Christopher Dock
Encyclopedia
Christopher Dock was a Mennonite
educator.
(present-day Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
) by 1718. After teaching for ten years, he turned primarily to farming, and bought 100 acre (0.404686 km²) in Salford Township in 1735. Three years later, he returned to teaching and continued as a schoolmaster until his death late in 1771, when he failed to return home from the Skippack school. He was found there on his knees, where it had been his habit to pray for his students.
He wrote, in German
, the earliest known teaching methods text in the U.S., Schul-Ordnung (School Management), a book on general pedagogy
. The book was completed on August 8, 1750, but was not published until 1769. It was written through the efforts of Christopher Saur
of Germantown
, a printer whose son Christopher
was a student of Dock's. He was so impressed with Dock's teaching style, which was becoming well known, that he asked him to write a guide so that others who taught children could benefit as well. Saur's son printed and published the guide.
Dock was a practitioner of fraktur
, the Pennsylvania Dutch folk art named after the fraktur typeface. Christopher Dock gave his students little illustrations of a bird or a flower, as well as "Vorschriften" (writing lessons), as rewards.
, in Lansdale, Pennsylvania
, is named for him.
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
educator.
Biography
He immigrated to the United States by 1714, becoming a teacher at Skippack in Philadelphia County, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia County, Pennsylvania
-History:Tribes of Lenape were the first known occupants in the area which became Philadelphia County. The first European settlers were Swedes and Finns who arrived in 1638. The Netherlands seized the area in 1655, but permanently lost control to England in 1674...
(present-day Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 799,874, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania . The county seat is Norristown.The county was created on September 10, 1784, out of land originally part...
) by 1718. After teaching for ten years, he turned primarily to farming, and bought 100 acre (0.404686 km²) in Salford Township in 1735. Three years later, he returned to teaching and continued as a schoolmaster until his death late in 1771, when he failed to return home from the Skippack school. He was found there on his knees, where it had been his habit to pray for his students.
He wrote, in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, the earliest known teaching methods text in the U.S., Schul-Ordnung (School Management), a book on general pedagogy
Pedagogy
Pedagogy is the study of being a teacher or the process of teaching. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction....
. The book was completed on August 8, 1750, but was not published until 1769. It was written through the efforts of Christopher Saur
Christopher Sower (elder)
Christopher Sower was a printer. He printed and published the first German-language Bible in America, the second printing of a Bible in North America.-Biography:He wrote his name Christophe Saur on his German publications...
of Germantown
Germantown, Pennsylvania
Germantown is the name of six places in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a state in the United States, including a neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:* Germantown, Adams County, Pennsylvania* Germantown, Cambria County, Pennsylvania...
, a printer whose son Christopher
Christopher Sower (younger)
Christopher Sower was a clergyman and printer.-Biography:...
was a student of Dock's. He was so impressed with Dock's teaching style, which was becoming well known, that he asked him to write a guide so that others who taught children could benefit as well. Saur's son printed and published the guide.
Methods
Contrary to the harsh methods common in some colonial schools, Dock preferred to use gentler techniques. He sought to build character in his students, using persuasion, discussion, and positive peer pressure to encourage the highest standards of behavior among them. He disciplined poor behavior and attitudes with thoughtfulness and understanding, seeking to make the punishment suitable to the student as well as to the infraction being addressed.Dock was a practitioner of fraktur
Fraktur (Pennsylvania German folk art)
Fraktur is both a style of lettering and a highly artistic and elaborate illuminated folk art created by the Pennsylvania Dutch...
, the Pennsylvania Dutch folk art named after the fraktur typeface. Christopher Dock gave his students little illustrations of a bird or a flower, as well as "Vorschriften" (writing lessons), as rewards.
Legacy
The Christopher Dock Mennonite High SchoolChristopher Dock Mennonite High School
]Christopher Dock Mennonite High School, also known as Christopher Dock High School, is a private high school in Towamencin Township, Pennsylvania that is affiliated with the Franconia Mennonite Conference of the Mennonite Church USA. The school was named after schoolmaster Christopher Dock of...
, in Lansdale, Pennsylvania
Lansdale, Pennsylvania
Lansdale is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 28 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Early in the 20th century, its industries included agricultural implement works, a canning factory, foundries, brickyards, a silk mill, and manufacturers of cigars, stoves, shirts, rope, iron drain pipe,...
, is named for him.
Further reading
- Christopher Dock, Colonial Schoolmaster: The Biography and Writings of Christopher Dock by Gerald C. Studer. 1967.
- Reissued by Herald Press, 1993. ISBN 0-8361-3644-6
- Skippack School: Being the Story of Eli Shrawder and of one Christopher Dock, Schoolmaster about the year 1750 by Marguerite de AngeliMarguerite de AngeliMarguerite de Angeli was a bestselling author and illustrator of children's books including the 1950 Newbery Award winning book The Door in the Wall...
. 1939. Illustrated children's book, ages 9–12.
- Skippack School: Being the Story of Eli Shrawder and of one Christopher Dock, Schoolmaster about the year 1750 by Marguerite de Angeli
- Reissued by Mennonite Publishing, 1999. ISBN 978-0836191240
- "The Gift is Small the Love is Great" by Frederick S. Weiser. Contains a facsimile copy of the Schul-Ordnung and English translations of all of Christopher Dock's literary remains. Contains English translations of the Schul-Ordnung, a list of 100 rules and a hymn.
External links
- Dock, Christopher (d. 1771) at Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia OnlineGlobal Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia OnlineThe Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online is an online encyclopedia of topics relating to Mennonites and Anabaptism. The mission of the project is to provide free, reliable, English-language information on anabaptist-related topics....
- Christopher Dock - History
| Fraktur by Christopher Dock |
| Schrift by Jacob Harley (student of Christopher Dock) |