As a part of our Black History series, today we are sharing some of the accomplishments of Marva Collins 1936-2015. She was an American Educator who made an impact in the lives of youth and teachers around the world.
Having worked in the Chicago Public Schools as a substitute teacher for fourteen years, Marva became frustrated with the way the children were taught, and decided to open her own school.
Her first school was located in the basement of an apartment building. She later converted one of the apartments in her home into a private school for under-privileged children. She opened her doors with four students. Her student body soon grew to over two hundred students.
Some of her students had been labeled learning disabled. That did not stop her from expecting the same level of excellence from them..
She named her school Westside Preparatory.Many of the students came from low income homes, yet she believed that with the proper instruction, they had the capacity to learn.
As a result of her teaching and high expectations, all of her students graduated from high school. Many went on to become lawyers, doctors, educators as well as other noteworthy positions in the marketplace.
Marva Collins believed in teaching her students how to think for themselves. This is what she had to say.“Trust yourself, think for yourself, act for yourself, speak for yourself, be yourself. Imitation is suicide.“
Marva Collins was widely praised for her unique teaching methods. Her curriculum included the basic subjects as well as some classical education classes.
News traveled quickly around the city about Marva Collin’s work.
Richard Brezeczek, the Chicago’s Police Chief enrolled his twelve year old son in her program after hearing about her amazing work.
Her hard work and dedication to the students in her school, soon won national attention. Teachers from other states within the United States sought her for internships and mentorships so they could benefit from her wisdom and experiences.
A television show was made in her honor. It was called The Marva Collins Story starring Cicely Tyson and Morgan Freeman. Cicely Tyson supposedly lived in her home while preparing to cast their movie. This enabled her to have a close up enxperience with Marva so she could study her personality, model her interactions with the students, and learn her teaching methods.
Marva Collins had many other notable accomplishments. She published several books and was known for her popular titles, The Ordinary Children, Extraordinary Teachers, and The Marva Collins Way.
Marva received several honorary doctorate degrees, and was honored with the National Humanities Award by President Bush.
She worked with teachers in failing schools in Chicago, and offered to head the Public School Systems in Chicago, and Los Angeles.
Related article: Are You Living Your Dream?
Having served the Garfield Park Community in Chicago for over thirty years, Marva Collins closed her school doors in 2008. The residents of Chicago were proud of her accomplishments, and were even prouder to call her one of their own.
I am pleased to have met her at a local hair salon, where we were both being serviced. We chatted while sitting underneath the hair dryer, and swapped stories and experiences about our students.
In conclusion, Marva Collins was a person of courage and strong conviction. Her vision for the children was bigger and brighter than their current circumstances. She strongly believed that she could make an impact in their lives, and prepare them for a brighter future. To that end, she invested her resources, took a risk for the sake of the children, and produced some amazing results.
The take-away: If you set clear goals, believe in yourself, take action and persevere, you too can reach your goals, and live your dreams.
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Here’s to your success!
Ruby Freeman
ruby@helpingkidslearn.org www.helpingkidslearn.org
This article was originally published on February 18,2016 and was updated for breavity.
Wishing you much success,
Ruby Freeman, Academic Coach / Founder of HelpingKidsLearn.org / Ruby@HelpingKidsLearn.org
