Department of American Studies, University of Maryland, May 1992.
Public schools use women who share a social identity to instill values.
To identify the characteristics of these women, the stories of nineteen women who taught in public schools after 1916 were analyzed. Raised in homes with strong mothers and authoritarian fathers, they trained in progressive schools and modeled themselves after older women teachers. Initially fearful of loss of control, as they gained experience they gained confidence and became mentors themselves. They succeeded by using psychological means to control children. The use of restricted members of American society to instill acceptance of psychological control is an important element of American culture.