Born for the Classroom

Mary Marguerite Potter was made to be in a classroom. She was meant to be learning and teaching. She spent her life dedicated to her search for knowledge and sharing it with future generations.

Mary was born June 17, 1890, in Selinsgrove. She spent her childhood in Selinsgrove and went to the Susquehanna University prep academy, which was a high school run by the college. Then, she dove into her studies at the University. She was a student at the musical conservatory as well. She never studied music officially but all four years she spent getting her bachelor’s degree she took classes there. She kept busy with student life; during her junior year she became president of her class, and in her senior year, she was president of Philo. Philo was a literary society at the university, and at that time it was common to be in one of the two literary societies on campus. If only she were involved at church as she was in her courses. She was known for missing required services at school. Mary was an academic through and through. She worked hard in all of her classes and got perfect grades. In 1910 she graduated with a bachelor of science. She eventually returned to Susquehanna and earned a master’s degree in the same field in 1916.

Mary used these degrees to teach. Teaching at this time was a predominantly female career, with 75% of the educators in America female. Her first teaching job was in Middletown, almost an hour south of Selinsgrove. Yet she didn’t teach science; she taught music. This was rare, because most music teachers were self-taught men who taught singing and supervised female teachers. (Howe) After only a few years at Middletown, she moved on to teach in Highspire, a higher-rated school district. Even with the high amounts of women as teachers, many men populated the administration scene as supervisors. After many years teaching, Mary was chosen to be the supervisor of music education for Sunbury’s public schools. This was an elected position by the board of education, which shows Mary’s talent and work ethic in a field domainted by men.

To further her academics, Mary traveled the world. She went to Europe and studied music at a higher level. Even with her degree in science music was her true passion in every way. She also traveled to Puerto Rico to visit family.

Mary never married; she was focused on academics and furthering her career. She ended up in Caldwell, New Jersey, teaching in Essex County. It was also here that she studied music further at Columbia University. Mary died in New Jersey due to complications associated with a nervous breakdown.  The breakdown was caused after her students performed an operetta, she never recovered from this breakdown, which is what authorities assumed caused her death.

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