Early Years: I found it amusing that social etiquette was actually a subject that the students would engage in.....it seems like we as teachers are still having to teach "social etiquette" - "manners" today. It really says something about the era, seeing that, the girls would only taught enough to read their Bibles and keep records. I found it amusing that the girls governess only needed to be "somewhat" educated. Ha! Do you suppose we (woman) were seen as the lesser gender????? It seems that even today, their are some left over attitudes that the poor, are not in need of an education, but rather just a trade school to acquire a skill to survive. I know I have come across or heard whispers of this. Wow.....Some of their educational Laws - a town of 50 or more people had to hire a man to teach reading, and reading scripture can save the soul. We can barely mention the word God in school now, without feeling like we are offending someone! (Sad). Most commonly used book for study were: The Bible, a primer, and a hornbook. - I was not sure what a hornbook was. So I clicked on the link, basically it consisted of a wooden paddle with lessons tacked on and covered by a piece of transparent horn. The primer was used for both public, and Sunday religious schools. They did have a type of "daycare" called the "Dame School" - where a women would teach young children their abc's while she did her household tasks. While there may be a lot of good daycares today...Some daycares today are probably not much better then this than the "Dame School"!
Later Years: School districts were forms in order to expand education to more people. However, there was still little female participation, no minority participation, rigid discipline, and the primer and hornbook were still used. The schools were usually one room, poor kept buildings. The children would supply the wood for the fire to keep the room warm. There were typically 20-30 students ranging in a variety of age groups. Some important names behind colonial education: Cotton Mather, Antony Benezet, and Benjamin Franklin
Comments (5)
Colonial times certainly were different than present day. I think back then social ettiquette was more disciplined than it is today. Today, we are lucky if we can get the kids to say please and thank you. They certaninly do not have table manners!
It is also interesting that during this period many schools were actually sponsered by churches.
Cotton Mather looks a little scary. The address he wrote about the education of children almost seemed to me as if he was warning people to make sure they kept religious teaching in the schools and if they didn't to beware of the consequences.
Posted by Kathleen Childress | September 28, 2010 8:17 PM
Posted on September 28, 2010 20:17
I think each era of education is unique in its own way. I could not imagine having a school with just one room for all ages. I like how the students had to participate in a social etiquette exercise. I feel that I spend a lot of my day working on manners. I feel like each year the children tend to have less and less of what we would call good manners. I think it is so sad how children are allowed to disrespect adults today.
Posted by Susan Matthews | September 28, 2010 9:23 PM
Posted on September 28, 2010 21:23
response to susan's comment:
I was reading your comment and couldn't help but laugh because it is so true today. Half of my day I spend on teaching my students how to be respectful and use their good manners and I feel like little teaching gets done. I mean what are our students being taught at home. I feel like today some parents do not feel the need to educate their child on just the basics like good manners and therefore we the teachers are seeing this in our classrooms. In the early years the basics were taught at home from their family members. Oh how times have changed but for the most part for the better!!!
Posted by Holly Tilley | September 29, 2010 12:04 PM
Posted on September 29, 2010 12:04
It is sad to think that some people really thought so little of women and the education of girls and people of the lower class. I totally agree with all your comments about spending so much time teaching the kids about manners and how to respect everyone. And trying to teach in a classroom that had all ages would have been so difficult. I know that is something I would not be able to do today.
Posted by Melissa Lange | September 30, 2010 7:42 PM
Posted on September 30, 2010 19:42
I agree, too often we have to spend a huge part of our day teaching children to treat each other with respect. I think it is a sign of the times – sounds like a cliché, but I do think that our schools reflect our society. I was also really interested to see what a tremendous role religion played in colonial schools. Not much “separation of church and state” there, huh?
Posted by Marlee Wright | September 30, 2010 11:10 PM
Posted on September 30, 2010 23:10