Martha Louise Morrow Foxx facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Martha Louise Morrow Foxx
Martha Louise Morrow Foxx, from a 1969 newspaper.
Born	October 9, 1902 Charlotte, North Carolina
Died	1985
Occupation	Educator

Martha Louise Morrow Foxx (born October 9, 1902 – died 1985) was an amazing American teacher. She worked for 40 years at a special school called the Piney Woods Country Life School. This school was part of the Mississippi Blind School for Negroes, and she taught there from 1929 to 1969.

Early Life and Learning

Martha Louise Morrow was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her parents were Frank and Hattie Morrow. When she was a baby, Martha became partially blind because of an eye disease.

As a young child, she went to the Governor Morehead School for the blind. When Martha was eleven, her family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There, she went to the Overbrook School for the Blind. Later, she started college at Temple University.

After her first year of college, she moved to Piney Woods, Mississippi. This is where she began her teaching career. During her summer breaks, she continued her studies. She attended West Virginia State College, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and the Hampton Institute. She earned her bachelor's degree from Hampton Institute.

A Career in Education

Martha Louise Morrow Foxx dedicated her life to teaching. She helped many students learn and grow.

Founding a Special School

Foxx played a key role in starting the Mississippi Blind School for Negroes. It opened in April 1929 on the Piney Woods Country Life School campus. At first, she was called the "house mistress." Later, she became the principal of the school.

In 1945, the famous Helen Keller visited the Piney Woods School. Helen Keller spoke to the state government. She asked them to give money to help fund the school.

In 1950, a new Mississippi School for the Blind was finished. This new school was for both white and African American students. It moved to a new place in Jackson, Mississippi. Martha Foxx became the principal there too.

A Mother Figure to Students

Laurence C. Jones founded the Piney Woods School in 1909. He said that Foxx helped students with their minds, their morals, and their spirits. Jones described Foxx's relationship with her students as being like a mother.

She taught students important life skills. These included domestic skills, how to make mats, and how to cane seats. She also taught them music. Jones said that Foxx helped her students become self-reliant. This meant they could look forward to supporting themselves in the world.

As early as 1920, music groups from the school toured across the South and Eastern U.S. These tours helped gain support and money for the school.

The Cotton Blossom Singers

Laurence C. Jones asked Foxx to help create a blind quartet. They were known as the Cotton Blossom Singers. In 1937, they recorded music for Alan Lomax. After they graduated, these singers became famous. They formed the core of the well-known group, the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi.

Foxx retired from her job as principal in 1969. She said, "I've enjoyed everything connected with teaching. It has been my whole life."

Her Teaching Style

Foxx had a very modern way of teaching. She believed in learning outside the classroom. She also thought nature should be part of lessons. She often took the children into the nearby woods. They would hunt for plums and pick wild berries.

Ernestine Archie was one of the first students to graduate in 1934. She remembered how Foxx wanted visually impaired students to enjoy outings. She wanted them to do the same things as sighted students. Foxx believed their senses of touch, taste, sound, and smell made up for not being able to see.

Archie also recalled that Foxx said these trips into nature sharpened the students' "sixth sense." This helped their spirits and their minds. Foxx used new techniques for her time. She taught her students to read Braille and special large-print books.

Honors and Awards

Martha Louise Morrow Foxx received many awards for her work.

• In 1942, she received the Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Drama Award. This award came with money to help fund arts education.
• In 1969, the Mississippi Teachers Association named her "Outstanding Teacher of the Year."
• In 2013, she was honored by being added to the America Printing House for the Blind's Hall of Fame.
• In Rankin County, Mississippi, there is a historic marker about Foxx. It was placed in 2009 near where the Piney Woods School used to be.

Personal Life

Martha Louise Morrow married Alexander Foxx in 1937. She passed away in 1985, when she was in her eighties.