Robert Owen: The Educator

As a child in Newtown, Wales, Robert Owen received a modest education at best, yet he became one of the most innovative educational leaders of his day. He built schools for his workers and their children, and he became a crusader for educational reform. He introduced the first Infant School in the kingdom—what we today might call a mixture of kindergarten and "fast-track" daycare.

Owen's crowning achievement was the Institution for the Formation of Character, the cornerstone of which was the Infant School. Owen felt the houses of the poor were generally unfit for bringing up young children. They were "under-foot," so the manner in which they were spoken to and treated was the opposite of what was required for their best character development. An even more serious drawback was the fact that 99 out of 100 parents were altogether ignorant of the right method of treating young children, especially their own.

Dancing classes at the Institution for the Formation of Character Engraving by G. Hunt 1825

He also introduced adult education and numerous other unique educational programs. Although he believed that character formation began at an early age, he provided classes for all ages, from basic reading and writing skills to the more delicate matter of how to maintain one’s households and how to treat young children.

Owen provided education for workers at the expense of his business enterprise, a practice that soon caused friction with his commercial partners and led to the dissolution of two partnerships.