Marion Thompson
Encyclopedia
Marion Beatrice Thompson (22 November 1877, Dunedin
, New Zealand
– 12 June 1964) was one of a distinguished group of University of Otago
women graduates of the 1890s who put their mark on girls' education in New Zealand
in the new century.. She is most noted in her career as the founding principal of Solway College
, Masterton
, from 1916 through to her retirement in 1942.
Marion Thompson completed her teacher training in 1898 at 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
. 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.
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
, 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
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
in 1915, expressing her hope that "with our family life at its centre, Solway College
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, whom 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
as 'an experiment on a small scale', but one which she herself, ex-pupils, boards of governors and educators have acknowledged as successful and enduring.
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
– 12 June 1964) was one of a distinguished group of University of Otago
University of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
women graduates of the 1890s who put their mark on girls' education in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in the new century.. She is most noted in her career as the founding principal of Solway College
Solway College
Located in Masterton, New Zealand, Solway College is one of New Zealand's oldest girls' boarding schools, being founded in 1916. It is an integrated school for girls from Year 7 to Year 13 , offering a variety of boarding options and a limited number of day girl places.-Teaching Philosophy:The...
, Masterton
Masterton
Masterton is a large town and local government district in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a region separated from Wellington by the Rimutaka ranges...
, from 1916 through to her retirement in 1942.
Marion Thompson completed her teacher training in 1898 at 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
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
. In 1909 she married Reverend Laurence Thompson, turning her attention to raising a family in Carterton
Carterton, New Zealand
Carterton is a small town in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and the seat of the Carterton District. It lies in a farming area of the Wairarapa in New Zealand's North Island. It is located southwest of Masterton and northeast of Wellington...
, where her husband was minister of the Presbyterian church.
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
Wairarapa
Wairarapa is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies 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 towns, with Masterton being the largest...
, 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
Wairarapa
Wairarapa is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies 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 towns, with Masterton being the largest...
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
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
in 1915, expressing her hope that "with our family life at its centre, Solway College
Solway College
Located in Masterton, New Zealand, Solway College is one of New Zealand's oldest girls' boarding schools, being founded in 1916. It is an integrated school for girls from Year 7 to Year 13 , offering a variety of boarding options and a limited number of day girl places.-Teaching Philosophy:The...
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, whom 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
Located in Masterton, New Zealand, Solway College is one of New Zealand's oldest girls' boarding schools, being founded in 1916. It is an integrated school for girls from Year 7 to Year 13 , offering a variety of boarding options and a limited number of day girl places.-Teaching Philosophy:The...
as 'an experiment on a small scale', but one which she herself, ex-pupils, boards of governors and educators have acknowledged as successful and enduring.