32 Ways School 100 Years Ago Was Different

TL;DR

A look back at education in the US a century ago, highlighting differences in schools, teaching methods, and cultural norms.

Transcript

Did you know that a hundred years ago mills and factories in the U.S. operated their own schools? Hi, I'm Erin McCarthy, editor-in-chief of Mental Floss.com. At the time many kids had jobs ,whether on family farms or with those companies. This meant that regular 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. school hours weren't always a thing. Some children attended elementary... Read More

Key Insights

• 🥳 School schedules a century ago were impacted by work, leading to variable hours and days of instruction.
• 🤠 Gender and racial disparities were prevalent in education, with girls and boys receiving different education and racially segregated schools facing funding disparities.
• 🥺 Teaching methods involved memorization, recitation, corporal punishment, and a shift towards progressive education led by reformers.
• 🏛️ Music classes and P.E. were a part of education, with a focus on German and Swedish gymnastics for physical activities.
• 👨‍🏫 Back-to-school shopping included slates and chalk, transportation was not standardized, and learning another language in school was sometimes illegal.
• 🥺 Progressive education movements led to changes in teaching methods, emphasizing empowerment and communal learning environments.
• 👾 School lunch programs and playground games like jacks and kickball were emerging at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did work impact the school schedules a hundred years ago?

Work had a significant impact, leading to variable school hours, schedules, and an average of just 151 school days per year in 1905.

Q: What were the gender and racial disparities in education a hundred years ago?

Girls and boys received different education, with girls focused on domestic skills, and racially segregated schools having major funding and pay disparities.

Q: How did teaching methods differ a century ago?

Teaching methods involved memorization and recitation, with corporal punishment used, and a shift towards progressive education led by reformers like John Dewey.

Q: What role did music and physical education play in schools a hundred years ago?

Schools had music classes and physical education (P.E.) that involved German and Swedish gymnastics, emphasizing whole-body exercises and hygiene lessons.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Schools in the US a hundred years ago operated differently, with mills and factories having their own schools and kids working affecting school schedules.

• High school attendance was low, with an average completion of 8.2 years of schooling for adults.

• Teaching methods included corporal punishment, gender and race disparities, and a shift towards progressive education.