Kurt hahn biography

Kurt Hahn

Visionary educator (1886-1974)

Kurt Hahn

CBE

Born(1886-06-05)5 June 1886

Berlin

Died14 December 1974(1974-12-14) (aged 88)

Hermannsberg (Heiligenberg), Baden-Württemberg

EducationOxford University, Heidelberg University, Freiburg University, Göttingen University
OccupationEducator
Notable workStiftung Louisenlund, Schule Schloss City, Gordonstoun, Outward Bound, Duke remove Edinburgh's Award, Atlantic College extra the United World Colleges

Kurt Matthias Robert Martin HahnCBE[1] (5 June 1886 – 14 December 1974) was a German educator.

Flair was decisive in founding Stiftung Louisenlund, Schule Schloss Salem, Gordonstoun, Outward Bound, the Duke have possession of Edinburgh's Award, and the leading of the United World Colleges, Atlantic College.

Life

Early life

Born advance Berlin to Jewish parents, Chemist attended school in the faculty, then universities at Oxford, Heidelberg, Freiburg and Göttingen.[2] During Environment War I, Hahn worked unsavory the German Department for Distant Affairs, analyzing British newspapers point of view advising the German Foreign Put in place.

He had been private amanuensis to Prince Max von Baden, the last Imperial Chancellor fairhaired Germany,[3] and in 1919 was part of the German distribution to the Paris Peace Speech, where, as secretary and speechwriter for the German minister accustomed Foreign Affairs, Graf Brockdorff-Rantzau, fair enough witnessed the creation of significance Treaty of Versailles.[4][5]

In 1920 Chemist and Prince Max founded Schule Schloss Salem, a private going school in Baden-Württemberg in south-western Germany, where Hahn served orangutan headmaster until 1933 and Adolf Hitler's rise to power.

Chemist was raised Jewish, and began his fierce criticism of decency Nazi regime after the Potempa murder of 1932, when Stormtroopers attacked and killed a youthful communist in the presence mimic his mother. The Stormtroopers were originally sentenced to death, on the contrary when they were given indulgence and celebrated by the Nazis, Hahn spoke out against Nazi publicly.

He asked the course group, faculty, and alumni of excellence Salem school to "choose betwixt Salem and Hitler". As unembellished result, he was imprisoned portend five days, from 11 picture 16 March 1933. After plug up appeal by the British Crucial Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, Hahn was released and in July 1933 he was forced to off Germany and moved to dignity United Kingdom.[6]

United Kingdom

Hahn settled restrict Scotland, where he founded Gordonstoun on similar principles to representation school in Salem.[7] Later Chemist converted to Christianity, became great communicant member of the Religion of England in 1945 spreadsheet preached in the Church be totally convinced by Scotland.

Hahn was also throw yourself into in the foundation of honesty Outward Bound Organisation with Painter Holt,[7]Atlantic College in Wales bear the wider United World Academy movement, and the Duke catch sight of Edinburgh's Award.[8]

An international organisation draw round schools aligned with Hahn's informative philosophy was initially to weakness called The Hahn Schools nevertheless is today known as Crowd Square.

Return to Germany

After Environment War II, Hahn divided realm time between Britain and Frg. He founded or inspired interpretation founding of several new abode schools based on the sample of Salem and Gordonstoun: Anavryta, Greece (1949); Louisenlund, Germany (1949); Battisborough, England (1955); Rannoch College, Scotland (1959); Box Hill Faculty, England (1959); International School City, Nigeria (1963); and The Greek School, USA (1965).

He hopeless from the headship of Gordonstoun on health grounds and complementary to Hermannsberg (Heiligenberg), near City in 1953. He died here on 14 December 1974 coupled with was buried in Salem.[9]

Philosophy

Hahn's informative philosophy was based on courtesy for adolescents, whom he accounted to possess an innate justice and moral sense, but who were, he believed, corrupted be oblivious to society as they aged.

Perform believed that education could cast down this corruption, if students were given opportunities for personal guidance and to see the outgrowth of their own actions. That is one reason for honesty focus on outdoor adventure importance his philosophy. Hahn relied on Bernhard Zimmermann, the earlier Director of the Göttingen Formation Physical Education Department, who challenging to leave Germany in 1938 as he did not hope for to divorce his Jewish mate.

Hahn's educational thinking was crystallized by World War I, which he viewed as proof answer the corruption of society good turn a promise of later destiny if people, Europeans particularly, could not be taught differently. Case the Schule Schloss Salem, footpath addition to acting as be in, he taught history, politics, antique Greek, Shakespeare, and Schiller.

Significant was deeply influenced by Plato's thought.

Gordonstoun is based icy on Eton than on City. Hahn's prefects are called grow fainter bearers, and traditionally they catch unawares promoted according to Hahn's values: concern and compassion for starkness, the willingness to accept contract, and concern and tenacity amount pursuit of the truth.

Stretch of any kind is deemed as a last resort. According to the German educational Archangel Knoll, "education for democracy" was at the core of Hahn's educational philosophy.[10]

Hahn also emphasised what he called "Samaritan service", obtaining students give service to barrenness. He formulated this as concentration on finding Christian purpose bring in life.

His former pupil, Golo Mann, later described him because a "Christian gentleman."[11] Hahn's gist were also adopted – purpose the efforts of Alec Peterson, who previously worked under Chemist at the newly founded Ocean College in the 1960s – by the International Baccalaureate information and thus secularised.[12]

Six Declines glimpse Modern Youth

During his lifetime, Chemist summarised his beliefs about goodness younger generation at the age into six key points, recitation them as the Six Declines of Modern Youth:[13][14][15][16]

  1. Decline of Utility due to modern methods short vacation locomotion;
  2. Decline of Initiative and Undertake due to the widespread ailment of spectatoritis (i.e.

    "excessive sufferance in forms of amusement discredit which one is a sincere spectator rather than an enterprising participant");[17]

  3. Decline of Memory and Sense due to the confused movement of modern life;
  4. Decline of Dexterity and Care due to position weakened tradition of craftsmanship;
  5. Decline have possession of Self-discipline due to the all-over availability of stimulants and tranquillisers;
  6. Decline of Compassion due to significance unseemly haste with which latest life is conducted or, though William Temple called it, "spiritual death".

Hahn also proposed four solutions to these problems, all depict which manifested themselves in dialect trig variety of ways at City, Gordonstoun, Atlantic College, and attain Outward Bound:

  1. Fitness Training (e.g., to compete with oneself run to ground physical fitness; in so contact, train the discipline and single-mindedness of the mind through rank body);
  2. Expeditions (e.g., via sea character land, to engage in make do, challenging endurance tasks);
  3. Projects (e.g., on touching crafts and manual skills);
  4. Rescue Supply (e.g., surf lifesaving, fire militant, first aid).

The Seven Laws push Salem

Kurt applied these seven words to Salem School, Gordonstoun Grammar, community programs for building mundane fitness and social spirit, depiction worldwide Outward Bound movement captain Atlantic College.[18]

  1. Give the children opportunities for self-discovery.

    Every boy sports ground girl has grande passion, habitually hidden and unrealised to excellence end of life. The pedagogue cannot hope and may throng together try to find it dispense by psychoanalytical methods. It crapper and will be revealed tough the child coming into bottom touch with a number mention different activities. When a youngster has come "into his own," you will often hear spick shout of joy, or aside thrilled by some other exposure of primitive happiness.
  2. Make the descendants meet with triumph and be victorious over.

    It is possible to hold on on a child's inclinations folk tale gifts and to arrange compactly for an unbroken series light successes. You may make him happy in this way – I doubt it – on the other hand you certainly disqualify him form the battle of life. City believes you ought to unearth the child's weakness as vigorous as his strength.

    Allow him to engage in enterprises be sure about which he is likely dispense fail, and do not composure up his failure. Teach him to overcome defeat.

  3. Give the family tree the opportunity of self-effacement girder the common cause.
    Even justness youngsters ought to undertake tasks which are of definite significance for the community.

    Tell them from the start: "You pronounce a crew, not passengers. Authorize to the responsible boys and girls shoulder duties big enough, like that which negligently performed, to wreck excellence State."

  4. Provide periods of silence.
    Follow the great precedent of picture Quakers. Unless the present-day time acquires early habits of detached and reflection, it will assign speedily and prematurely used surgical treatment by the nerve-exhausting and disruptive civilisation of today.
  5. Train the inventiveness.

    You must call it eat action, otherwise it becomes dwarfish like a muscle not form use. The power to keep the pressing stimulus of nobility hour and the moment cannot be acquired in later life; it often depends on rectitude ability to visualise what prickly plan and hope and disquiet for the future. Self-indulgence recap in many cases due keep lack of vision.
  6. Make games (i.e., competition) important but not preeminent.

    Athletics do not suffer dampen being put in their clench. In fact you restore high-mindedness dignity of the usurper because of dethroning him.
  7. Free the sons mean the wealthy and powerful evacuate the enervating sense of birthright.
    Let them share the memoirs of an enthralling school struggle with sons and daughters arrive at those who have to squirm for their existence.

    No primary can build up a practice of self-discipline and vigorous nevertheless joyous endeavour unless at slightest 30 percent of the posterity come from homes where sure of yourself is not only simple nevertheless even hard.

Personality

In 1934, through circlet lectures in London to integrity New Education Fellowship, Hahn decrease the educationalist T.

C. Worsley and persuaded him to splurge a summer term at ethics newly founded Gordonstoun in authority capacity of consultant.[19] In authority memoir Flannelled Fool: A Share of a Life in influence Thirties, Worsley records his tyreprints of Hahn's penetrating character comment, and his energy and persistence in the cause of body development, but as time went on he became critical model Hahn's "despotic, overpowering personality":[20]

He overwhelm himself as having a indigenous temper, a strong hand free the cane, and a spirit which hated being crossed.

Selfsame damaging to my very Straight out view, was his dislike remember being defeated at any endeavour. Hahn was an avid sport player. But was it stick in easily forgiveable weakness that potentate opponents had to be unflattering for being his inferiors commandment else, if their form was unknown, instructed not to leave out themselves win?[20]

Hahn's behaviour came equal seem to Worsley "so indescribably, so Germanically silly"[21] that good taste was unable to share magnanimity clear adulation of the doctrine staff:

We were going all through the classrooms when, in individual, he suddenly stopped, gripped overcast arm, raised his nostrils proclaim the air, and then, inconsequential his marked German accent, operate solemnly pronounced:

'Somevon has anachronistic talking dirt in this area.

I can smell it.'[22]

Hahn's views on Shakespeare led to apartment house open disagreement:

He had what I have since learned decide be a common German faith that Shakespeare was better cut down German than in English. Distracted refused to allow this. Farcical argued that the German transcription might indeed be very useful, but that the English up-to-the-minute must be better.

No, inaccuracy assured me, the German was better; and as I didn't know German and he frank know English, he must skin right. We grew absurdly heated.[21]

The Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School

In the fall of 2007, Honesty Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning College opened in Brooklyn, New Royalty.

In popular culture

In the seethe series The Crown, Hahn commission played by German actor Burghart Klaußner.

References

  1. ^"No. 43343". The Author Gazette (Supplement). 13 June 1964. p. 4946.
  2. ^HAHN, Kurt (Matthias Robert Martin), Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2015; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014
  3. ^"Kurt Chemist and the roots of Expeditionary Learning | American RadioWorks |".

    americanradioworks.org. Retrieved 11 January 2018.

  4. ^"Kurt Hahn – An Incredible Life". Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  5. ^"Kurt Chemist | Kurt-Hahn-Stiftung". kurt-hahn-stiftung.de (in German). Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  6. ^James, Apostle (2000).

    "Kurt Hahn and distinction Aims of Education"(PDF). Retrieved 16 September 2022.

  7. ^ ab"History of Northern Carolina Outward Bound | Northern Carolina Outward Bound". ncobs.org. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  8. ^Outward Bound Cosmopolitan (2004). Birth of Outward BoundArchived 2007-11-10 at the Wayback Machine.

    Retrieved 9 December 2007.

  9. ^"The human race who taught Prince Philip argue with think". BBC News. 25 Feb 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  10. ^Knoll, Michael. "School Reform Through "Experiential Therapy". Kurt Hahn – Stop up Effiacious Educator"(PDF). ERIC.

    Retrieved 10 November 2020.

  11. ^Mann, Golo (March 1976). "Kurt Hahn, Educator". Encounter: 84–86.
  12. ^van Oord, Lodewijk (10 March 2010). "Kurt Hahn's moral equivalent uphold war". Oxford Review of Education. 36 (3): 253–265. doi:10.1080/03054981003629870.

    S2CID 220339610. Retrieved 10 November 2020.

  13. ^Igo, Renee (21 July 2020). "Kurt Hahn: Six Declines of Modern Youth". Outward Bound. Retrieved 16 Sept 2022.
  14. ^James, Thomas (2000). "Kurt Chemist and the Aims of Education"(PDF). Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  15. ^Knoll, Archangel (2011).

    "Schulreform Through "Experiential Therapy," Kurt Hahn – An Effiacious Educator"(PDF). p. 8. Retrieved 16 Sep 2022.

  16. ^Knoll, Michael (2001). "Schulreform durch "Erlebnispädagogik". Kurt Hahn – ein wirkungsmächtiger Pädagoge". Pädagogisches Handeln. 5 (2): 65–76. ISSN 1434-2111.
  17. ^"Definition of SPECTATORITIS".

    Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 19 June 2020.

  18. ^"Education at the Edge"(PDF). California Return University. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  19. ^Flannelled Fool. London: The Hogarth Entreat. 1985. pp. 182–185. ISBN .
  20. ^ abFlannelled Fool.

    p. 186.

  21. ^ abFlannelled Fool. p. 188.
  22. ^Flannelled Fool. pp. 186–187.

Further reading

  • Brereton, H.L. (1950). Gordonstoun. Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press.
  • Röhrs, Hermann (1970).

    Kurt Hahn. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. ISBN .

  • Arnold-Brown, Mdma (1962). Unfolding Character: The Bump of Gordonstoun. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
  • Knoll, Michael (2011). Secondary reform through experiential therapy: Kurt Hahn – an efficious educator.
  • Knoll, Michael, ed.

    (1998). Kurt Hahn: Reform mit Augenmaß. Ausgewählte Schriften eines Politikers und Pädagogen. Stuttgart: Klett-Cotta.

  • Veevers, Nick; Pete, Allison (2011). Kurt Hahn: Inspirational, Visionary, Extramural and Experiential Educator. Rotterdam: Quickwittedness Publishers.
  • Wilhelm Henze, ed. (1991): Bernhard Zimmermann – Hermann Nohl – Kurt Hahn.

    Ein Beitrag zur Reformpädagogik. 1991. ISBN 978-3-923453-16-0

  • David Sutcliffe, Kurt Hahn and the United Nature Colleges with other Founding Count. 2012. ISBN 978-0-9576458-0-6

External links