Marion Thompson
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Marion Beatrice Thompson (22 November 1877 in
Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...
,
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– 12 June 1964) was one of a distinguished group of
University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...
women graduates of the 1890s who put their mark on girls' education in
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
in the new century. She is most noted in her career as the founding principal of
Solway College Solway College is a girls' boarding school in Masterton, New Zealand. It is an integrated school for girls from Year 7 to Year 13 (Forms 1 to 7) with a limited number of day girl places. The College was founded in 1916. History The College was ...
,
Masterton Masterton () is a large town in the Wellington Region, Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand that operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa ...
, from 1916 through to her retirement in 1942. Marion Thompson completed her teacher training in 1898 at the Dunedin Teachers' College and received her MA with first class honours in 1899. For the next decade she taught in a number of schools around New Zealand, six years of it at Prince Albert College,
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
. In 1909 she married Reverend Laurence Thompson, turning her attention to raising a family in Carterton, where her husband was minister of the
Presbyterian church Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Christianity, Reformed Protestantism, Protestant tradition named for its form of ecclesiastical polity, church government by representative assemblies of Presbyterian polity#Elder, elders, known as ...
. Her thoughts returned to teaching in late 1914 after Rev Thompson fell seriously ill. She rejected several positions offered at established girls' schools to pursue an idea suggested by her brother-in-law Rev A. T. Thompson. He had for some time been considering establishment of a boys' school in the
Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service t ...
, believing that "the activities of the Church could profitably be extended into the educational world.". As Mrs Thompson's teaching experience to date had been mainly in girls' schools, Rev. Thompson agreed to enlist community support for a girls' school instead. The school opened in 1916 in Solway House, the old homestead of a large
Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service t ...
estate, with a roll of 21. The following year it grew to 61. The Rev. Thompson's return to health enabled both to play an active role in creating a solid foundation of community support for the school and life-education for its students. Marion Thompson's approach to operation of a girls' boarding school was outlined in a speech to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian church in
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
in 1915, expressing her hope that "with our family life at its centre,
Solway College Solway College is a girls' boarding school in Masterton, New Zealand. It is an integrated school for girls from Year 7 to Year 13 (Forms 1 to 7) with a limited number of day girl places. The College was founded in 1916. History The College was ...
would have the atmosphere of a home rather than an institution." The school functioned with a disciplinary system absent of fines or detentions, and Mrs Thompson's teaching approach was to establish "activities that rounded off the angularity of the class-room, and made for fullness of living to counteract the popular opinion that young people should be educated to earn a living." The concept of holistic education endures as a pillar of Solway College's teaching philosophy to this day. Ironically, the pursuit of a school as a family took its toll on Marion Thompson's personal life. In her later years, she admitted that the school had absorbed her life to the exclusion of family, church and her own social and cultural interests. She was a tireless worker in all areas of the school, often out of necessity due to frequent staff turnover or lack of availability through the war years. She also battled throughout her career to earn the respect of the guarantors and board of governors, who she believed at the outset were 'parsimonious and patronising', treating her as 'a penniless woman with a very sick husband and two small sons' whom they were benevolently providing with a means of livelihood. In 1942, resignation was forced upon her by failing eyesight, a condition evident since the mid-1930s but which had not improved despite a major operation. She published her memoirs in 1956, living out her final years with her daughter until her death in 1964. She described her time at
Solway College Solway College is a girls' boarding school in Masterton, New Zealand. It is an integrated school for girls from Year 7 to Year 13 (Forms 1 to 7) with a limited number of day girl places. The College was founded in 1916. History The College was ...
as 'an experiment on a small scale',Thompson, p173 but one which she herself, ex-pupils, boards of governors and educators have acknowledged as successful and enduring.


References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Hill, J (1991). ''We Built a School: Solway College, a pictorial history, 1916-1991.'' * * Thompson, M B (1956). ''We Built a School.'' Masterton Printing Co. Ltd


External links


Solway College website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Marion Schoolteachers from Dunedin 1877 births 1964 deaths University of Otago alumni People from Carterton, New Zealand Dunedin College of Education alumni