REFLECTION 15

The basic goal of education in Roman was to be an effective speaker. Their school started before sunrise and the students would bring candles to see for light until the daybreak arisen. Roman education school started each year on March 24. In the early days of Roman education, the boys were taught by their fathers such as reading, and writing. Respect for the law, obeying authorities, revalances of God and truthfulness were the most important lesson to be learned. As for the girls, they were taught by their mothers who were to weave, sew, and spin. About 200 BC, the Romans used some of the Greek education system, sending their children out without permission from their fathers at the age of 6 or 7. The children wrote on boards covered with wax, and used pebbles to do math problems. Boys of the higher class attended grammar school; and the poor couldn’t attend schools that were not free. Instead, they were sent to the houses of tutors were they can receive education there for free. All boys, rich and poor attended primary school from their 7th til 12th year. As far as girls, they stayed at home and let their mothers teach them how to run the household in their future. The mothers taught them such things as cooking, cleaning, sewing, washing etc. now in Athens, school attendance was voluntary, it was not mandatory by the government. The parents and nurses instilled manners, morality, and respect for the Gods into young children. Girls did not receive a formal education under no circumstances. The Athenians focused on literacy, music, and physical education. They felt that these subjects of such would exercise the mind and body. They first learned the letters of the written Greek alphabet. Continuing on they also learned simple arithmetic which was quite easy for most of the students. Knowledge and musical played an important role in Athens education system, this helped kept the mind thinking and reasoning. At the age of 14 until 18 the young men of Athens went to secondary school and learned advanced literature, language, and mathematics. Such subjects were considered important to them because it was useful in everyday life outside of school education such as festivals, military, and religious purposes. To conclude, education of the young people in Rome and Athens were very much different than from the way we are educated in today’s society.