1782-1852
Educator

Life. The Romantic movement of the early nineteenth century included many advocates for the nurturing and education of children. One of the most important was the German educator and philosopher Friedrich Froebel. His mother died while he was still an infant in Oberweissbach, a small village of Thuringia. He had a rather strict Lutheran upbringing by his pastor father. After beginning his education at the local village school, Froebel was only ten years old when he was sent to live with an uncle and attend another village school in Stadt Ilm. When he turned fifteen, he became an apprentice forester but decided he disliked the trade after two years. From 1799 to 1816 he studied at the Universities of Jena, Gottingen, and Berlin while also working briefly at various jobs as a teacher and secretary. He also served in the Prussian army during the Napoleonic...