A. School Then and Now
Directions Compare and contrast school in the colonial era and the modern era. Use the Venn Diagram below
list down three (3) differences ench and one (1) similarity between school in the colonial era and the modern
"What are the similarities and differences between school during the colonial period and modern
schooling, and what role did religion play in school during the colonial period?"
By: POHNPE1397 from Enotes.com
There are many more differences between school in the colonial period and the modern era than there are
similarities. Schools taught different things in different ways to different people. The only real similarity, in my
view, is that they were conducted for the purpose of educating young people.
The differences between schools in these two periods are striking. First, the schools in the two eras taught
about different things. In the colonial period, schooling was centered around the "Three Rs." These were
"reading, (w)riting, and "(a)rithmetic," (Some historians add religion as a fourth "R.") This is very different
from the way things are now. Today, we study things like music, art, history, and science that go beyond the
"Three Rs." Our schools are much more well-rounded today, allowing us to get a broader education in a wider
wariety of subjects.
Sooond, school was taught very differently in those days. Those were the days of rote learning. Children
vere simply made to memorize their lessons whereas today's children are generally encouraged to developing
hinking skills and to learn to do work on their own. There was also in those days, the idea that education should
pe conducted to the tune of the hickory stick." In other words, teachers typically used corporal punishment
gainst students not just when they misbehaved but also when they failed to recite their lessons properly,
Thirdly, education in those days was much more limited than schooling is today. Today's schools are
andatory for all children up to a certain age. They are provided for free. Schools in colonial times were none
f these things. Schools in those times were typically provided by churches rather than by
overnments. Schooling was almost exclusively a male privilege as girls were not expected to do much
aming. In short, colonial schools were generally for a few of the better-off boys while modern schools are for
1 children
Wo can see, then, that the schools of the colonial cra were different from today's schools in almost every
way. The only seeming similarity between the two is that they were conducted for the purpose of educating
oung people.
School Then
School Now​