Margarete Aurin

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Margarethe "Grete" Hedwig Aurin , also Margarethe Hedwig Aurin , née Margarete Schulze , (born October 4, 1897 in Bruchsal , according to other sources in Crimderode , † November 8, 1989 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen ) was a German kindergarten teacher, Montessori teacher and Initiator of the education of non-disabled and disabled children of preschool age.

Live and act

Margarete Aurin was the third and youngest child of the egg pasta manufacturer Carl Schulze and his wife Hedwig, nee. Voigt. She spent her childhood and youth in Crimderode . After attending the Queen Luisen School (1907–1913) in Nordhausen , she completed her training as a kindergarten teacher at the Froebel seminar in Eisleben , which was headed by Johanna Köthe. Subsequently, Margarete Schulze worked as a private teacher in Bad Godesberg , from 1917, since it was war time and many teachers had been drafted to the front, as a substitute teacher at a school in Werther (Thuringia) .

At the beginning of 1933 Margarete Aurin went to Maria Montessori in Barcelona. There she attended the International Montessori Course , which took place from February to June. 200 trainees from 17 countries took part in the course - the first in Republican Spain. After returning to Germany, she initially wanted to devote herself to Montessori work in Frankfurt am Main. However, due to the persecution of Jews and the generally unsafe situation in Frankfurt during the Nazi era, she returned to Nordhausen am Harz ... where she founded a children's home in October 1933 (Günnigmann 1979, p. 97 f.).

The pedagogue had a lively exchange of ideas with Peter Petersen , who was initially very open to Montessori pedagogy. Petersen had personal contact with Maria Montessori, who showed him some of her facilities (cf. Aurin 1986, p. 115 f.). However, with the rise of National Socialism in Thuringia in the early 1930s, Peter Petersen's assessment of the "bright seeing Montessori" changed (Petersen 1922, p. 153). The preference for the “kindergartens in the real sense of Froebel” now seemed far more opportune, since, in accordance with the National Socialist ideology, they were always superior to the “Maria Montessori children's homes” (Petersen 1930, p. 11).

When Montessori pedagogy was banned in Germany, "Aunt Grete", as the kindergarten teacher was affectionately known, was unofficially continuing her institution in the spirit of Maria Montessori. However, she was no longer allowed to work with many didactic Montessori materials.

After the end of the Second World War , she had to deal with many physically and mentally disturbed children. She said of them: 'The children all healed in the appropriate environment through their free actions. The children's home became a source of joy, love and peace for them' (Günnigmann 1979, p. 98). The pedagogue fought vehemently in the Soviet-occupied zone for the establishment of Montessori pedagogy, which the occupying power saw as ambivalent. In this regard, Margarete Aurin wrote in January 1947 to P. Johannes Müller , a company that produced Montessori materials and kindergarten furniture:

I was only allowed to use (the teaching material, the author), in October 46 it was forbidden, u. now one seems to think differently again (quoted in Müller / Schneider 2002, p. 53).

Over the years, Margarete Aurin got more and more difficulties with the SED supervisory bodies, especially since the Montessori pedagogy in no way corresponded to the state educational goals of the GDR. It was either hushed up or mentioned distorted. Finally, the pedagogue, who was charged with reactionary influencing of young people , handed over her facility to the Evangelical Church, which continued to run the kindergarten with the difficulties that were common at the time. In order to avoid arrest, she fled to the West in March 1953 .

Margarete Aurin was initially the assistant to Maria Montessori's son, Mario Montessori , who led a Montessori course in Frankfurt / Main (1954), she also supported the establishment of a Montessori facility in the city on the Main and was also instrumental in founding the Germans Involved in the Montessori Society , which was founded on April 17, 1952 at the request of Maria Montessori in Frankfurt / Main.

In 1956 she founded a Montessori children's home in Garmisch-Partenkirchen , the first in Bavaria. Furthermore, at the age of 73, she was still actively involved in setting up an integrative kindergarten at the Children's Center in Munich , founded and directed by Prof. Dr. Theodor Hellbrügge , who was visited by the British Princess Diana in 1987.

Together with Theodor Hellbrügge, Margarete Aurin conducted training courses with a curative educational orientation for kindergarten teachers, educators, teachers, etc. (cf. Hellbrügge 1977, p. 106 ff.). In total, she had glided 10 such courses. Building on the experiences of the Munich integration model and the curative education courses, Montessori education spread in southern Germany, especially in Bavaria. But also in Austria, South Tyrol and Switzerland, new preschool facilities were built that took in disabled and non-disabled children.

Margarete Aurin was married to furniture manufacturer Werner Aurin from 1922 to 1932. The marriage resulted in son Kurt Aurin (* 1923), who also campaigned for Montessori education.

In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Parkstrasse, a memorial plaque commemorates the pedagogue with the following words carved into it:

1st Montessori Kindergarten in Southern Germany 1956-1986 Margarete Aurin.

Since 1990, the Theodor Hellbrügge Foundation has awarded the Margarete Aurin Prize to personalities who are innovatively committed to Montessori curative education.

Honors

  • 1978: Sunshine Medal from the International Sunshine Campaign
  • 1980: Medal thanks and recognition from the Garmisch-Partenkirchen community
  • 1983: Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon

Works

  • Adaptation of some Montessori materials to the disabled child . In: Theodor Hellbrügge, Mario Montessori (Hrsg.): The Montessori pedagogy and the disabled child. Lectures and results of the 18th international Montessori Congress, Munich 4.-8. July 1977 . Kindler, Munich 1978, ISBN 3-463-00716-9 , pp. 193-198
  • The first Montessori children's home with an integrative education in Munich. Experiences with the children . In: Theodor Hellbrügge, Mario Montessori (Hrsg.): The Montessori pedagogy and the disabled child . Kindler, Munich 1978, ISBN 3-463-00716-9 , pp. 289-295
  • My meeting with Professor Peter Petersen . In: Montessori-Werkbrief 1986 / H. 3/4, pp. 115-116

literature

  • Peter Petersen (Ed.): Internal school reform and new education . Collected speeches and essays, Weimar 1925
  • Peter Petersen: The forms of leadership (pedagogy) , in: Die Gestaltende Hand, 1930 / H. 6, pp. 9-18
  • Manfred Günnigmann: Montessori Pedagogy in Germany. Report on the development after 1945 . Herder, Freiburg / B. 1979, ISBN 3-451-18295-5
  • Theodor Hellbrügge: Our Montessori model. Experiences with a new kindergarten and a new school . Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Frankfurt / M. 1989, ISBN 3-596-23064-0
  • Thomas Müller / Romana Schneider (eds.): Montessori. Teaching materials 1913-1935. Furniture and Architecture , Munich / Berlin / New York 2002, ISBN 3-7913-2650-3
  • Martin Schulze: Montessori education in Nordhausen. Margarete Aurin, a life for the children . In: Nordhäuser Nachrichten , Vol. 16, 2007, pp. 14–15. PDF
  • Manfred Berger : The focus is on the child. Margarete Aurin (1897-1989) - pioneer of integrated education in preschool age, in: Montessori. Journal for Montessori Pedagogy 2009 / H. 1, pp. 132-137

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Manfred Berger 2009, p. 132; https://www.nifbe.de/component/themensammlung?view=item&id=525:margarete-aurin-1897-1989&catid=37 ; http://www.kindergartenpaedagogik.de/1981.html
  2. ↑ Martin Schulze: Montessori pedagogy in Nordhausen: Margarete Aurin - a life for children , in: Nordhäuser Nachrichten. Südharzer Heimatblätter . - Nordhausen: Iffland, ZDB-ID 916134x - Vol. 16.2007, 3, pp. 14-15.
  3. ↑ http://www.theodor-hellbruegge-stiftung.de/index.php/preise-und-ehrungen/margarete-aurin-preis

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Aurin, Margarete
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Aurin, Margarethe Hedwig (full name); Aurin, Grete Hedwig (nickname); Schulze, Margarete
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German kindergarten teacher and Montessori teacher
DATE OF BIRTH October 4, 1897
PLACE OF BIRTH Crimderode
DATE OF DEATH November 8, 1989
Place of death Garmisch-Partenkirchen