As the end of the summer rapidly approaches, students and families throughout the Capital City are now shifting their sites to the beginning of another school year. From getting your hands on back to school supplies to figuring out this year’s exciting rubric of classes, this exhilarating time of year is full of anticipation for a fresh start and new opportunities to shine. In today’s time, we think of education within the confines of a classroom, often dictating clear-cut guidelines and standardized expectations for students throughout the district. But what was education like for our nation’s earliest schoolchildren? As it turns out, anything but the traditional practices we now employ today.

During the colonial era, every member of the family played an important role in the care and keeping of the home. From working the land to keeping the home, the prosperity and provision of the family was an all hands on deck approach. As such, it was atypical for less affluent children to be sent off to a formal schooling environment.  While schools as they think of them today did exist, they were often a privilege reserved for the wealthy. Typically, students attending private schools came from well-to-do families and students were expected to eventually attend university. In these elite institutions, students were taught subjects such as Latin and other key lessons needed to thrive in the day’s collegiate setting. But for children of more humble means, school offered a vastly different experience.

While public schools did exist at the time and were on paper accessible for all, they were only available to those who could pay the cost of admission. For those unable to access these facilities, education often fell upon the backs of religious institutions, families, or charitable members of the community. To that end, for many students, religion was a central component of the education they received. Due to America’s Puritan roots, the church played a vital role in the establishment of these communities, and much of the educational burden fell upon these religious bodies. Consequentially, theology and knowledge often went hand in hand. For the Puritans, reading was not just a necessary life skill, but a means and method of communicating with the divine. This is why students with even the most limited access to education were expected to learn to read.

Beyond the barriers of cost, education was also contingent upon the needs of the family. This is why, rather than having school exist seasonally as it does today, schoolhouses were open year-round to help meet the needs of local families. For many students, the reality of attending school daily was not a feasible approach. It would not be uncommon, for example, for a student to spend a month or more away from the classroom in order to lend their family a hand. From extra hands during harvest time to building up the family business, there was a general understanding that family members of all ages would be expected to participate. While education and knowledge was of vital importance both then and now, the demands of day to day living at the time often dictated a more flexible, pragmatic approach to education.

It is also important to acknowledge the role that bias played in the ability to access an education, and for many girls, students of color, etc., the same opportunities were not afforded to those of more privileged backgrounds. For example, for many young girls, education was made secondary to the domestic duties of the home. As such, many women were only taught the rudimentary skills necessary to keep and maintain the family home and budget. As the years went on and new generations came to pass, education opened up to a greater diversity of students. However, in America’s early days, education was a privilege reserved for those with the means and status to access it. While educational equity is something advocates are still fighting for to this day, it is vital to acknowledge just how far we’ve come from our nation’s early roots.

Since the dawn of our nation, there’s no doubt that education has proliferated far beyond its original roots. With the expansion of technology and knowledge, in alignment with a more equitable and just society, the classroom has become a place which is truly open for all to experience. From our nation’s most vulnerable to the upper echelons, all are worthy and deserving of a quality education. And when we look back at how far we’ve come, one cannot help but be proud of all the progress that has been made since our nation’s first schoolhouses opened their doors. Here’s to hoping 2024-2025 is the very best school year yet!

The post Historic Happenings: A Glimpse Inside the Colonial Classroom first appeared on TrentonDaily.