History of Education
Education is an ever-changing process. Teachers must understand the past educational process to connect it to the present. Examining the past and present trends in education, will allow teachers to dynamically draw practical lessons and help to avoid mistakes. Teachers will be able to create more viable plans to benefit students in today’s society with the necessary tools to become successful.
Education evolves with the society around it. When looking back on education, we can observe what type of economy, government, and technology that was available during that time period. With church and the government being the most important entity during colonial times, education was based on religion and maintaining the authority of government. It was necessary to educate people properly, so they could function in society. Primarily wealthy males were the only students who attended school. As the United States became more independent, public schools were established to unite all of the cultures that were coming into the country to help the nation grow and develop. In the Industrial Age, education became a way to prepare students for the workforce and as a way to take responsibility of the increasing population in urban areas. From this era on, social status has become the main purpose and utilizes education to achieve goals. The higher the education, the better the job opportunities are for individuals to succeed and advance in society.
During war times, depressions, natural disasters, etc., the priority to education students changes. For example, during Hurricane Katrina, our sole priority was to provide a safe and loving environment for our students who had endured so much tragedy. We left our curriculum for a few weeks to focus on the psychological health of our students. Along with these unwanted events, comes new policies, procedures and disaster plans to help us cope and deal with the effects of society.
Today, technology is heavily integrated into the curriculum. With the creation of the internet opening up a global world, the information accessible to students is tremendous. Teachers, also, have a wealth of resources available to assist them with the tools needed to teach the very diverse group of students of today. Technology changes the way teachers teach in the classroom. Instead of chalkboards and notebook paper, teachers use white boards and mimio projectors. Students now