Helen May

Helen May ONZM (born Helen May Bradwell on 25 February 1947, sometimes known as Helen May Cook) is a New Zealand education pioneer, and author of numerous books, mainly on historical and political aspects of early years teaching. She is currently an Emeritus Professor at the University of Otago.[1]

Helen May

ONZM
Helen May in 2016
Born
Helen May Bradwell

(1947-02-25)25 February 1947
NationalityNew Zealand
Academic background
Alma materVictoria University of Wellington
Thesis
Doctoral advisorJames Urry
InfluencesJack Shallcrass, Jan Pouwer, Sonja Davies, Cathy Wylie
Academic work
InstitutionsVictoria University of Wellington
Hamilton Teachers' College
University of Waikato
University of Otago

Academic career

May trained as a primary school teacher in the mid-1960s and in her early career taught 5- to 6-year-olds. Later, when she had her own children, she worked in childcare and for five years was the coordinator of the Victoria University crèche.

While running the Victoria University of Wellington crèche, she completed a MA in education, 'The politics of childcare : analysis of growth and constraint' [2] and the a PhD 'Postwar Women 1945-1960 and Their Daughters 1970-1985: an Analysis of Continuity, Contradiction, and Change in Two Generations of Pakeha Women as Mothers, Wives, and Workers.'

In 1987 she began work in teacher education at Hamilton Teachers' College, and later at the University of Waikato. During the early 1990s she worked with Margaret Carr on the development of Te Whāriki,[3] the first national curriculum guidelines for early childhood education in New Zealand. She was appointed to the first New Zealand professorial Chair in Early Childhood Education at Victoria University of Wellington in 1995, and in 2005 she was appointed as Professor of Education and Head of Faculty of Education at the University of Otago. From 2007-2011 May was the Dean of the University of Otago College of Education. On retirement in 2016 she became an Emeritus professor. She is currently based in Wellington.

She is still actively involved in PBRF (Performance Based Research Fund).

In 2019, May and Sue Middleton co-edited For Women and Children: a tribute to Geraldine McDonald, a collection of writings in honour of the life and work of researcher Geraldine McDonald.[4]

Accolades

Selected works

Books

May has written numerous books, mainly on subjects related to education and education policy for early-years teaching.

History and politics of early childhood education
  • Mind That Child: Childcare as a Social and Political Issue in New Zealand; BlackBerry Press, Wellington, 1985
  • The Discovery of Early Childhood, the development of services for the care and education of very young children, Auckland University Press and NZCER Press, Auckland and Wellington, 1st ed 1997, 2nd ed 2013
  • Politics in the Playground. The world of early childhood in postwar New Zealand; 1st ed. Bridget Williams Books with NZCER, Wellington, 2001; 2nd ed. University of Otago Press, Dunedin, 2009; 3rd ed University of Otago Press, 2019
  • Concerning Women Considering Children: Battles of the Childcare Association, 1963-2003; Te Tari Puna Ora o Aotearoa-NZCA, Wellington, 1st ed 2003, 2nd ed (e-book on mebooks.co.nz) 2013
  • Ngā āhuatanga hurihuri o te tiaki tamariki. The changing fortunes of childcare 2003-2013; Te Tari Puna Ora o Aoteraoa—New Zealand Childcare Association, Wellington, 2013 (Also published as an e-book on mebooks.co.nz)
  • People, places and play in the ‘child gardens’ of Dunedin, Dunedin Kindergartens - Mana Manaaki Puawai O Otepoti 125 years old; Dunedin Kindergartens, 2014
  • Growing a kindergarten movement: its peoples, purposes and politics; Wellington, NZCER Press, 2017 (with K. Bethell)
  • A Celebration of Women in Early Childhood; Waikato Education Centre, Hamilton, 1990 (Edited, with J Mitchell)
  • A Celebration of Early Childhood Volume II; Waikato Education Centre, Hamilton, 1993 (Edited, with J Mitchell)
  • Kindergarten Narratives on Froebelian Education: Transnational Investigations; London, Bloomsbury Press, 2016 (Edited with K Nawrotzki, and L Prochner)
  • For Women and Children: A Tribute to Geraldine McDonald; Wellington, NZCER Press, 2019 (Edited with S Middleton)
  • Ngā kohinga kōrero ate aumangea: Kia mana te ara kōhungahunga ki Aotearoa. Life Stories on the Frontline: Growing a childcare movement in Aotearoa; Wellington, Te Rito Maiaoha Early Childhodhood New Zealand, 2021 (Edited with A Card and J Carroll-Lind)

New Zealand schooling and teaching
  • Teachers Talk Teaching 1915-1995, early childhood, school, teachers college, Dunmore Press, Palmerston North, 1997 (with S. Middleton).
  • School Beginnings: a 19th century colonial story; NZCER Press, Wellington, 2005
  • I am five and I go to School: the work and play of early education in New Zealand; University of Otago Press, Dunedin, 2011
  • Working for Children and Social Change: Tracing the endeavours of three Scottish lady teachers who immigrated to New Zealand in the early 20th century; The Red House, Wellington, 2021 (with K Bethell)

History of education
  • Empire Education and Indigenous Childhood: Missionary infant schools in three British colonies; Ashgate , England Publishing Series on Childhood, 2014 (with B. Kaur and L. Prochner)
  • Re-imagining Teaching in Early 20th Century Experimental Schools; Palgrave Macmillan (New York), 2020 (with A A Hai, K Nawrotski, L Prochner and Y Volkanova)

Social history
  • Minding Children: Managing Men: Conflict and Compromise in the Lives of Postwar Pakeha Women; Bridget Williams Books, Wellington, 1992

Personal memoirs
  • Secrets Searches and Surprises: Catherine Jubilee Robertson 1890-1979, Cyril Robertson Bradwell 1916-2008; Wellington, 2018
  • Recollections of a Childhood in Kenya; The Red House, Wellington, 2021

Journal articles and book chapters
  • May, H., & Carr, M. (2016). Te Whāriki: A uniquely woven curriculum shaping policy, pedagogy and practice in Aotearoa New Zealand. In T. David, K. Goouch & S. Powell (Eds.), Routledge international handbook of philosophies and theories of early childhood education and care. (pp. 316–326). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
  • May, Helen. "'Minding','Working','Teaching': Childcare in Aotearoa/New Zealand, 1940s—2000s." Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood 8, no. 2 (2007): 133–143.
  • Moss, Peter, Gunilla Dahlberg, Susan Grieshaber, Susanna Mantovani, Helen May, Alan Pence, Sylvie Rayna, Beth Blue Swadener, and Michel Vandenbroeck. "The organisation for economic co-operation and development’s international early learning study: Opening for debate and contestation." Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood 17, no. 3 (2016): 343–351.

References
  1. "Professor Helen May, Home, Otago University Press, University of Otago, New Zealand". Otago.ac.nz. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  2. Te Waharoa. "The politics of childcare : an analysis of growth and constraint : submitted for the degree of M.A. in Education at the Victoria University of Wellington / Helen May Cook. - 64VUW". Tewaharoa.victoria.ac.nz. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  3. "Honorary fellowship for education pioneer | Otago Daily Times Online News". Odt.co.nz. 30 September 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  4. Middleton, Sue; May, Helen, eds. (2019). For Women and Children: A Tribute to Geraldine McDonald. Wellington, New Zealand: NZCER Press. ISBN 978-1-98-854278-2.
  5. "New Years Honour awarded to Professor Helen May". Nzkindergarten.org.nz. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  6. "New Year Honours 2016 | Otago Daily Times Online News". Odt.co.nz. 31 December 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
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