Albert Cullum-A Great Educator

I recently discovered the work of educator Albert Cullum
when I watched the documentary A Touch of
Greatness made about his work.  He was
an elementary school teacher and college professor and a brilliant, insightful,
courageous, innovative educator.

When he became a teacher in the 1940s, Albert
Cullum realized something was lacking in his classes and decided to stray from
the by-the-book, discipline-heavy style favored by his colleagues, instead
using poetry and drama to put life and emotion into his teaching.

When I looked him up in Wikipedia, this is what I found…

Albert Cullum (1920-July 2003) was an American elementary school
teacher in the 1960s. Instead of the standard Dick and Jane style of teaching, he opted to introduce his children
to classic literature such as Shakespeare and Greek dramas.

Unlike other
teachers at the time, Cullum strongly believed that learning and play could be
combined in the classroom. Cullum was the author of numerous books about
education including the best-selling The Geranium On The Windowsill Just
Died But Teacher You Went Right On, which sold over half a million copies.

He taught at St. Luke's School in Greenwich Village in the 1940s, and at Midland School in Rye, New York, in the 1950s. He then went on to become a professor of education
at Boston University and at Stonehill College

Many of Cullum's pedagogical experiments and class performances were
captured on film by irreverent filmmaker Robert Downey, Sr.

A documentary called A Touch of Greatness was made
about his life in 2004. This
documentary from Leslie Sullivan (produced by Catherine Gund) depicts a man who
challenged traditional teaching methods and proved that creativity has a place
in every classroom.

Cullum believed that within every child there is a touch of
greatness. It was his job to find that and nurture it. The movie speaks for
itself about the powerful results of his work. Many of his former students
gathered to reminisce and honor his amazing work.

The
documentary is great. You can either order it from Netflix or purchase it 
from Amazon.

To order the book or documentary from Amazon, just click on the link below: