Virginia McGaw

Virginia McGaw is known for Construction Work for Rural and Elementary Schools, first published in 1909. In the book’s title page and preface, she identifies herself as a teacher in the elementary schools of Baltimore and explains that she wrote the volume to support rural teachers with straightforward, low-cost classroom projects.

The book grew out of articles previously published in the Atlantic Educational Journal, later revised into a single guide. McGaw organized it around cord work, paper construction, wood construction, basketry, and the school garden, with an emphasis on practical making and simple instructions rather than elaborate equipment.

Only a small amount of biographical detail is easy to confirm from widely available public sources, but her work clearly reflects the hands-on education movement of the early 1900s. Today, her writing remains of interest to readers curious about historical teaching methods, manual training, and creative work in elementary education.