Sappho: Education Made by Women and for Women

Abstract

Evoking the memory of Sappho of Mytilene, also known as Sappho of Lesbos, educator and model for the youth of her time, is a good testimony to understand the pedagogical practices of antiquity. The intimate atmosphere which provided at her school ends up as equally arousing desire emulation of her disciples as the inquisitorial suspicion of envy for his methods and teachings. In this article I will emphasize her career as a teacher and appreciate the impact of their personality on her disciples.

Sappho was a woman who was devoted entirely to poetry, gathering around her a large number of students and colleagues. It was soon recognized throughout Greece her reputation as delicate poet, who sang the passionate friendship and union of souls with sensuous and intimate passion. Sappho based her educational work on the ideal value of friendship. It is also why I have dedicated a section in this article that brings us closer to understanding the relationships between teachers and students in ancient Greece.