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The United States of America has a rich history of education dating back to before the country was even formed. Our ancestors lacked most of the luxuries of modern day schools and yet they were able to produce some of the brightest minds in human history. Abraham Lincoln had a command of the English language like no other and yet he was mostly self-educated.
If you compare education today with education over the years, you have to wonder if there are some critical elements of learning that have gotten lost in the shuffle. Are we considerably better off today than we were in the past?
Tuition at colleges and universities continues to climb at astronomical rates. Is the quality of the education at these institutions of higher learning drastically better than it was ten or twenty years ago? Libraries at colleges continue to expand the size of their collections and their facilities. Is this the best use of resources now that every student has access to the internet?
And how about local schools where teachers are rewarded based on how long they've been breathing rather than the quality of their teaching? All while our politicians and successful leaders send their children to expensive private schools.
We should be striving to achieve the best possible education system we can for our children. Looking at our history can give some insights into things we might want to change in our education today.
Education Resources:
National Council for History Education
Libraries at Colleges
History of Education Society
Articles:
Teaching Through The Ages
Teachers in America
Learning Through The Ages and Stages
History of Teacher Training
America’s First School
One Room Schoolhouses
Education for Black Americans
Outstanding Teachers
Tools of the Trade
A Look Back
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