1^st Reaction Paper

After you have read Stephanie Coontz’ article on myths surrounding the history of families, turn your attention to your own perceptions regarding the history of education in the United States. Develop a picture in your head about schools in history. What did they look like? Who attended? Who taught in them? What subjects were taught and how? Why do you think parents sent their children to school? Who paid for the school?

If you can, try to distinguish between schools in the 18^th century and in the 19^th? How were they different? Did the purpose of education changed? How? Who decided it?

How significant a role do schools play in American history?

Finally, what questions do YOU have about the history of education? What is important to you? Contemporary issues and problems often arise from deep historical roots.

Please write a 2-3 page, typed, double-spaced paper on some or all of these questions. This in intended to be an open-ended thought piece. I know that you don’t have a lot of information to work with, but the images you choose to nurture in your imagination can actually reveal a lot about what purpose you think education serves in our society today.