When the United States became a country unto itself school was something that was usually taught by the local pastor or preacher. It mixed religion with learning reading, writing, and arithmetic. Schools were what set apart the wealthy upper class and the poor working class. Girls were taught to be perfect wives that raised the children and supported their husbands. Meanwhile, the boys were taught and prepared for college.
It wasn’t until the 1840s that Thomas Jefferson and Horace Mann decided that schools needed to be separate from religion. They wanted to make an education system that was free and open to all genders and classes. This was to “create better citizens and a culturally uniform American society” (Whitmer).
Looking at schools today they are far different than what our founding fathers originally thought and planned out for society. Schools have now become a place that not only teaches students their reading, writing, and arithmetic but also gives the social and emotional learning that they are not getting elsewhere. Public schools are a place where children are taught to make friends and socialize.
With the Covid pandemic of 2020 when schools were forced to shut down it became glaringly obvious that schools, in fact, do so much more than just teach students the basics. Schools have found ways to feed students and even those too young to enter the school system. Many schools provided breakfast and lunches to the students for the remainder of the 2020 school year, and the following summer, which carried over into the 2020-2021 school year. Schools had to provide internet services to the students that remotely learned during that time through hotspots. Stephen Sawchuk made the greatest statement about students in schools in his article “What is the Purpose of School?” when he said, “students will face difficulty learning if they are not fed, clothed, and nurtured” (Sawchuk). Thus schools became food pantries, found ways through programs such as Communities in Schools that would be able to provide necessary clothing to the students, and teachers became like second parents giving love and a feeling of safety to their students.
Schools have taken on so many different aspects of the education system for children in the United States. Things can always change for the better, but it will take time. Prince EA, a civil rights activist from St. Louis, MO really put it into perspective when he said, “Children are twenty percent of our population, but they are one hundred percent our future” (EA). Knowing that statistics alone should make Americans wonder about what they want the future of America to be. Change starts with the children and they need to be taught in a way that will allow for this change to take place.
Works Cited:
EA, Prince. “I Sued the School System (2023).” YouTube, YouTube, 26 Sept. 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqTTojTija8&embeds_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fcanvas.txstate.edu%2Fcourses%2F2046940%2Fpages%2Ftask-1-m2-video-break%3Fmodule_item_id%3D94857595&feature=emb_imp_woyt.
Sawchuk, Stephen. “What Is the Purpose of School?” What Is the Purpose of School?, Education Week, 23 Sept. 2021, https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/what-is-the-purpose-of-school/2021/09.
Whitmer, Phil. “What Were the Original Goals and Purpose of the American Education System?” What Were the Original Goals and Purpose of the American Education System?, 30 June 2020, https://classroom.synonym.com/were-purpose-american-education-system-8052005.html.
Hi Chavon! First, I just wanted to say I loved reading your post and seeing a different point of view over public schooling than just my one. I really appreciated how you included in the beginning how schools used to be, and much the structure has changed from then to now. I think for that time period how they ran schools might have been all they knew but I am so thankful we have evolved and been able to mold our schooling into what it is now. I read the same article from Sawchuk and found the parts about Covid the most intriguing. I think some people that are not in the education world were taken back during covid and finally were able to apricate the hard work and dedication it takes to be a teacher. I also think that for schools to still open their doors to provide food, clothing, and even sometimes shelter while the pandemic was happening just goes to show how much heart goes into being an educator. I remember all these celebrities who had children finally giving praise and credit to their kid's teachers because you truly don't know how much dedication goes into it until you are forced to see it. Anway's, I loved reading you post and seeing what your thoughts were!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Ella. I was honestly a little hesitant about adding a little background to how schools started and why they are the way that they are now, but I think if someone isn't fully aware it helps to have more clarification. Covid did a number on the education system, but it truly showed that educators and schools were able to be resilient and pivot on a dime for every change that needed to happen from moving to virtual learning for a quarter of the year to getting electronic devices into the hands of the students within a week of shutting down, whether it be iPads or Chromebooks, then to quickly do crash courses for the teachers to teach asynchronous. It really showed what a vital role schools have in the lives of children. It also made the following years something even more precious to teaching face-to-face to make up for the learning that was done online, which is not easy for little minds.
DeleteHey! I enjoyed reading through your blog, and I loved the background information provided. I think it really sets the scene on what modern day schooling looks like. As times change, education must learn to grow along with it in order to provide the most efficient teaching for young learners. Our public schools are a prominent contributor to their social and learning skills. As educators, it is necessary to understand the barriers that limit many of these students, such as the issues families faced in online learning during Covid, as only then can we accommodate for their needs. Their success is imperative as they are our future.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ashley. As educators there is always that challenge to be exemplary in all that we do. Many people think that educators just view their students as another set of kids that come through their classroom each year and that is not the case. Educators absolutely love their students and each year a small family is created. Because the students are viewed as family educators go out of their way to make sure that their needs are met in any way that they can. Many buy the supplies that their students will need that year, which is a cost right out of their own pockets. Most in society are not aware of how these costs add up and educators are not funded for those expenses.
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