Mildred Moody Eakin’s experience with the Drew Studies found its voice in
her textbooks for children and guidance manuals for teachers, parents, and
other adults. Almost all of her books and articles after 1935 dealt with
two questions: “Who is my neighbor?” and “How can I be a neighbor?”
Eakin preferred the “project method” as a means of educating children.
The method involved guiding learners into a problem or a question, and
then facilitating them as they conducted and claimed their research
(through creative arts, worship, and other activities). Within the
project method, Eakin encouraged teachers to push the children to learn
about their communities, as well as people from other places. Eakin
believed that if children got to know – or at the very least develop an
appreciation for -- people of differing races, ethnicities, and religions,
then they would grow in love and compassion for all people. In short,
they would develop a Christ-like spirit.
[back to top]