Reflection #7

Just how we learn from our parents today, children in Ancient Egypt learned from their elders. Even though today we learn a great deal of our information and knowledge from school systems, we still acquire a great load from our parents. However, children in Ancient Egypt learned pretty much everything by the simple process of imitating what they grew up around. Parents made sure to engrave their thoughts, opinions, and beliefs about what was wrong and right in their children. Books of instruction were create to insure that children understood the moral code of conduct and the norms for an everyday life. The only education girls would mostly receive was what they would pick up at home from their parents. Boys would receive a more formal education and training. On the job training was also very important back then. There were many tasks that did not require any formal education in order to complete. Parents or group members trained others directly face to face how to complete several tasks. On the job training did not require anyone to know how to read or write. Most of these tasks were “hands on” kind of tasks, such as farming or making crafts. The code of Hammurabi covered Apprenticeship which was also a crucial approach to education. It was the learning of something from a skilled employer. In the Hammurabi book, an apprentice was considered an adopted son. The great pyramids and temples created back in the ancient days show signs of successful apprenticeship. Those creations took a lot of training and determination. An apprentice lived at the house of the the one that taught the skill. He received food and clothe but almost never did he receive money. He was educated in the skill he was trying to obtain and at the end of the journey he received a suit of clothe and money. They were also tested in order to make sure they had understood the skill completely. They were now considered “journeymen”. Children also attended Temple schools. In these schools they were taught Cuneiform. Children used a clap tablet as a textbook and followed the instructions their teachers gave them. After mastering cuneiform, children were given a textbook to copy. They also learned arithmetic. Sumerians used the number 10 as a divisible of everything. They also used the division of a circle to master a clock using hours, minutes and seconds. Children also learned about the standard measurements of weight. Cuneiform was the most important skill that had to be acquired by the students. It was used for everything just like we use writing for everything today. Overall, the education system in ancient civilizations of egypt were pretty similar to the one we have today. They learned through the imitation of parental figures, through “on the job” training and apprenticeship, and through temple schools which are very similar to the schools we have today.