Change for a Time: Childhood Education in 19th Century America
At first look, I theorized that education in the Western United States was different from education in the East in the 1800s. However, I soon found out that the curriculum was standardized across the country. In the 19th century, efforts were made to allow equal opportunities for people of all socioeconomic levels and all regions in America. In the past century, people have made efforts to allow equal opportunities for people of all races and genders. The principle behind American education continues to be a standardized, one-size-fits-all education, when the world has been changing around us with new technology, jobs, and culture. The curriculum of schools was the part of schools that was the most standardized; it did not vary much from the east to the west. The teachers would prepare lesson plans. Students often did individual work, but “older students took pride in tutoring younger students,” (Bial, 14-18) helping them with their work. Teachers would walk around the room, checking on the students’ work. Frequently, teachers would call groups of students up to recite lessons, which were usually verses from their readers. Some schools had exams, others did not. At Massie School in Savannah, Georgia, examinations were public events. Anyone could come and watch the pupils get quizzed on all subjects.
For reading they used textbooks. An early textbook was the New England Primer, used from 1760 to 1843. However, in the 1830s, William McGuffey wrote another set of textbooks, which took over almost entirely. The McGuffey Readers were a “sampler of the best of world literature…” Sometimes instead of moving to the next grade level, students would move to the next reader, which went from a primer through a sixth volume. Not everyone had McGuffey Reader, however. For example, at Massie, textbooks were handed down through the family, and so teachers got used to having different authors or editions in one class. Also at Massie, the word method was used to teach primary
For reading they used textbooks. An early textbook was the New England Primer, used from 1760 to 1843. However, in the 1830s, William McGuffey wrote another set of textbooks, which took over almost entirely. The McGuffey Readers were a “sampler of the best of world literature…” Sometimes instead of moving to the next grade level, students would move to the next reader, which went from a primer through a sixth volume. Not everyone had McGuffey Reader, however. For example, at Massie, textbooks were handed down through the family, and so teachers got used to having different authors or editions in one class. Also at Massie, the word method was used to teach primary
Bibliography: "19th Century School Life." Massie School. Massie School, 2010. Web. 09 Nov. 2011. <http://www.massieschool.com/>. Bargeron, Saxon P. Massie Common School House: Significance and Early History. 1975. MS. Savannah. Bial, Raymond. One-room School. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999. Print. Malone, Tara, Darnell Little, and Dian Rado. "Record Percentage of Illinois Schools Fail to Meet Federal Targets." Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune, 21 Oct. 2011. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. Massie School. The Massie School. 1943. MS. Savannah. Mt. Zion One Room Schoolhouse. Ocean City. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://www.octhebeach.com/museum/Zion.html>. Reese, William J. "Education, United States." Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood in History and Society. The Gale Group, Inc., 2008. Web. 9 Nov. 2011. <http://www.faqs.org/childhood/Co-Fa/Education-United-States.html>. "Title IX, Education Amendments of 1972." The U.S. Department of Labor. U.S. Department of Labor. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://www.dol.gov/oasam/regs/statutes/titleix.htm>.