Anna Rönström facts for kids

Anna Rönström (1847–1920) was an important Swedish teacher. She was a pioneer in Lund for educating girls. She started a secondary education school for girls called Högre Elementarskolan i Lund. People often called it Rönström School (Rönströmska skolan) after her.

Life

Starting a New School

Anna Rönström studied to become a teacher in Stockholm from 1864 to 1867. After her studies, she worked as a governess in Lund. In 1871, she opened her own school for girls. This school was the first in Lund to offer secondary education to girls. It prepared them for university studies.

Anna Rönström and her school were like other pioneers in Sweden. Many women started the first secondary schools for girls in different cities. For example, Maria Henschen did this in Uppsala. Maria Stenkula did it in Malmö, and Elsa Borg in Gävle.

Modern Education for Girls

Anna Rönström had some traditional ideas about girls' education. She believed girls should be taught at home for a life in the home. She thought a girls' school should feel like a second home. She also felt that religion should guide their learning. These were common ideas at the time.

However, the school she created was very modern in practice. It gave girls all the education they needed for university. Unlike many other girls' schools, it taught the same level of mathematics as boys' schools. It also taught the German language instead of French. German was the language boys' secondary schools preferred then. In 1892, she also introduced home economics, which was a new idea at the time. Her school became very successful. It received support from the government in 1879. It also got support from the local community in 1882.

Later Achievements

Anna Rönström was also active in the annual national girls' school conferences (flickskolmöte). In 1898, she started a teacher exchange program. This program allowed teachers to swap places between Denmark and Sweden. It became very popular and lasted for many years.

In 1905, she helped start a teachers' seminary for women with Anna Heurlin. This seminary became part of her school. Anna Rönström was known as a skilled mathematician. She became a member of the International Congress of Mathematicians. This happened at their meeting in Rome in 1908.

Her school's journey was also typical for the time. In 1933, it joined with another girls' school in Lund. They formed the Lund Communal Girls' School. Later, this school became a co-educational school, meaning both boys and girls could attend.

In 1913, Anna Rönström received a special Swedish royal medal. It is called Illis Quorum Meruere Labores, or simply Illis quorum. This award recognized her important work.

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