The Politics of Literacy

The earliest form of what we know as the state public school system began in the 1840s. Frequently called "The Common School Period,” this time in America’s history was pivotal, education became available to the general public not just those who could afford private schooling. Thanks to forward thinkers such as Horace Mann and Henry Barnard, education was being recognized for its positive effects on the well being of society as a whole. Elementary education was being offered to all and funded publically. In addition, local/state accountability and attendance policies were put into place.

Those who were in favor of making schools public believed education could create an improved, like-minded society. The McGuffey Reader, written by Rev. William Holmes McGuffey, was used as the primary text. The characters in his books were written to represent idealistic personality traits. These readers were held in such high regard at the time, it was mentioned to only be toped by the Bible.

There is additional information I could also report on, but I think that is more than enough to get the point across. My first reaction is…oh my, have we come a long way or what? I guess it had to start somewhere by someone and we can all be thankful that it did in fact get started. Education is my passion and livelihood, however as I think about walking into my classroom tomorrow, it could not be further from the images of the, “one-room schoolhouse” days I just read about. SmartBoards, boys AND girls, of ALL races AND cultures- I love my melting pot! Not to mention running water, a bathroom in my kindergarten room, and electricity. I’m pretty sure there are numerous and varied “discourses” represented in my classroom and yours too. I also think its fairly safe to say that in the “one-room schoolhouses” of the 19th century, that was not the case!