
did not need to be educated to become wives, mothers, and caretakers
of the house. Mary was fortunate that the school in Buckland allowed
girls to attend school year round and, though she left school
at the age of thirteen, she had more education than most girls,
who knew little more than the basics of reading, writing, and
math, if that much at all.
In 1814, when
Mary was just seventeen, she was offered her first teaching job
at a summer school in the nearby town of Shelburne Falls. At that
time teachers needed no formal training, only a good reputation
as a student, which Mary had. The job paid seventy-five cents
a week, which was far less than the $10-$12 per month that male
teachers received to teach the winter term. As was the custom
of the day, Mary “boarded around” in the homes of her students,
often having to move residences every five days. It was a difficult
job teaching children from the ages of four to ten in the crowded
one room school house, and it was even worse on rainy days when
the older boys came in from the fields to attend school. However,
Mary worked hard to improve her teaching skills and her ability
to keep order in the schoolhouse.
Her experience
teaching became the catalyst for Mary to seek to further her own
education, which was no small task for a nineteenth century woman
who had little money. Though there were obstacles in her path,
related to both finances and gender, Mary was determined to further
her education. She spent the next several years partly in front
of the classroom as a teacher and partly struggling to find a
place for herself in classrooms and lecture halls so she could
learn more and fill in the gaps of her education.
Mary’s reputation
as an educator spread all over the New England region. For the
next twenty years she taught at schools in Massachusetts and in
New Hampshire . She became an authority on the education of women
and it was during these years that Mary developed her educational
philosophy and gained experience in managing a school.
Her struggle
in obtaining a good education gave Mary a new idea. She decided
to establish an affordable college for women with an advanced
curriculum equal to that available to men; one that prepared women
for more than homemaking and teaching In pursuit of her dream
Mary traveled and fundraised to win support for her ideas and
in 1837 she opened Mt. Holyoke Female Seminary. Eighty students
were in that first class and the next year 200 women applied for
90 available seats. The cause of female education had entered
a new era.
Mary’s devout
Christian faith influenced the spiritual life of the seminary.
Students were required to attend church services of their choice,
chapel talks, prayer meetings, and Bible study groups. Twice a
day teachers and students spent time in private devotions. Every
dorm room had two large lighted closets to give roommates privacy
during their devotional time.
The success
of Mount Holyoke proved that women were as intellectually capable
as men and opened the doors of higher education for women. Mary’s
impact on education was felt not only in America , but world-wide.
Students from Mount Holyoke Female Seminary carried Mary Lyon’s
ideals and teaching methods into schools which they founded or
taught at all over the world. Through the work of Mount Holyoke’s
alumnae teachers, the quality of elementary and high school education
improved throughout the nation and the presence of well-educated
female teachers in the classroom offered role models for young
women who aspired to make a difference in their worlds.
To learn
more about Mary Lyon and Mount Holyoke College visit:
http://www.historyswomen.com/1stwomen.html