EDF 1005 Reflection Paper #9

Jackie Lawrence
EDF 1005
Reflection Paper #9

In Mesopotamia, cuneiform writing was taught formally in schools on pictograph clay tablets. Even as far back to 2500 BC, the Sumerians used textbooks in order to educate their children. Fortunately, many clay tablets have been recovered, which gives us much insight into how significant education actually was in Mesopotamia. Even teachers, also known as “school fathers,” wrote journals that described the process of formal education and scribe training, which is fortunate, because actual lectures were never recorded. However, teacher salaries came from tuition fees. Therefore many poor children were unable to receive an education and ended up following in the footsteps of their father’s profession. In school, subjects such as math, reading, writing, literature, and science were highly regarded and studied in depth. Sumerian children remained in school for many years and often became scribes.
Ancient Egyptian education differed greatly from the Sumerian system. In Egypt, only artists, draftsmen, and sculptors were taught how to read and write. Additionally, the sons and daughters of the kings were educated by personal tutors, but regular children only learned the craft of their parents. Family was also responsible for instilling morals, values, and religious beliefs into their kids through the Books of Instruction, or Wisdom Literature. To the Egyptians, honor, justice, obedience, religion, and humanity were far more important than formal education.
Today, our school system incorporates a little bit of both the Sumerian and Egyptian methods of educating our young. Family plays a major role in instilling values and morality, while teachers are responsible for implanting knowledge considered imperative to success in our culture. Unlike ancient societies, there is an incredible amount of diversity and change occurring today, which makes successful formal education more difficult to accomplish. Educators in today’s contemporary society must recognize and respect the differences in their students in order to embrace a thriving classroom. Simply copying and memorizing may not work for everyone today. Social class, gender, religion, learning styles, and background must all be considered. Furthermore, as we move towards multicultural education, educators are becoming more and more important to the achievements and success of our future generations.