[Oe List ...] Ruth Carter -- Iron Woman

Wed Jul 31 07:38:58 PDT 2013

Regarding the question below, "was the curriculum which was developed in 5th City the foundation for what later became known as Imaginal Education?", here is my opinion on the subject.  Imaginal Education was the basis for the 5th City curriculum, not the other way around.  

I joined the staff of the 5th City Preschool in the last weeks of 1969, and the curriculum was in full swing.  Our basic understanding was that we were out to change the images of the children we taught, from victims of their circumstances to "iron men", able to make free decisions based on compassion and a bright future. 

I had a break from preschool on another assignment from Sept. 1970 through Dec. 1970.  During 1971 I was assigned to expand the daily preschool curriculum with appropriate activities to enact our three year goal chart, type it up, mimeograph it (for pete's sake) and see that it was delivered to each teacher each morning along with needed supplies to teach to the day's rational and existential aims.

I once has a full quarter of those daily curriculum sheets in my own files, but I have lost track of them.  I fervently hope that they are in the archives.  We shared our work with our sister preschool in Hong Kong, where they followed the same curriculum.  I hope that the three year chart of goals is also in existence in the archives, as well as the Tools Chart.

But, as a short answer to the question, the basic tenents of Imaginal Education were in place before the teaching in the preschool.  We were creating curriculum out of the structure which had been put in place by the leaders of the Ecumenical Institute--the Order Ecumenical.  I was not there, but I presume that was between the creation of the Faith and Life Community and our full engagement in creating the preschool program.  Maybe the date was 1967 or 1968?  Those who know, please confirm.

Karen (Wright) Bueno

-----Original Message-----
From: the telfords <thetelfords at gmail.com>
To: Order Ecumenical Community <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>
Sent: Wed, Jul 31, 2013 12:44 am
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Ruth Carter -- Iron Woman

Dear Colleagues
Although I never actually met Ruth, her name and her contribution to our common mission is lodged in my memory.

Now, a question - was the curriculum which was developed in 5th City the foundation for what later became known as Imaginal Education?

This coming weekend the Blue Mountains East Timor Friendship Committee, which Elaine & I are members of, are hosting a visit by Dulce Soares, the East Timor government's Vice-Minister for Pre-School and Basic (primary) Education - the ET Government has recently launched a new Pre-School initiative to establish pre-schools widely across the nation and I understand they are at the stage of putting together a curriculum.

I was meeting with a couple of members of our organising team this morning and we were discussing what would be an appropriate gift to give to the Vice-Minister, and having just read about Ruth and the 5th City curriculum before I went to the meeting, I said I could possibly come up with a gift related to that.

Is there something I could download which at least would give her an introduction to our approach to early learning/development?

Any suggestions you can make in the next 24 hours will be most welcome.

Grace & Peace
John

On Wed, Jul 31, 2013 at 3:37 PM, Isobel A Bishop <isobeljimbish at optusnet.com.au> wrote:

Dear Lela,
Thank you for this tribute to Ruth.
I remember her very well at S '68, when a bunch of Aussie children came over.
I did not know here well either, and yet was very impressed with her style of ease and  competence.

We appreciate what you all  have written..
In peace,
Isobel Bishop

On 31/07/2013, at 11:48 AM, Ken Fisher <hkf232 at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> Likewise, Ken
>
>
> On 2013-07-30, at 4:19 PM, Charles Hahn wrote:
>
> Hi Lela!  What a tribute!!!  I knew Ruth, but not that well.  Your
> comments really hold her up for the world to see.  Thanks,
> Charles
>
> On Tue, Jul 30, 2013 at 2:28 PM, Lela Jahn <lelajahn at hotmail.com> wrote:
>> Ruth and I were tied at the hip for the 3 years in the late 60's when I was
>> the director of the 5th City Preschool and she was my right and left hand.
>> She and I climbed many mountains together -- attending a national preschool
>> workshop because the curriculum received a National 1st place award from the
>> Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO), receiving teaching machines from IBM
>> for the 4 year olds which got our picture in the newspaper because of the
>> audacity of believing machines could teach, making really cool uniforms for
>> all the teachers, designing the new preschool building on 5th Avenue with
>> Sheldon Hill ---  the list goes on and on. Yet there were also many valleys
>> where Ruth never flinched, never complained. She stood firm in her belief
>> that the 5th City Preschool was a demonstration to the world of the
>> importance of  providing all children from 4 months on up with a positive
>> self-image.
>>
>>
>>
>> In turn, Ruth Carter, became my mentor, my symbol,  of the Iron Woman
>> standing in the desert with arms out stretched knowing that the desert could
>> become the promised land. And it did because she lived --- and still does in
>> the lives of all she touched.
>>
>>
>>
>> Lela Jahn
>>
>>
>>
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