Electa Quinney: Stockbridge Teacher

Description

Electa Quinney loved to learn. Growing up in the early 1800s in New York| she went to some of the best boarding schools. There she learned how to read| write| and solve tough math problems–she even learned how to do needlework. Electa decided early on that she wanted to become a teacher so she could pass her knowledge on to others. But life wasn’t simple. Electa was a Stockbridge Indian| and her tribe was being pressured by the government and white settlers to move out of the state. So in 1828| Electa and others in her tribe moved to Wisconsin. Almost as soon as she arrived| Electa got to work again| teaching in a log building that also served as the local church. In that small school in the woods| Electa became Wisconsin’s very first public school teacher| educating the children of Stockbridge-Munsee Band of the Mohican Indians as well as the sons and daughters of nearby white settlers and missionaries. Electa’s life provides a detailed window onto pioneer Wisconsin and discusses the challenges and issues faced by American Indians in the nineteenth century. Through it all| Electa’s love of learning stands out| and her legacy as Wisconsin’s first public school teacher makes her an inspiration to students of today.