Women educating and inspiring generations
A reflection for Women's History Month
By Beverly Schneller, Provost, Guest Writer
Women have a historic role in educating and inspiring generations since they are often the first people a child interacts with to grasp such important skills as reading, counting, and making music, art, or dance. In the United States, women, like their English counterparts, were largely educated at home until the mid-19th century when girls' academies became women’s colleges.
According to one history book of women’s education in the U.S., at their height there were 230 women’s colleges, in 2023 there were 30. Notable women educators- Mary McLeod Bethune, Helen Keller, Patsy Mink, Alice Van Vechten Brown, and many others- led the way in providing opportunities for women to define, shape, and transform education and the educational system.
I was educated at an all-girls high school and later went on to work for a University that began as a school for women. What I learned as a graduate of an all-girls high school included how to make and value traditions, serve others, and be the best that I could be as a student and person.
Here at Governors State University (GovState), we take pride in serving as a catalyst for change and transformation through education. Whether we are reading with children at the Family Development Center (FDC), guiding campus tours, leading classes, or conducting global service projects, we are making the world and our community better every day as we make an impact through education.