[6] Her father Albert grew up following an educational track of classical Jewish learning and contemplated becoming a rabbi.

After his home and lumber business were burned to the ground, he lived with his more traditionalist in-laws who pressured him to enroll Bernard with a Hebrew and Aramaic tutor.

Albert insisted that the family speak only English, stopped attending synagogue, and attempted to sever ties to their Jewish traditions.

[6] After her brother attended the Boston Latin School, he moved to Cambridge to prepare to enroll at Harvard.

[7][9] Following his graduation from Harvard, Bernard moved to Europe, eventually settling in Italy, where he began a career as an art critic.

[7] She briefly attended the Boston Conservatory of Music, but health issues forced her to leave the school.

[14] Her health continued to deteriorate, forcing her to give up her piano lessons at the Conservatory due to her back problems.

[17] At the time, the predominant form of physical education was a German style of gymnastics, with an emphasis on strength training and competitiveness.

[17] Berenson learned about the School of Gymnastics from a friend and decided to enroll briefly to improve her physical condition so that she could return to the Conservatory.

[23] Her brother was disappointed to hear that she had not returned to the Conservatory but did not fully comprehend how much she had improved at the gymnastics school.

[24] Berenson's condition improved so markedly that Homans sent her to the elementary school in Andover to teach the headmaster and faculty about the Swedish theory of gymnastics.

This first attempt at teaching proved so successful that, when Homans learned of a temporary opening due to the illness of a teacher at Smith College, she recommended that Berenson consider it, even though she had not completed her second year.

[26] Berenson would later be described as a "missionary" referring to her strong support for the inclusion of physical education in the lives of the students.

The school had recently completed the Alumnae Gymnasium in 1890, which provided some of the best facilities in the country for college women.

She had heard that some of the students felt the exercises were too boring, but she had six classes each day filled with "enthusiastic girls".

However, when she reached the end of the school year and was provided a complete roster for the purpose of recording grades, she realized that many students had never come to class.

She read about the new game of basketball, invented by James Naismith, in the YMCA publication Physical Education.

[33] Other attempts at teaching games had not succeeded, in part because the women of that time had no experience with team play.

"[36] Despite her unflagging efforts to support physical education for young women, Berenson did not encourage inter-scholastic games.

She polled her students, and all but one felt they had improved in many areas, including "endurance, lung capacity, alertness, courage, [and] toughness".

One student reported that the game brought her "health, wealth and happiness", the second of which was attributed to lower doctor bills.

[42] The early game followed different rules than are followed today, as evidenced by a play dreamed up by one of the freshmen on the first teams:[39] She threw a low ball against the wall at such an angle that it bounded back into the hands of one of her own players who was watching for itBerenson was pleased with the reception to the game but felt some changes were needed.

[44][45] The Division of Girls' and Women's Sports of the American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation felt the need for a written set of rules specifically applicable to the women's game and asked Berenson to undertake a publication outlining the rules.

At the end of her first year, Berenson was invited to return to Smith in fall when her original, temporary position was made permanent.

With the expectation of a future income, plus a financial contribution from her brother Bernard whom she hadn't seen for several years, she decided to spend the summer in Europe to visit him.

His concerns were apt; the visit was strained whenever Mary was present, but Bernard took pleasure in showing his sister around Europe and introducing her to his friends.

[44][27] After her return from Stockholm, she started a folk dance program at Smith and introduced fencing to the school in 1895.

Soon afterward, Berenson resigned from her position, although she continued her interest in sport by serving as the Director of Physical Education at the Mary A. Burham School located in Northampton, Massachusetts.