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The Little School
The Little School
by Sue Merry
Images and text from the archive were originally used in the 2000 Memorial Lecture
with the kind permission of Walter Carrington.
Please respect this and do not reproduce or copy anything from this pamphlet.
© Sue Merry 2011
1
The Little School
The Little School
F
M Alexander and Irene Tasker began what came to be called “The Little School” in
1924. The school was initially situated in Alexander’s house and teaching rooms at
Ashley Place in London.
When I started to work in schools I became very interested in the history of The Little
School. I was lucky enough to be allowed by Walter Carrington to view all the archive
material relating to the school including collections of the children’s work – several
books of which were not usually publicly available. For the year 2000 Society of Teachers
of the Alexander Technique Memorial Lecture, I gave a presentation on the history and
development of the school. Walter gave me permission to photograph artwork and
photographs and to transcribe some of the children’s work.
I interviewed the remaining first generation teachers
who had helped out at the Little School: Walter
Carrington, Marjory Barlow, and Erika Whittaker. The
interview with Walter took place face to face and I made
notes from the audiotape I recorded. Marjory Barlow
kindly wrote to me and Selma Goken MSTAT sent me
the transcript of an interview that she had previously
conducted with Marjory1. I travelled to Glasgow to visit
Erika Whittaker in her nursing home. The resulting
interview was filmed by David Reed MSTAT and is
available to buy from him on DVD.2
At the original Memorial Lecture we showed the
interview with Erika, interspersed with some of the notes
and illustrations below. I have expanded the notes a little
for this book. To fill in the gaps I recommend you also
read the books referred to in the footnotes and watch my
original interview with Erika. Many more photographs of
Irene Tasker, including some taken in South Africa of the school she ran there, are
stored in the Alexander Archive. Here also you will find the surviving original copies of
“The Alexander Times”.
Irene Tasker
Born in 1887. Educated Girton College, Cambridge. Gained an MA in 1927. Began
teaching children aged 8 to 14 years.
1912.
Irene goes to Rome to train with Dr. Maria Montessori. There she meets Ethel Webb
who is a fellow student. Ethel Webb tells Irene about Alexander with whom she has
been working since 1907.
1913.
Irene obtains a Montessori Diploma. When she returns to England she has lessons with
FM and “was hooked” says Erika. Irene’s translation of Dr. Montessori’s handbook is
published.
1914.
Irene takes a post as a lecturer on the Montessori method at a training college in
Darlington.
Interview with Marjory Barlow. London, 11th Dec. 1997 ©Selma Goken MSTAT
2 The Little School Remembered - Erika Whittaker interviewed by Sue Merry. David Reed Media.
www.davidreedmedia.co.uk
1
© Sue Merry 2011
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The Little School
1915
F M Alexander goes to New York where Ethel Webb assists him in his teaching practice.
FM meets John Dewey – Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University - who takes
lessons with him.
1916.
Irene offered a post at a school in New York. The school is run by Margaret Naumberg,
a pupil of FM and a friend of John Dewey. Irene is able to attend lectures given by
Dewey at Columbia3
1917
Irene visits FM and they agree that she should learn to teach his method. She begins her
apprenticeship to FM in the autumn.4
1920 - 1923
FM returns to England with Ethel Webb and Irene Tasker. All three work at Ashley
Place. Ethel’s nine-year-old niece Erika Schumann (nee. Whittaker) is in London and has
lessons with Ethel. During this period Irene travels a great deal including a trip to the
USA with FM and Ethel Webb as they are both assisting him with the preparation of
“Constructive Conscious Control of the Individual”.
1924
Irene has been working at Ashley Place for 4 years, in her own words: “…helping with
the pupils and doing general odd jobs.”5
This is 7 years before the first teacher training course starts. Irene is 37 years old and a
very experienced Montessori teacher.
“In 1924 a young boy of 8 was sent home from India for lessons with FM. He was under
my guardianship so I asked FM if I might link up his lessons in the Work with
application to all his school lessons. FM concurred at once saying, ‘This may be just the
opportunity we want.” 6
She begins working with this one boy and is soon joined by other children. These
children are mainly from parents who are having lessons at Ashley Place with AR
Alexander, FM or Ethel Webb.
Erika Whittaker
Erika lived in Strasbourg as a child where she took dancing lessons with Isadora
Duncan’s sister. However she said that she felt she was never very good being a large
person and, she felt rather heavy and clumping. When Erika was16 (1927) her mother
died and in 1928 she moved to London to live with her aunt Ethel Webb. Erika
described how Ethel’s whole life was the Alexander work and how she feels she never
thought of anything else. Erika now had lessons with Alexander and told me how her
lessons with FM were tremendous fun with lots of laughing and joking. Apparently he
taught with the door of his teaching room open so that anyone who happened to be
around could join in the fun. One day Irene Tasker said, “Erika has got nothing to do,
she might as well come in with us and help out with the children”. So she did.
Margaret Goldie
Margaret Goldie (born 1907) was studying at the Froebal Teacher Training College in
1927. Erika told me that Margaret Goldie was apparently a star pupil at the Froebal
Institute. However her health was very poor and had been so all her life. She was taken
to have lessons with FM. After a course of lessons her health was greatly improved. After
3
“Frederick Matthias Alexander. A Family History” J. A. Evans. © J. A. Evans 2001. ISBN 1 86077 178 5
“Connecting Links” by Irene Tasker. London. Sheldrake Press 1978
5 Taken from “Connecting Links” by Irene Tasker. London. Sheldrake Press 1978
6 Ibid
4
© Sue Merry 2011
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The Little School
her training at the Froebal Institute ended she taught in a regular school for one year.
Then in 1929 she was asked by FM to help in the Little School.7
According to Erika she was mostly very quiet and quite a contrasting character to Irene.
(See below)
Figure 1: Outside Ashley Place 1930.
Left to Right:: Irene Tasker. Child 1 unknown. Child 2 unknown. Child 3 Ian Ashworth/Hill(?) Child 4 Ann Best.
Child 5 Jean Bradbridge (aged 10). Child 6 Unknown.. Margaret Goldie. Gurney McInnes?
“Mrs Smith’s (Nee Jean Bradbridge) parents had sent her to the little school because
they felt she was round-shouldered. Her friend went because she was a violin player.
They stayed Monday to Friday and got home to the country at the weekend. She resented
being taken away from her own school, and didn’t think she did have round shoulders.
She remembered Miss Goldie and AR but not what they actually did in the school day,
though she recalled that the class went for a walk every day. There were 10 children and
they each had a daily lesson with F.M. on the chair. He would say, ‘You are going to sit in
the chair.’ She had to reply – ‘No, I won’t, until I have given my orders.’
She was afraid of Alexander. She hated his hands around her head and neck. She
remembered the smell of soap he always had on his hands with a shudder.
After 6 weeks she stopped( I don’t know if this had been organised to make up 30
lessons) and was sent to boarding school. Although she has had back problems in later
life she didn’t have any more Alexander lessons. However her daughter has had lessons
with Astrid Cox.”8
7
“Frederick Matthias Alexander. A Family History” J. A. Evans. Pg. 182 © J. A. Evans 2001. ISBN 1
86077 178 5
8 Jean Bradbridge interviewed by Nan Longden in 1994. Article appeared in the ATN Newsletter Dec 94.
© Sue Merry 2011
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The Little School
Figure 2: Outside Ashley Place
On the back row left to right is possibly: Jean McInnes, Margaret Goldie, Peggy Alexander? Lulie Westfeldt? Irene
Stewart, Erika Schumman (Whittaker)
Could the little child in the foreground be Myrtle? Erika tells how difficult Myrtle was.
How it took 3 of them holding her down to get her into her leggings, which had many
buttons. How she would scream and lash out and kick.
Figure 3: Irene Tasker 1930
Erika describes Irene as: very outgoing, loud clear voice, very generous, liked having people to tea,
went camping, liked sharing, gregarious, good sense of humour,
interested in things, always helping the children and explaining
things to them. Her classes were lots of fun, jolly. “Noisy but in a
nice way.” (Erika).
It is obvious from “Connecting Links” that her training with
Montessori influenced the way the school was run at first as
much as her training with Alexander.
“…the Montessori work had shown me the value of giving the
children help with means (never with ends) and then leaving
them to carry on with the minimum of help (or interference). But
now I had the basic principle of the Alexander Technique as my
foundation…..Our space was limited, of course, and our range of
subjects equally so. All the children who came had individual
difficulties by reason of which they were having lessons in the Technique and I made it
my aim to plan their work so as to help them meet their special needs. With such an
assorted group I had to find some shared interest towards which their application of the
Technique could be directed. So we evolved a termly magazine which, after a proper
democratic vote, was called the Alexander Times. This was the ‘end’ for which we
organized our ‘means’, and for their English work to be included in the termly Alexander
Times was considered an honour.” 9
9
“Connecting Links” by Irene Tasker. London. Sheldrake Press 1978
© Sue Merry 2011
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The Little School
A Lay of Ashley Place.
With Apologies to Lord Macaulay
Elizabeth Falkner of Weymouth
By the nine Gods she swore
“I’m going to release my neck
And not sit down no more!”
Rachel Atkinson of Derbyshire
By the nine Gods she swore
“I’m going to look straight out in front
And not look down no more!”
Alison Kerr of Addington
By the nine Gods she swore
“I’ll let my knees go forward and away
And slump in the chair no more!”
Ian Hill of Balham
By the nine Gods he swore
“I’m going to lengthen and widen my back
And so not hump no more!”
Richard Wilson of Chelsea
By the nine Gods he swore
“I’m not going to put my head back
To go and shut the door!”
Little Jean Pritchard of Hampstead
By the nine Gods she swore
“My head it shall go forward and up
And I’m going to swear no more!”10
Figure 4: Ashley Place Interior
10
The Alexander Times Easter Term 1934
© Sue Merry 2011
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The Little School
Figure 5: Upper and Lower Floors of
Ashley Place
Erika said how amazed she was that the little
schoolroom could take so many children. AR
Alexander gave up his room in the mornings
when the training course began. Erika describes
the rooms at the back as “dreadful” and “dark”.
Figure 10: Ashley Place Interior
There was no playground at Ashley Place but the children were taken for walks every
day. Sometimes to St. James’s Park, Hyde Park or Kensington Gardens Erika
remembers. They also visited galleries and museums. Erika tells how the bigger boys
helped Irene and Margaret by carrying and looking after the younger children.
© Sue Merry 2011
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The Little School
Figures 11 & 12: Playing In The Park
School News
By Ian
“Tuesday January 27th 1934.
This afternoon Irene took us up to Hyde Park where we played ball near the round
pond. We then went to see Peter Pan he was pulling his back in.”11
11 The
Alexander Times Easter Term 1934
© Sue Merry 2011
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The Little School
The National Gallery (extract). Alison Kerr
One of the first paintings we noticed was of an angel playing
an instrument, and the way she went back and up and
lengthened her hand to play was wonderful. …. Studies of
people writing and reading showed simply beautiful use for
they were using their hands in a way people never do now.
There was a painting of a mathematician whose face and use
was SO like FM’s that we bought a postcard of him.12 (A
Mathematician by Gentile Bellini 1213. Reproduced from The
Alexander Times)
Figure 13: A Mathematician
by Gentile Bellini 1213.
Schoolwork
Erika remembers the schoolwork as being mainly reading, writing and maths at Ashley
Place with Irene using some Montessori teaching aids.Walter Carrington remembered
Margaret Goldie pinning up large sheets of paper to the wall and letting the children
write on this with soft crayons, making big loops etc.
When the school moved to Penhill Walter recalls that there were lots of games
especially cricket which FM particularly liked. Marjory told me that she thought Dick
Walker taught games.
Marjory Barlow mentioned in an interview with Selma Gocken in 1997 that after lunch
the children all lay on the floor with a book under the head. The focus during the school
day was always on the means whereby and much emphasis was placed on keeping your
length. Erika said the whole atmosphere at the school was “you keep your length”.
Looking at some of the work in the Alexander Times it is obvious that much emphasis
was also placed on Inhibition:
My Thoughts On Keeping My Alexander Work Going At School.
By Peter N. Jan 17th 1934
In writing my first thought is to say ‘no’ and not write, then order my neck to release to
allow my head to go forward and up, to lengthen and widen my back and to go on
remembering this as I write.
If anybody asks me a question I must stop and not answer at once so as to give me
time to order my head to go forward and up to speak.13
Untitled
By J. Bradbridge
There once was a girl who said ‘Yes’
Why I’ve got to say ‘No’ I can’t guess
I just won’t say ‘No’!
I’ll sit down anyhow
Though I’ll get in a terrible mess!
There once was a girl who said ‘No’
12 The
Alexander Times Easter Term 1934
13 Ibid
© Sue Merry 2011
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The Little School
I’m not going to sit down and so
I’ll tell my head ‘forward and up’
Before I sit down to sup
But I’m not going to sit down. Oh No!14
Mr. F. M. Alexander’s Competition
Subject:
Means Whereby for a job that is not done at their school.
There were 6 entries under 14 years and 5 entries over 14 years.
The first prize for under 14 was divided between Winifred Brown and Miles Weatherall.
Winifred’s subject was: ‘Carrying a tray upstairs.’
Miles’ subject was: ‘Means Whereby for putting tickets into a ticket holder.’
There was a special prize for good writing for Jean Rennet, who wrote: ‘How I do my
washing-up.’
The first prize over 14 years was awarded to Jean McInnes for ‘Means whereby for
grooming a pony.’
The second prize was awarded to Erika Schumann for ‘How to get a jam jar from the
top of a cupboard by means of a ladder.’
Other entries:
‘Means-whereby for lighting a gas fire’ by Elizabeth Goldie (Betty)
‘My means-whereby for keeping the family in order’ by Margaret Larken
‘How to mount a bicycle the Alexander way’ by Arnold Chappell
Under14:
‘Means whereby for carrying a tray upstairs’ by Winifred Brown
‘Getting mother a cup of tea’ by Geoffrey Brown(7 1/2)
‘Means whereby for lifting a jug of water off the floor’ by Ian Ashworth
‘The Means whereby for Swinging’ by Pat Gibbings15
~~~~~
Looking at the list of names in the above quote we can reasonably deduce that these
were some of the children and young people attending or helping at the school in 1929.
Presumably some of these children are in the photographs reproduced above.
A striking feature of the various extant copies of The Alexander Times is the artwork.
With Walter Carrington’s permission, I attempted to photograph some of this when I
was allowed access to the originals. Below are some of the photographs (I’m afraid that I
never recorded which editions of The Alexander Times they were taken from):
14 The
15 The
Alexander Times 1931
Alexander Times Christmas 1929
© Sue Merry 2011
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The Little School
Figures 14 & 15: The
Meanswherebiters
and The Endgainers
The M is for Marion
The speech bubbles here read:
“I’m trying”
“You are not doing your Alexander work very well”
By Wendy
Figure 17: The Meanswherebiter &
the Endgainer. By Chris. (Note how the
Endgainer appears to be pulling his head
back.)
Figure 16: In The Park With Goldie
By Marion. Miss Goldie is saying
“Derek” (I think he is pulling his head
back!)
© Sue Merry 2011
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The Little School
1931
The first teacher-training course begins at Ashley Place.
“There were initially seven students excluding Irene Tasker and Margaret Goldie who
attended when their duties with the little school allowed. There was Ethel Webb’s niece,
Erika ……… There was Gurney McInnes, an asthmatic, who had his first lesson with
FM in March 1927, and his little sister Jean who had attended the little school. Marjorie
Barstow and Lulie Westfeldt came from America…. The other two were Irene Stewart
…. and George Trevelyan.” By 1933 the class consisted of these original students plus
Kitty Meyrick, Patrick McDonald and the 18-year–old Marjory Barlow (nee Mechin). 16
The students worked with FM in the mornings and sometimes helped out with the
Little School in the afternoons.
1934
Ashley Place was becoming very cramped and so it was decided to move the Little
School to FM’s estate at Penhill in Kent. He moved into the lodge at Penhill and the
house was given over to the school. The idea it seems was to expand the school into a
larger operation and a proper boarding school. Alexander’s cook Mrs.Tiffin (great name)
cooked for the children and his housekeeper looked after the running of the house.
Alexander particularly insisted on the best quality food. The estate consisted of a large
farm of 23 acres with chickens, Jersey cows, which meant fresh milk, churned butter and
cream and they grew their own fresh vegetables.
The students on the training course in London were expected to travel to Penhill
regularly and work with the children. Erika, Walter and Marjory all did this. Marjory told
Selma, referring to the children “ In the Little School, especially at Penhill, they would
watch to see if you were pulling your head back when you went to the cupboard to take
something down. They were very aware. In such an atmosphere one had to be very
careful!” Erika said that Alexander liked to be at the school as much as possible although
sometimes he was unable to be there because he was too busy in London. He taught the
children in the same way as adults. They would all sit around on chairs together and he
would work on them in turn: in and out of the chair, monkey, hands on back of the
chair. There was a large terrace at Penhill and sometimes they would work outside.
Figures 18 & 19: F M Alexander Working With children at Penhill
16 “Frederick
86077 178 5
Figure 20: The Alexander
Times Front Cover By Jean
McInnes
Matthias Alexander. A Family History” J. A. Evans. Pg. 186-188 © J. A. Evans 2001. ISBN 1
© Sue Merry 2011
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The Little School
South Africa
In the summer of 1936 Irene left her post at the Little School and at the end of the year
travelled to South Africa. I was curious why and Erika gave various possible reasons. She
thought that Irene felt very isolated at Penhill. Apparently it was not really near a railway
station and Irene liked concerts and meeting up with her many friends. She had been
with the school for 12 years by now of course. Erika also felt that something had
happened between Alexander, Irene Tasker and Margaret Goldie. Erika felt that
Alexander preferred Margaret Goldie’s way of working at the school. He preferred the
fact that she was quiet, new exactly what he wanted and fitted in with him very well.
Erika described FM as being “very Goldie-minded”.
Whatever her reasons for leaving, Irene stayed on remarkably good terms with FM,
frequently returning to London to have lessons and even helping to organise FM’s 70 th
birthday party. She was a remarkable ambassador for the Work in South Africa and
forged important links with members of the teaching profession, doctors and politicians.
She also proved to be an invaluable, loyal help and support to FM – at no small cost to
her own health – during, before and after the South African libel case from 1943
until1949.
Irene began teaching in South Africa in 1935. Very soon she had a busy teaching
practise and was also running a very successful children’s class:
Figure 21: Irene Tasker's Children's Class in South Africa
1939 Second World War declared.
This was really the beginning of the end for the Little School. Here is an extract from
Selma’s interview with Marjory that explains what happened:
“Penhill was in what was called during the war, “Bomb Alley”. Directly under the paths
of the warplanes headed for London. On their return, if they hadn’t discharged all their
bombs, they would drop them indiscriminately in the countryside. It was too dangerous
to remain. So the school was moved temporarily to Devizes, Wiltshire, with Col. Smith
Barry’s help.
Rumour had it that FM was on Hitler’s blacklist for what he had written about the
German’s in “Man’s Supreme Inheritance”. He was persuaded to leave for Canada,
taking the children with him. I remember they were each allowed to take only ten pounds
© Sue Merry 2011
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The Little School
in cash from England. Some children separated from their parents, some went with their
parents. Once in Canada, he had 20 people to feed and support, and at age 70, he had to
earn enough money to take care of them. They didn’t stay there long. Through pupils in
America, he made the connection to Whitney Homestead in Stowe, MA, During that
time, the only contact I had with FM was by letter, and I was left to carry on the work
more or less alone. FM was away for 3 years. Irene Tasker returned from SA after the
war, but no one was interested in taking up the school again.”
A full account of the journey to Canada and the final years of the Little School can be
found in J A Evans’ biography of Alexander. 17
1941
The Unitarian Association of America offers the Witney Homestead in Stow
Massachusetts to the Alexander Trust. Margaret Goldie resumes her role as teacher.
1942
The Whitney estate is sold and the school is amalgamated with the Media Friends School
in Pennsylvania. AR Alexander supervises the Work at the school. FM, Margaret Goldie,
Ethel Webb and Irene Stewart move to New York.
1943 FM returns to the UK with Margaret Goldie.
1949 Irene Tasker returns to the UK permanently. She is now around 60. Erika
mentioned that Irene had a fall around this time from which she never fully recovered.
She continues to teach adult pupils on a full-time basis however in Cheltenham then
moves to Cambridge and also teaches part-time in London.
Finally
The last words about the school should be with the children themselves. This is a poem
that gives us a real glimpse into the school at Ashley Place. It also says a lot about how
F.M. Alexander related to the children. The incident with the egg crops up elsewhere in
the Alexander Times and was obviously a source of huge hilarity to the children.
Incidentally it took me a while to realise that the Igeetee and the Effemmay are the
IGT (Irene Gertrude Tasker) and the FMA (Francis Matthias Alexander) !
The Igeetee and the Effemmay
(With apologies to Lewis Carroll)
By Jean McInnes
The gas was burning in the room
Burning with all its might
It did it’s very best to make
The toast both hard and bright
The tables and the coloured mugs
Were set beneath the light.
The lunch was as neat as neat could be
The floor was as clean as clean
You could not see a crumb because
No crumb could there be seen:
No milk was spilt upon the floor
Nor ever had there been.
17 “Frederick
Matthias Alexander. A Family History” J. A. Evans. Pgs. 204 -217 © J. A. Evans 2001. ISBN
1 86077 178
© Sue Merry 2011
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The Little School
The Igeetee and the Effemmay
Were lengthening close at hand
They smiled like anything to see
So large a busy band
“ If we could make them wide and long,”
They said “ It would be grand.”
“ If seven boys with seven smiles
Discussed it half a year
Do you suppose,” Miss Tasker said
“ They’d get ‘Inhibit’ clear?”
“ I doubt it” answered Effemmay
And shed a bitter tear.
“ Oh children come and work with me”
Igeetee did beseech
“A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk
A pleasant AH for each.
I cannot do with more than twelve
If I have got to teach.
The eldest child jumped up at once
But never a ‘No’ he said
And so he stuck his tummy out
Threw back his heavy head:
His arms stuck out like walking sticks
His chin came down like lead.
But four small boys rose slowly uo
All eager for their treat
Their heads were up, their necks relaxed
They looked both long and neat:
And this was odd because they’d said
They would not leave their seat.
So four more children followed them
And yet another four
All lengthening and widening
And smiling more and more:
Some built their towers with coloured block
Some played upon the floor.
The Igeetee and the Effemmay
Worked on eight weeks or nine
And then they called the class around
And said “YOU’RE LOOKING FINE.”
While all the little children stood
And lengthened in a line.
“ The time has come,” said Igeetee
© Sue Merry 2011
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The Little School
“ To talk of many things
Of Ahs....and ‘Do’s’......and penmanship
Of lengthening .....and the King
And why our friend is slumping down
And gasping when he sings.”
“But wait a bit” the children cried
“Before we have our chat
For there’s an empty space inside
When you’re as long as that”
“No hurry” said the Effemmay
...... and lengthened where he sat.
“A pint of milk” the Igeetee said
“Is what we chiefly need:
While eggs and orange juice besides
Are very good indeed.
Now if you’re ready children dear
We can begin to feed.”
“An empty egg” the children cried
“To give to Effemmay
After such kindness that would be
The very joke to play!”
But when he’d cracked the shell his face
Showed horror and dismay.
“It’s a delight”, Igeetee said
“To watch the children grow
After they’ve been with us to learn
The Means Whereby to go.”
The Effemmay said nothing but
“If only they’d say NO.”
“I’m with you there” wept Igeetee
“I deeply sympathise:
They always try to gain their ends
It gives me no surprise
That an end-gainer always fails
However hard he tries.”
“Now Nibblets!” cried the Effemmay
“I know you want to go;
But there are still some little things
That I should like to show,
Shall we be lengthening again?”
But one and all screamed:
“NO” 18
18 The
Alexander Times Christmas 1929
© Sue Merry 2011
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