This Is the Way We Go to School

This Is the Way We Go to School

"What?" Ben said, from the first row.

"Ben!" said Miss Jacobson. "Please raise your hand before speaking."

Ben raised his hand. "Yes, Ben?" said Miss Jacobson.

"Miss Jacobson," Ben said, "if you're not going to be our teacher, who is?"

"You are," Miss Jacobson said. "Six of you.Next week, there will be three presentations, each given by two students.The presentations will be about the history of education in America.The first will be about a child going to school in 1725.The second will be about a child going to school in 1830.And the third will be about a child in 1925.Now, I need six students. Do I have any volunteers?"

On Monday morning of the next week, Miss Jacobson smiled at her sleepy students."Don't you all look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed," she said."Come on up, Lizzie and Haley, and tell us about American education in 1725!"

Lizzie and Haley came to the front of the room."Okay, everyone," Lizzie said. "Imagine the year is 1725, and we're in a little town in Connecticut.Now, imagine a girl named Katie who is eleven years old, and her family--"

"What does she look like?" Ben asked, from the front row.

"I have no idea," Lizzie said. "It doesn't matter."

"Is she tall or is she short?" Ben asked.

"Ben," Miss Jacobson said sternly. "You can imagine Katie to look however you want her to."

Lizzie cleared her throat. "Anyway," she said, "Katie's eleven years old, and her family lives on a small farm.Life on the farm is hard for Katie and her family because, most of the time, they're working.Katie has so many chores that it feels as if they never end.And here to tell you about Katie's chores is Haley!"

"If you think Katie has a lot of outside chores," Haley said, "just wait until you hear about her inside chores.Along with her mother, Katie has to do all the cooking and cleaning.Cooking in 1725 is a lot more complicated than it is today.They don't have refrigerators or freezers, so they have to add salt to the meats to make them last longer.They make their own bread and jam, and then when they're finished cooking,they move on to the sewing, knitting, and mending."

"But I thought--" Ben started. "Ben," said Miss Jacobson. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Ben raised his hand. "Yes, Ben?" said Miss Jacobson.

"But I thought this report was supposed to be about Katie's education," Ben said.

"We're getting to that," Haley said."We're trying to make the point that Katie was so busy that she didn't have a lot of time for her education."

"Oh!" Ben said. "That's smart of you."

"Thank you," Haley said. "When Katie was younger, she was educated at home by her mother.Her mother taught her lessons in etiquette, behavior, and manners.She also taught Katie to knit, sew, and how to manage household expenses.But most of all, she taught Katie about religion.Lizzie, will you tell us why Katie's mother taught her about religion?"

"Sure thing," Lizzie said. "In colonial New England, parents strongly believed in teaching their children religion.They wanted their children to be educated so that they could understand religious texts on their own.In fact, the first books Katie learns to read are religious books.Later, she is allowed to read books that aren't about religion.But first, Haley, why don't you explain how Katie learns to read?"

Haley nodded. "Once she's old enough," Haley said,"Katie goes to a kind of school called a dame school, which is for girls only.Dame schools get their name because they're run by respected women of the town who are called 'dames.'Katie pays a penny a day to attend.The school meets in the teacher's home, so the students don't have desks or chairs like we do.They don't have maps or chalkboards either," Haley said, looking around the classroom.

"Thank you, Haley," said Lizzie. "At the dame school, Katie learns more of the same type of things she's been taught by her mother.She doesn't really get the formal education her brothers will get."

"What do her brothers get?" Ben started, and then stopped. "Oops," he said, and raised his hand.

"We'll tell you in a minute," Lizzie said, "after we tell you more about the dame school.Katie's teacher focuses on knitting, sewing, and etiquette.She teaches the girls basic math and reading.By the way," Lizzie added, "in 1725, not all girls went to dame schools.Girls from the wealthiest families were taught by governesses.And now, we have something that will make Ben very happy.Haley, will you tell us what Katie's brothers are doing in their school?"

"In colonial New England," Haley said, "boys receive a better education than girls.They also stay in school a few years longer.The boys go to a primary school that's run by the town."

"In the town's primary school," Haley continued, "Katie's brothers learn to read, spell, write, and do simple arithmetic.Most of their learning comes from something called the hornbook.The hornbook is a paper sheet with lessons written on it, attached to a board.Some schools also use something called the New England Primer,which is a book that combines the lessons of the hornbook with religious teachings."

"Of course, life is different for the wealthy boys in Connecticut," said Lizzie."These boys can afford quills, paper, and books, which are extremely expensive in 1725.Their parents pay private tutors to teach them Greek, Latin, science, algebra, geometry, geography, and history.These boys have a lot of opportunity and many of them go on to take entrance tests for college.They receive the fanciest educations of anyone at the time."

"And that's our presentation!" said Haley.

"Superb!" said Miss Jacobson. "Thank you, Lizzie and Haley!"

The class clapped wildly. "Bravo!" yelled Ben.

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