Reflection #19

Dame schools in colonial times have progressed a lot through-ought the years into what we call today the public school system. Early education in dame schools was very different from the public education we have today. To start off, dame schools were actually a form of private elementary school for children. Classes were mainly taught by women and were run in the home of the teacher. The supplies used in the classroom consisted of nothing more than a “Hornbook”. There was no desk, map, or blackboards. The hornbook was carried either on the child’s belt or around their neck. In 1683, a law passed that mandated that children of ages 12 should be able to read and write. It was the parents responsibility to ensure that. There was a charge of five pounds for every child that did not achieve this. Soon, the development of friends public schools started. It was a school system that incorporated both sexes in all classes. It was free of charge for parents that could not afford it. After the 1700’s most schools were religiously based. However, these standards applied only to the middle colonies. How the school system was ran depended on the location of the colonies. When the public school was created, catholics feared for the education of their children. They were afraid of the loss of support coming from the church. Therefore, the Baltimore Council prohibited that catholic children attend public schools. The parochial school system was created in order to ensure religious harmony. There was much conflict in the catholic education. There was great denial of the bible in the education system. However, this parochial school system was hard to fund and led to an accumulation of events. This all led into the private catholic churches we have today. In 1852, the compulsory attendance act was created. This made sure that children of ages eight through fourteen attended school. There was a penalty of $20.00 for parents that failed to do so. This law drew great attention and importance to the school system and education. In 1842, another law was passed that stated that no child under the age of fifteen could receive employment without proof of attendance in the school for more than three months. These laws have been used today and have been expanded. We are still forced to attend school until middle school and we are not allowed to apply for employment until we are fifteen. We are not allowed to enter school until we have receives our proper vaccines and shots and until we have a physical done. There are still many requirements in the education system.