Maria de Maeztu and Whitney (1881-1948) was a renowned Spanish educator, humanist and politician. She constantly fought for the right of women to receive an education, being a pioneer in the academic training of the female gender.
Maeztu's work was characterized by being especially pedagogical. Its intentions and objectives were oriented to give women the ideal training so that they could prepare themselves correctly intellectually. At the same time, it opened the doors for them to have responsible and equal participation.
The intellectual gifts of the educator gave her the ability to be a brilliant speaker, and unparalleled temperance. She was always sure of her goals, and fought for a more just and condescending society for women. Education was his flag.
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María Maeztu was born on July 18, 1881 in the city of Vitoria. She was the daughter of Manuel Maeztu and Rodríguez, an engineer of Cuban and Spanish blood, and of Juana Whitney, who was the founder of the renowned Maeztu Academy. The writer had four siblings: Ramiro, Ángela, Miguel and Gustavo.
Maria's first years of academic training were in her native Vitoria. The mother had a notable participation; being the daughter of a British diplomat allowed her to be educated optimally. In addition to all the above, Maeztu enjoyed knowledge of several languages.
When the future writer was seventeen years old, her father passed away in Cuba, which meant sadness and ruin for the family. The difficult economic situation forced the widow to move with her children to Bilbao, with great willpower she managed to found a language academy, especially English and French.
In 1896 Maeztu began studying at the Escuela Normal del Magisterio, and graduated two years later. Along with his studies, he collaborated with his mother in the academy. Some time later, he obtained the opportunity to teach in the municipality of Santander, in a public institution.
The activist's academic training continued. She enrolled at the University of Salamanca as an unofficial student to study philosophy and letters, which she concluded in the city of Madrid. In 1902 María had already begun to work as a teacher, standing out for a different methodology and pedagogy.
The studies of María Maeztu and Whitney became international. He completed his teaching and pedagogy training at universities in Germany, Brussels and the United States, he also studied at the Center for Historical Studies of Spain.
The International Residency for Young Ladies was the largest and most ambitious project of María Maeztu, she was director of the center for more than twenty years, from 1915 to 1936. The aim of the institution was to provide Spanish women with the necessary tools for their development in the academic field.
Women could enter the residence from the age of seventeen. They were participants in the meetings and gatherings that took place between the intellectuals of the time. In addition to this, the women enjoyed cultural and academic exchanges. María knew how to make the team famous through her strong personality.
Regarding his work at the Instituto Escuela, the objective was to expand the fundamentals of pedagogy to teaching at the secondary level. Maria's primary plan as a pedagogue was for the children to learn through reflection, verify the information received, and carry it out with full awareness..
The pedagogue was "feminist", as she herself stated. She was convinced of the duty of women to participate in cultural development permanently. He did so with each action, and he reaffirmed it with the creation of the Women's Club in 1926, which was active until 1939..
The Lyceum was a novelty that emerged in several European countries. It was a kind of sisterhood, and a space for married women with families to learn, socialize and recreate without being confined exclusively to housework..
The club began with about one hundred and fifty members of various kinds, with the passage of time it grew. Its members carried out literary, artistic, musical, plastic and industrial activities. In addition, they had the opportunity to attend conferences of renowned intellectuals.
Tireless, that's how María was, a woman capable of facing any circumstance and always determined to show that women could perform in all areas, as well as men. She was an active participant in the political life of her country.
He was a member of the National Consultative Assembly in the area of education during the Primo de Rivera dictatorship. For this he had the support and backing of his brother, the essayist, literary and political critic, Ramiro de Maeztu.
In the field of university teaching he spent time, between 1926 and 1929, traveling through Latin America giving lectures and courses. He also represented his country in several congresses worldwide, and held teaching positions such as the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters at the Central University of Madrid..
The Spanish Civil War of 1936 also affected the teacher. Firstly because of the execution of Ramiro, her brother, and also because she was forced to leave the Residencia de Señoritas. He also had to leave his country in order not to suffer persecution.
Maeztu spent a season in the United States, and then went to Argentina, specifically to its capital. In Buenos Aires he established his residence, and devoted himself to university teaching, in the chair of the history of education, a trade that he carried out until the end of his days..
Maria had to get used to her new life, for this she had the support of her friends. In vain he tried to form a Residence for Young Ladies in the Argentine capital, because he did not have enough money. In 1947 he returned to his homeland, Spain, to attend the funeral of his brother Gustavo
The pedagogue returned to Buenos Aires, and continued with her academic activities at the university. Death surprised her on January 7, 1948, her body was received in Spain with recognition and honors. Today it rests in the family pantheon of Navarra.
The style of María de Maeztu y Whitney was oriented towards pedagogical and educational work. This means that more than a way of expressing ideas at the writing level, he did it in action, in the way he taught classes and in the methods he used..
Although, of course, his writing was detailed and refined, direct and simple, to be understood in the best way. He wrote in the best way that a consummate pedagogue could, just read his work and understand the internalization that he must have had of his life goals to achieve such clarity.
Maria maintained that the teaching given in her time was not the most adequate; the student had to be an active participant in his education. While he had to memorize to learn lessons, it was even more true that he had to be thoughtful and aware of his learning. Those ideas were captured in his works.
One of its main pedagogical principles was "The old saying that the letter with blood enters, but it must not be with the child's, but with the teacher's, is true." It meant that the student should not be mistreated in order for him to learn, but that the teacher should give up everything when teaching.
His style was also framed in the freedom to be, to choose, to learn. For her it was more important that the student interpret what he heard, that he played, that he lived with what he was learning, that he let himself be guided by the teacher, but that he had his own criteria.
Maeztu's work was not abundant, but it was important for the time in which it was conceived, and it still reverberates in the formation houses that recognize his pedagogical work. The following are the most prominent titles of his work as a teacher and humanist:
- Pedagogy in London and nursery schools (1909).
- Women's work: new perspectives (1933, were a series of conferences held at the School of Nurses of the Spanish Red Cross on April 8, 1933).
- The problem of ethics: the teaching of morality (1938).
- History of European culture. The modern age: greatness and servitude. Attempt to link past history to present world circumstances (1941).
- Anthology, 20th century. Spanish prosecutors (1943).
María de Maeztu y Whitney was a woman who set precedents in the history of Spain and the world. Her dedicated passion for teaching, and her desire to “liberate” women made her worthy of honors and recognition, signifying the importance of educating with love, freedom and respect..
Maeztu received the appointment of extraordinary professor from Columbia University in New York in 1927. The University of Mexico named her honorary professor in 1930. By 1919 the Smith College of the United States had awarded her the title of Doctor Honoris Causa.
In his country, a recognition was created by the government in honor of his work and legacy. The distinction is known as the “María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence”, and is awarded to public institutions that carry out impact and leadership work that influences social development..
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