Reflection #9

The articles, “The first schools” and “Ancient Egyptian Education” are an overview of exactly how schools were in ancient civilizations. They talk about cuneiform which was one of the first systems of writing. They used this writing system to former their education. Students had to write and copy textbooks. There were different kinds of scribes,  There was junior and high scribes, which are like our junior and high school students. There was also scribes that specialized in specific activities. In the first half of the second millennium BC, there were many tablets found with exercises and activities created by the actual students. The whole purpose of the Sumerian schools was to train students to scribe for the economic needs of the land. However, that expanded and soon studies were created in plants, animals, geography, math, writing, and so on. Many of the Sumerian professors depended on their salary for their daily living. Teachers were paid out of the students tuition fees.   Unlike education today, only the wealthy could afford it. Most students came from rich families. Most of the Sumerian students were males. Like our school system today, these schools had “principles” an “teachers”. The head of the school, which we would call the principle, they called the “School Father”. The students were called the “school son”. The assistant professors created the curriculum. They created tablets for the students to copy and made sure that they did so correctly. They also listened to the students recite their tablets. The curriculum in sumerian schools consisted of two sections; the first was semi-scientific and scholarly and the second was literary and creative. The first section was a basic overview and understanding of the Sumerian language. Making sure that the language was understood and mastered correctly. In the textbooks found there was a lot of writing about animals, cities, plants, minerals, and things of that sort, indicating zoological, botanical, and geographical studies. The second part of this curriculum consisted of copying and studying several literary works. Students copied tablets and the professors examined them to make sure they were correct. Teachers played a very big role in the students lives. They gave lectures and created most of the tablets students had to copy. They corrected students mistakes and faults and made sure that students understood the matter. I believe that teachers in Ancient Civilizations were a little bit more dedicated than teachers today. They probably enjoyed their jobs more that teachers today simply by the fact that students appreciated their education and worked hard for it. Students now a days are usually forced to attend school and do not care much for it. In Ancient Civilizations only the wealthy and fortunate had a chance for education. Their determination probably gave teachers more of a motivation and love for teaching. These articles make teachers look very important in the lives of their students.