Mennonite Teachers' Association (Russia)
The Mennonite Teachers' Association (Lehrerverein), was an organization established in the Chortitza, Molotschna, and other Mennonite settlements of Russia after the Russo-Japanese War (1905-1906). Until then associations of this nature had been forbidden in Russia. A new educational organization was particularly urgent because the Mennonite Board (Council) of Education (Schulrat) was losing its significance because of constant difficulties with regulations of the Russian Department of Education. The Mennonite Teachers' Association took over some of the functions of the Board, such as arranging for teachers' conferences where problems pertinent to education were discussed, such as methods, curricula, textbooks, and visual aids. Gradually the achievements and qualifications of the new organization were recognized by the constituency. Although there were some difficulties in working harmoniously with the Board there was cooperation among them. Major difficulties arose when a reactionary policy of the government set in. When World War I broke out the Association was forbidden because of its German background. After the March Revolution in 1917 the Association was revived and accomplished some significant tasks. Gradually it was discontinued because all teachers were expected to join the professional organizations of the Soviets.
The Mennonite Teachers' Association and its local branches in the various Mennonite settlements played a very significant role in improving standards of education through the means of a professional exchange of thoughts and experiences, and fellowship and mutual encouragement.
Bibliography
Braun, Peter. "The Education System of the Mennonite Colonies in South Russia." Mennonite Quarterly Review 3 (July 1929): 179 ff.
Enns, D. P. "Mennonite Education in Russia." Mennonite Life 6 (July 1951): 28 ff.
Froese, Leonhard. Das padagogische Kultursystem der mennonitischen Siedlungsgruppe in Russland. Graduate thesis at the University of Göttingen, privately mimeographed, 1949: 96.
| Author(s) | Cornelius Krahn |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1957 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Krahn, Cornelius. "Mennonite Teachers' Association (Russia)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1957. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mennonite_Teachers%27_Association_(Russia)&oldid=89795.
APA style
Krahn, Cornelius. (1957). Mennonite Teachers' Association (Russia). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mennonite_Teachers%27_Association_(Russia)&oldid=89795.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 639. All rights reserved.
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