Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel was born on April 21, 1782 in Oberweissbach, Germany, a small village in the Thuringian Forest. His father was a Lutheran Protestant minister who had a large congregation and little time for five children and his mother died when he was nine months old, making his childhood quite traumatic and depressing. These painful childhood experiences shaped him into the teacher he would one day become. His education was facilitated by his older brothers and the servants who ran his father's household, but he lacked a feminine presence that Froebel desperately desired. This unmet need for a mother's influence and love created the foundation on which Froebel built his idea and created a special environment for early childhood, kindergarten. From birth until the age of ten Froebel lived in his father's care and was relatively isolated from the outside world. world. As the youngest of five much older children, Froebel found himself locked in a depressing rectory most of the time with little to no company. These circumstances led him to become introspective and withdraw socially from others. School was a rather unpleasant chore; arithmetic was the only subject that Friedrich could easily do. His father's attempts to teach him to read only frustrated both teacher and student. His father considered him a “hopelessly stupid” boy, unsuitable for a university education. There was some basis for the harsh judgment. The ability to express himself adequately and gracefully in speaking or writing has always been an obstacle for Fröbel. Grammar was a constant barrier and his repeated efforts to learn Latin were unsuccessful. (Downs 13) His real education came from listening to his father advise his parishioner...... middle of paper ...... abolished 31 throughout Germany however his life ended in sadness as they were closed to due to the irrational fears of the King of Germany which were the basis of the national revolt to usurp his throne. On 21 June 1852 Fröbel died in his home in Marienthal, a year after his death the ban on nursery schools was lifted and the movement spread throughout the nation and the continent. Although questionable at times, his views on early childhood education continue to have a lasting impact today. Works Cited Downs, Robert B. Friedrich Froebel. Boston, Massachusetts. Twanye Publishers. 1978. Print.Lawrence, Evelyn. Friedrich Froebel and English education.New York, New York. Philosophical Library Inc. 1953. Print.Chalke, R.D. A summary of Froebel and Herbert.London, England. University Tutorial Press. 1912. Print.http://www.froebelweb.org/webline.html