Question

Why did reformers like Catherine beecher believe women had a natural aptitude for teaching? In what ways did beecher see teaching as a natural extension of women's role in the home?

Answer 1

Catherine Beecher was an early educator in the United States who believed that basic education was necessary and beneficial to all children. She also believed that women were natural educators, and that they were particularly well-suited to this role.

Beecher saw education as an extension of the role of women at home. Women at home were meant to care for the well-being of everyone. They were also meant to raise children to become functioning adults. These were task that were already quite similar to those of an educator at school. Therefore, she strongly advocated for the presence of women in the classroom.

Answer 2

Catherine Beecher and her followers were concerned that working at home and raising a family were essential. She believed that teaching was the profession women were cut out for – it let them be independent and furthermore, it was a part of a female nature - to nurture and take care of others. Catherine believed that femininity was the key to successful education.