Elisabeth Rotten

In March 1946, the reform pedagogue Elisabeth Rotten (1882–1964) joined the Children’s Village. Marie and Elisabeth became friends and supported each other's ideas on how the Children's Village ought to be run. They shared basic views about education and were both committed to the view that education has to renounce the use of force and nurture the natural gifts of a child. Their approach to education was entirely in line with Pestalozzi’s philosophy of education. Elisabeth Rotten opted for an independent Children’s Village community where every member has a ten-year long right to vote.

As one of reform pedagogics’ leading exponents, Elisabeth Rotten enjoyed a high reputation in pedagogic circles. As a result of her involvement in the Children’s Village, the Village positioned itself right in the centre of the history of reform pedagogics in the 20th century. Like the famous Italian educator Maria Montessori, Elisabeth Rotten believed in the unique individuality of the child. Both educators trusted in the intrinsic value of the child and were of the opinion that children ought to learn freely without restriction or criticism. Today this approach is common knowledge, but at Montessori’s time such opinion was considered subversive and revolutionary. Benito Mussolini considered Montessori a threat and expelled her from her home country during World War II. In 1932, Elisabeth Rotten and Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget (1896–1980) founded the Swiss Montessori Society. Together with Albert Einstein (1879–1955) and others, Elisabeth Rotten was one of the early members of the German League for Human Rights (founded in 1914).