Florence Armstrong facts for kids

Florence "Florrie" Armstrong (born 26 November 1928 – died 14 December 2010) was an important Irish teacher. She was a leader in creating schools where children from all different religions could learn together. This idea is called multi-denominational education.

Early Life and School Days

Florence Armstrong, who everyone called Florrie, was born in Drumalure, County Cavan on 26 November 1928. Her parents were Thomas and Elizabeth Armstrong. She grew up with three brothers in Belturbet, where her dad worked for the railway.

Florrie went to Coláiste Mobhí in Dublin, which was an Irish language school. In 1947, she won a special scholarship in Irish to study at Trinity College Dublin. She finished her degree in languages in 1951. After college, she became the principal of a small, one-teacher school in Bocade Glebe, Kildallan, back in Cavan. She later got another degree in education in 1954. Then, she became the principal of St Patrick's, another one-teacher school in Dalkey, County Dublin.

Florrie's Teaching Career

Starting at St Patrick's School

When Florrie arrived at St Patrick's in 1954, the school was in a church hall and only had 16 students. It was supported by the local Church of Ireland parish. Florrie worked hard to improve the school. By 1965, the number of students grew to 69, with three teachers. By 1971, there were 200 students!

With help from the local church leader, Desmond Murray, the school welcomed children from all religious backgrounds. Florrie also started a new way of teaching that focused on the child. In 1971, the school was chosen to try out a new curriculum from the Department of Education.

Challenges and New Ideas

Soon, St Patrick's became too crowded. When Desmond Murray left in 1970, the new school leaders didn't like that so many non-Protestant children were using Church of Ireland resources. They wanted to change who could join the school. At the same time, some local conservative Catholics didn't want their children in a school that wasn't focused on one religion.

The Minister for Education, Richard Burke, who was a conservative Catholic, stopped the school from growing more. In 1974, the school announced it wouldn't accept any new young students that year.

Fighting for Multi-Denominational Education

Florrie strongly believed that parents should be partners in their children's education. She encouraged them to be very involved. For three years, she and her supporters fought to keep her new ideas. A group of parents wanted multi-denominational education, even though the education and church leaders disagreed with Florrie's "learn together" idea.

At a meeting in 1974, the parent-teacher group voted that they didn't trust the school manager and asked him to resign. When he refused, the school became a big topic of discussion across Ireland about multi-denominational education. Florrie took a break in 1974 because there was no agreement on the school's new rules.

Working in Nigeria

Florrie went to Nigeria to work as an education advisor. Nigeria was recovering from a civil war. Florrie wanted to change how teachers were trained there. She also worked to create a new, combined primary school program. She stayed in Nigeria and became the principal of a large girls' school in Bida.

Founding the Dalkey School Project

While Florrie was away, some parents in Dalkey didn't give up on her plans for a multi-denominational school. They formed a group to start a new school outside the usual religious school system. This led to the creation of the Dalkey School Project (DSP) in 1975. The local Catholic church strongly disagreed with this new school.

This school later became the first in what is now known as the Educate Together movement. After an election in 1977, the new Minister for Education, John Patrick Wilson, supported the school. Florrie was offered the job of principal, and she accepted, even though she was very ill in Nigeria at the time.

The new school opened in a private house in Monkstown in September 1978. Florrie and two other teachers taught 92 students. She helped the school grow, and it moved to bigger places several times. She retired in 1990 from a specially built school in Glenageary, Dún Laoghaire, which had over 300 students and 10 teachers.

Later Years and Recognition

After retiring, Florrie continued to work as an education consultant in Africa. She helped with an education project in Kasama, Zambia. This project trained teachers and focused on educating girls.

In 2006, she received the first Educate Together Seed Award. In 2008, she was the special guest at a ceremony at Áras an Uachtaráin (the home of the President of Ireland). This event celebrated 30 years since the first Educate Together school opened. Florrie Armstrong passed away at St Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin on 14 December 2010.