Amos Bronson Alcott (November 29, 1799 - March 4, 1888) was an American teacher, writer, philosopher, and reformer. As an educator, he pioneered new ways of interacting with young students, and avoided traditional punishment. In 1834, he opened a school for about 30 students, mostly from wealthy families. It was named the Temple School and was briefly famous, and then infamous, because of his original methods. His plan was to develop self-instruction on the basis of self-analysis, with an emphasis on conversation and questioning rather than lecturing and drill, which were prevalent in the US classrooms of the time. He decorated his schoolroom with visual elements he thought would inspire learning: paintings, books, comfortable furniture, and busts or portraits of Plato, Socrates, and Jesus. He asked students to question if Biblical miracles were literal and suggested that all people are part of God. Widely denounced in the press he had only 11 students left by the summer of 1837. He was also an abolitionist and an advocate for women's rights. He was friends with Ralph Waldo Emerson and became a major figure in transcendentalism. He advocated a vegan diet before the term was coined. He is often criticized for his inability to earn a living and support his family, and was never financially secure until his daughter, Louisa May Alcott, became a bestselling novelist. He died in 1888 at the age of 88.