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Ed. Magazine

Because We Actually Helped Teachers Fly

Miltary airplane

Did we really help teachers become pilots? Sounds far-fetched (and there’s certainly no space in Harvard Square for a runway), but in 1943, at a time when patriotism was high, the Ed School did its part for the war effort when the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) requested that we offer a free pre-flight aviation course for high school teachers. At the time, the CAA was worried that America would not be ready for the next world war; aviation education, the agency believed, was critical to the nation’s future. Initially, the program focused on prepping college students, but by the spring of 1942, the CAA and the U.S. Office of Education teamed up on a program to “air condition” school-aged kids — that is, teach them basic aviation skills. As Robert Hinckley, an assistant secretary for air, noted in his 1942 book Air-Conditioning Young America, “History has faced us with the plain alternative: Fly — or die! The entire nation must become air-conditioned.” The 15-week course at the Ed School prepared high school teachers to understand meteorology, navigation, civil air regulations, and general servicing and operation of aircraft. Former Dean Henry Holmes taught the course.

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Ed. Magazine

The magazine of the Harvard Graduate School of Education

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