Johann Christian Josef Abs, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
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Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Wipperfürth, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
About Johann Christian Josef Abs
- Johann Christian Josef Abs (26 August 1781 in Wipperfürth – 15 April 1823 in Königsberg) was a German teacher.
- In the year 1799 Abs gave his vow in the Franciscan monastery of Hamm and adopted the name of Theodosius.
- In 1806 he became head of the claustral school of Halberstadt.
- In this school, he accepted children without considering their ages, confessions, classes and sex.
- He often recruited his assistants among his pupils.
- His teachings included Bible studies, health and a tutorial in measurement.
- With the time, his method of teaching approached more and more that of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi. In 1810 Abs left the claustral school and announced the creation of a "boarding school for boys and girls".
- One year later, he published a tract on his adaptation of the teaching methods of Pestalozzi.
- In the feeling that a woman's care is beneficial for his pupils, he quit the priesthood in 1813, adopted the Evangelic confession and married a former assistant of his.
- According to the eighth annual report of his institution, the school consisted of a care station for orphaned children, a preparation school for children who are not yet ready for their first lessons, an education school for children whose parents were unable to care for them themselves and finally a public school open for everyone who wishes to use his common sense.
- In 1815 Abs became head of the regional orphanage and combined it with his elementary school and a teacher seminary.
- Foreign governments sent young men to him to learn his methods of teaching.
- In 1818 he followed a call to Königsberg where he became director of the royal orphanage.
- He successfully held this position until his death in 1823.
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