Donalda Dickie facts for kids

Donalda James Dickie (born October 5, 1883 – died December 15, 1972) was an important Canadian teacher. She taught in Alberta from the 1910s to the 1940s. During this time, she wrote many textbooks and helped create new learning plans for elementary schools in Alberta. Even after she stopped teaching, Dickie kept writing books in the 1950s. She wrote popular book series about geography, history, and literature. Her history book for kids, The Great Adventure, even won a special prize called the Governor General's Award for juvenile fiction in 1950.

Growing Up and Learning

Donalda Dickie was born on October 5, 1883, in Hespeler, Ontario. As a child, she lived in Souris, Manitoba and Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. In the early 1900s, she finished her training to become a teacher in Westview, Saskatchewan.

For her higher education, Dickie earned a Master of Arts degree from Queen's University in 1910. Later, in 1929, she received a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Toronto. Before going to the University of Toronto, she also studied at Somerville College, Oxford in England for several years, but she did not finish her degree there.

Her Career as a Teacher and Writer

From 1910 to the mid-1940s, Donalda Dickie worked as a teacher in places like Calgary, Edmonton, and Camrose, Alberta. She taught at "normal schools," which were special schools that trained future teachers.

Writing Textbooks

While teaching, Dickie started writing books. Her first school textbook, about poetry, came out in 1920. She became a very busy textbook writer. Between the 1920s and 1930s, she wrote many book series for schoolchildren. These books covered subjects like geography, history, and literature.

In the mid-1930s, Dickie helped create a brand new plan for what elementary school teachers in Alberta should teach. In 1940, she also published a guide for teachers called The Enterprise in Theory and Practice. This book was about "progressive education," which is a way of teaching that focuses on students learning by doing and exploring, rather than just listening to lectures.

Writing After Teaching

After she stopped teaching in schools, Dickie continued to write textbooks. By the early 1950s, she had written about 55 textbooks! Most of her books were about history, but she also wrote about social studies and English.

During the 1950s, she released a Canadian history book for middle school students called The Great Adventure. This book was very popular. In 1950, The Great Adventure won the Governor General's Award for juvenile fiction. This is a very important award for Canadian children's books.

Besides her school books, Dickie also wrote other children's books in the 1920s and 1930s. Some of these books included All About Bears and Hearts High. By the end of her writing career, Donalda Dickie had published over sixty books!

Later Life

Donalda Dickie passed away on December 15, 1972, in Haney, British Columbia.