Who Taught in Schools

WHO TAUGHT IN SCHOOLS?

When Horace Mann became the Secretary of the Board of Education, teachers were not required to have any special training. In fact, many people believed that not much skill or training was needed in order to teach children. Anyone who could read and write was allowed to teach, and quite often, teachers could not read or spell much better than their students. They also were not much older than their students and might have been only 16 or 17 years old. At some schools, the only requirement needed was to have excellent handwriting using fancy lettering.

In some school districts, the decision to hire a teacher might have been made by the minister in the town who would pass judgment on their moral character. Teachers were not paid well, and they only worked part of the time because school was not always in session. Some schools were only open two months in the year. Teachers were not always paid with money and may have been paid with firewood, or given a room in which to live.

Horace Mann wanted to change all of that when he became the first Secretary of Education for the State of Massachusetts. He had a dream of providing a good education for all children in public schools, but it seemed that only wealthier people could afford this because they could hire well-educated tutors for their children. Horace Mann wanted to give all children an opportunity to get a good public education.

One important step Horace Mann took as the Secretary of Education was to change who was allowed to teach children. He wanted teachers to be well educated and well trained. He also wanted to eliminate the beating and whipping children for not knowing their lessons, which was common at that time. He explained that belief when he said, “If we are going to have good schools, we must train many good teachers. We need good schools where young men and women can learn to be good teachers.”

As Horace Mann spoke to people at meetings across the state, he was so convincing that a man by the name of Mr. Dwight donated $10,000 to help build the first teachers’ college in the country. Even though it was a huge donation, the state legislature had to match that amount of money so that there would be enough to build the school. Horace Mann was able to persuade the state lawmakers to allow public money (taxes) to pay for a teachers’ school. The bill passed, and the first teachers’ college, called a “normal school” opened in 1839 in Lexington, Massachusetts. Today, it is known as Framingham State College. At first, there were only 3 students, but before long there were 25 students. The college became so successful that soon another teachers’ college was created in Bridgewater Massachusetts.

At both of these colleges, teachers were taught to read and write well, but more importantly for Horace Mann, they learned how to teach children without whipping them. Horace Mann changed public education for children by providing better quality teachers in their schools. This was an important step in the improvement of children’s education, and it was Horace Mann, a citizen of Franklin, who started it.

References

Edwards, C. P. (1958). Horace Mann, Sower of Learning. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Fiore, J. D. (1973). Wrentham 1673-1973 A History. Boston: Thomas Todd Co.

Fuller, L. (1965). Horace Mann, On the Crisis in Education. Yellow Springs, Ohio: Antioch

Press.

Kalman, B. (1991). Early Schools: The Early Settler Life Series. New York: Crabtree Publishing.

Pierce, E. G. ( 1972). Horace Mann, Our Nation’s First Educator. Ontario, Canada: Lerner

Publications.

Treichler, J. (1962). Horace Mann, Educating for Democracy. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Brittanica Press.