Buerger

Forever Changing: The Journey of Public Education in America Objective: The student will be able to compare education in Massachusetts during the 1800's to education today in Mt. Lebanon.

[|Answer:] Education has evolved in hundreds of ways since the beginning of public education in the nineteenth century. School today is much different than school in the 1800’s. Teachers must have a college degree; classrooms have technology, maps, and tons of books; information is available at our finger tips; schools are bigger and have students participate in extracurricular programs; schools are a place for the community to gather for certain events and activities. Resources: //Chapter 14: The Age of Reform//. //Rc255.will.k12.il.us//. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2012. .
 * ~ Then (1800's) ||~ Now (2000's) ||
 * = Tests and Quizzes: Teachers saw how much the students had learned by using oral quizzes. ||= Tests and Quizzes: Teachers see how much we learn by using quizzes, tests, and online tests. We also must take standardized tests every year. ||
 * = Homework: Usually students had little if any homework because they worked at home. ||= Homework: We have some homework, projects, and studying almost every night. ||
 * = Books: In early schools, the Bible was used for religious learning. McGuffey Readers were the most popular schoolbook. It was in a set of six with varying levels, and it taught the "three R's", reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic. ||= Books: In most of our classes, we have a textbook, but the books are not the same for all of our classes. ||
 * = Consequences & Discipline: Wood canes, leather straps, hickory switches, and paddles have been used in schools for punishment. Sitting in the corner wearing a "dunce cap" was also a punishment for failing to learn your lessons. ||= Consequences & Discipline: Detention is the main punishment for modern schools. ||
 * = Lunch: Students had to pack lunch in a metal bucket. Lunch was where kids sat and talked with their friends. ||= Lunch: We have the option to buy from the cafeteria or pack from home. Lunch is where you can socialize with your friends. ||
 * = Technology: Not much technology was used in the early 1800's, but as the years progressed, stereoscopes showed pictures of 3-D landscapes, plants and animals. Also an abacus, an early calculator, was used occasionally in the classroom. ||= Technology: Computers, televisions, SMARTboards, and iPads are all pieces of technology that we use in school. We rely heavily on technology for research, movies, and grades. ||
 * = Blackboards: In early schoolhouses, blackboards were written on with chunks of chalk and cloth rags erased them. They were used for teachers to add visuals to their lessons. ||= Blackboards: Today, blackboards are being replaced with white boards or SMARTboards but are used for the teachers to write on. ||
 * = Workbooks: Slate and slate pencils were similar to notebooks and were used to practice writing. ||= Workbooks: We would use a workbook with activities for us to practice our writing. ||
 * = Writing Utensils: Quill pens and inkwells were used to write. ||= Writing Utensils: Pens and pencils are used to write. ||
 * = Bells: A teacher would ring a bell when it was time for school or the bell tower would play. ||= Bells: Bells are electronic and run automatically during the day. ||
 * = Flags: American flags flew on poles out in front of the schools, and Patriotic songs were sung. ||= Flags: American flags hang in every room of the school and on a pole in the front of the school, and the pledge is recited every morning. ||
 * = Furniture: Benches, tables, and three-legged stools were furniture found in the nineteenth century schools. ||= Furniture: Desks, tables, and chairs are provided for students, today. ||
 * = Heating and cooling: Potbelly stoves provided heat. Although there was a heater, some students too close were uncomfortably warm, and students too far away were too cold. ||= Heating and cooling: Heating and fans provide a somewhat comfortable atmosphere. ||
 * = Lights: One-room schoolhouses had large windows, lamps or candles. ||= Lights: There are many lights in every room of the school and many windows, too. ||

Davidson, James West, and Michael B. Stoff. //Anerica History of Our Nation//. Parippany: Prentice Hall, 2009. //Pearsonsuccessnet.com//. Web. 19 Feb. 2012. .

“Educational Economies in the 1800s.” //K12academics.com//. K12academics.com, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2012. .

“History of the United States Expansion (1820-1849).” //Theusaonline.com//. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2012. .

“Horace Mann and American Education Reform.” //Intellectualtakeout.org//. Intellectual Takeout, 2012. Web. 18 Feb. 2012. <http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/‌library/‌dewey/‌horace-mann-and-american-education-reform>.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">“School: The Story of American Public Education.” //Pbs.org//. Roundtable, Inc., 2011. Web. 19 Feb. 2012. http://www.pbs.org/‌kcet/‌publicschool/‌index.html.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Picture: <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">//An Arithmetic Class Taught by Carrie Southworth at Morton School, 1907//. 1907. //Pbs.org//. Roundtable, n.d. Web. 9 Mar. 2012. <http://www.pbs.org/‌kcet/‌publicschool/‌photo_gallery/‌photo4.html>.