Georgette Vivier

Georgette Vivier was a Laeralian academic and social and educational reformer who led the shift to embrace humanistic K-12 education in Laeral. During a prolific career spanning the mid-20th century, Vivier advocated for what she referred to as "Humanistic Schooling," aimed at promoting critical thinking as opposed to rote learning in K-12 education, particularly through the use of oral examinations as a tool of learning assessment. Vivier's philosophy is now dominant at the pre-university level in Laeralian education and has seen some adoption abroad, with proponents claiming that Humanistic Schooling produces more capable and innovative thinkers, yet has been criticized by detractors as socially divisive and Arrivée-centric.

Early Life

Georgette Vivier was born to a wealthy family in Risoul, Aumont in 1897. Her father Philippe was the owner of a watchmaking company, and Georgette, the third child and only daughter, enjoyed a privileged existence and studied under a series of tutors alongside her brothers. Unusually for a Laeralian woman of her generation, she studied science, mathematics, and the social sciences alongside the traditionally-feminine fields of literature and foreign language. Georgette excelled academically and was close to her father, who sponsored her education at the all-women's Rodelle College, where she graduated with a degree in Literature in 1922.

Educational Career

After graduating, Vivier was anxious to avoid returning to Risoul, which she found stifling, and a life of domesticity. Vivier instead found employment as a teacher due to the disruption caused by the Laeralian Revolution, and taught reading and mathematics at a girl's school in Marist, Choisel.

Humanistic Schooling

Vivier had mixed feelings on the educational philosophy of the Republican Era. Although pleased with the state's efforts to improve literacy rates and the removal of religion from the academic curriculum, she viewed these steps as insufficient and was also horrified with the heavy-handed tone of history and civic education, which was particularly prone to political interference meant to bolster citizens' loyalty to the revolutionary state and Gramontist principles.

The ascension of Sun Jia-wei, who held a personal interest in educational reform, to the Laeralian presidency in 1947 offered Vivier the opportunity to see her ideas implemented. Sun and Vivier had met in 1943 during Vivier's tenure as Headmistress of XXXX Comprehensive School and had maintained a steady correspondence.

Vivier's philosophy of Humanistic Schooling held that in the aftermath of the ideological rigidity of the Republican Era, Laeral's new regime needed to place a premium on independent thinking. The violence of the Bloody Summer only strengthened her commitment, as she believed that the bloodshed caused by the failed coup was the direct result of Laeralites being unable to think for themselves. Education promoting critical thinking, she believed, would empower future generations to overcome poverty and resist ideological indoctrination.

Legacy

Georgette Vivier was honored on 1974-1995 printings of the Laeralian 分100 note. The Vivier College of Education at Sun Jia-wei National Open University is named for her, as are six public schools in Laeral and eight private schools abroad offering Laeralian-style schooling.