Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi Research Paper
Saidy Gutierrez
Professor Debbie Trujillo
Child, Growth, Development, and Learning
October 20, 2012
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi was born in Zurich, Switzerland on January 12, 1746. When he was five years old his father died and so was raised in a home with his mother, older sister and a woman servant and did not start school until the age of nine. At the school he attended, Collegium Humanitatis, he received instruction from educators Johann Jakob Bodmer and Johann Jakob Breitinger (Kuhlemann 1).
Over the holidays, Pestalozzi would spend time with his maternal grandfather, who was a clergyman in Hongg, and visit schools and the houses of parishioners. It was because of these visits that Pestalozzi learned about the poverty of country peasants and saw the consequences of putting children to work in the factory at a very young age and also realized how little the Catechism schools did for those children. The children’s ignorance, suffering and inability to help themselves left an impression on Hienrich that would one day guide his educational ideas (Widmer 1).
Pestalozzi later went on to study theology at the University of Zurich. To be a clergyman and be involved in ministry was in Johann Pestalozzi’s plans and as such he expected to be able to have ample opportunity to carry out his educational ideas. However, because of the failure of his first sermon, partly because of his shyness, and with some influence from Jean-Jacques Rousseau, he decided to pursue a career in law and political justice (Widmer 1).
Heinrich later became involved in political activity on behalf of the Helvetic Society, a reformist Swiss political organization that was founded by Bodmer and about 20 other philosophers in 1765. The Helvetic Society’s goal was the advancement of freedom, to which Pestalozzi reacted to and contributed many articles to the Society’s newspaper, Der Erinnerer. He brought to light many cases of official corruption and was
Professor Debbie Trujillo
Child, Growth, Development, and Learning
October 20, 2012
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi was born in Zurich, Switzerland on January 12, 1746. When he was five years old his father died and so was raised in a home with his mother, older sister and a woman servant and did not start school until the age of nine. At the school he attended, Collegium Humanitatis, he received instruction from educators Johann Jakob Bodmer and Johann Jakob Breitinger (Kuhlemann 1).
Over the holidays, Pestalozzi would spend time with his maternal grandfather, who was a clergyman in Hongg, and visit schools and the houses of parishioners. It was because of these visits that Pestalozzi learned about the poverty of country peasants and saw the consequences of putting children to work in the factory at a very young age and also realized how little the Catechism schools did for those children. The children’s ignorance, suffering and inability to help themselves left an impression on Hienrich that would one day guide his educational ideas (Widmer 1).
Pestalozzi later went on to study theology at the University of Zurich. To be a clergyman and be involved in ministry was in Johann Pestalozzi’s plans and as such he expected to be able to have ample opportunity to carry out his educational ideas. However, because of the failure of his first sermon, partly because of his shyness, and with some influence from Jean-Jacques Rousseau, he decided to pursue a career in law and political justice (Widmer 1).
Heinrich later became involved in political activity on behalf of the Helvetic Society, a reformist Swiss political organization that was founded by Bodmer and about 20 other philosophers in 1765. The Helvetic Society’s goal was the advancement of freedom, to which Pestalozzi reacted to and contributed many articles to the Society’s newspaper, Der Erinnerer. He brought to light many cases of official corruption and was
Cited: Kuhlemann, Gerhard. “Short biography of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi”. n.p., 2010. Web. 24 Oct. 2012. <http://www.heinrich-pestalozzi.de/en/documentation/biography/short-biography/> “Pestalozzi, Johann Heinrich”. n.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2012. <http://faculty.knox.edu/jvanderg/202_K/Pestalozzi.htm> “Pestalozzi”. n.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2012. <http://www.pestalozziworld.com/pestalozzi/pestalozzi1.html> Widmer, Anne-Marie. “Pestalozzi’s Biography”. n.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. <http://www.bruehlmeier.info/biography.htm>