Marva Collins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marva Collins
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Collins in 2004
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| Born |
Marva Delores Knight
August 31, 1936 Monroeville, Alabama, U.S.
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| Died | June 24, 2015 (aged 78) |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Marva King |
| Education | Clark Atlanta University |
| Occupation | Educator |
| Years active | 1957–2008 |
| Known for | Creating Westside Preparatory School in Chicago's Garfield Park neighborhood in 1975. |
| Spouse(s) |
Clarence Collins
(m. 1960; died 1995) |
| Children | 3 |
Marva Delores Collins (born Knight; August 31, 1936 – June 24, 2015) was an American teacher. She is famous for starting Westside Preparatory School. This was a private elementary school in a less wealthy area of Chicago, Illinois, called Garfield Park. The school opened in 1975.
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Early Life and Education
Marva Collins was born in Monroeville, Alabama. Her father, Henry Knight, was a businessman. Her mother was Bessie Knight. Marva grew up in Atmore, Alabama, a small town. This was a time when schools were separated by race in the American South.
When she was young, Marva went to a strict elementary school. It was a one-room schoolhouse. This experience helped shape her ideas about teaching later on. She later graduated from Clark College in Atlanta, Georgia. Today, this school is known as Clark Atlanta University.
Teaching Career
Collins taught in Alabama for two years. Then, in 1959, she moved to Chicago. For fourteen years, she worked as a full-time substitute teacher. She taught in the inner-city Chicago Public Schools.
Starting Westside Preparatory School
Marva Collins was not happy with how some students were learning. She felt they were not reaching their full potential. So, in 1975, she used $5,000 from her own retirement savings. She started a private school on the top floors of her home. Her home was in the West Garfield Park neighborhood.
The school she started was named Westside Preparatory School. It became very successful. Collins created this affordable private school for a special reason. She wanted to teach low-income Black children. She believed the public school system had wrongly labeled them as having learning disabilities. Collins said her teaching methods helped students overcome learning challenges. She also said her methods stopped behavior problems.
Her own experience in a one-room schoolhouse influenced her teaching. Her father gave her tasks at home that built her confidence. She felt that spending time directly with students was very important. Collins and her daughter ran the school for over 30 years. It closed in 2008 because not enough students enrolled and there wasn't enough money.
Media Attention
Marva Collins became widely known because of a TV movie. It was made in 1981 and was called The Marva Collins Story. Cicely Tyson played Marva Collins, and Morgan Freeman also starred. Cicely Tyson spent time with Collins to prepare for her role.
Collins also appeared on the news show 60 Minutes on CBS. The 60 Minutes story was inspired by an article. A reporter named Zay N. Smith wrote about Collins and Westside Prep in the 1970s.
Helping Kevin Ross
In 1982, a 23-year-old basketball player named Kevin Ross was in his senior year of college. He could not read. With help, Ross enrolled in 7th grade at Westside Prep. Marva Collins tutored him privately. Ross learned to read and graduated in May 1983. Collins continued to help him when he faced difficulties with his education.
Achievements and Recognition
Marva Collins' teaching methods were very successful. It was reported that President Ronald Reagan wanted her to be the Secretary of Education. But Collins decided not to take the job. She preferred to focus on teaching students directly. In 1983, Reagan mentioned Collins when he launched a program to fight adult illiteracy.
President George H. W. Bush also asked her to be Secretary of Education. She again said no, wanting to teach one student at a time. In 1994, the musician Prince featured Collins in his music video. It was for his song "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World." He also gave $500,000 to the Westside Preparatory School Teacher Training Institute. This institute taught Collins' special teaching methods.
In 1996, Collins was hired to oversee three Chicago public schools. These schools were struggling. In 2004, Collins received a National Humanities Medal. This was one of many awards she got for her teaching. Her school charged $5,500 for tuition in 2006–07. Parents said the school did a much better job than the public school system.
Teaching Style and Discussions
Collins was known for using a teaching style called classical education. She used the Socratic method, which involves asking questions to help students think. She changed it to work for elementary school students. She used this method successfully with students from less wealthy backgrounds.
Collins believed in her students. She thought that if students struggled, it was often because of how they were taught, not because of the students themselves. She wrote several books and guides about her history and methods. Some people, like George N. Schmidt, criticized her work. They claimed it was not real. Collins denied these claims. She had both people who supported her and people who disagreed with her.
Personal Life and Death
Marva Collins was married to Clarence Collins from September 1960 until he passed away in 1995. They had three children: Patrick, Eric, and Cynthia. Marva Collins died on June 24, 2015, in Beaufort County, South Carolina. She was 78 years old and was in hospice care.
Awards
- 1981: Jefferson Awards for Public Service - Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged
- 1982: Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement
- 2004: National Endowment for the Humanities - National Humanities Medalist
- Alpha Kappa Alpha - Honorary member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority
