Chapter 5: The History of Schools in the United States

In colonial times, schools were small and mostly influenced by religious groups. The curriculum in the early ages of this country was mostly the three “Rs” (reading, writing and arithmetic) with strong religious background. Schools were viewed as a way to strengthen children’s religious beliefs, patriotism and moral values. Later, schools became more economical and there were more children being educated. It wasn’t until after the First World War that school curriculums started to educated students in their preferred career choice. Science and Mathematics were some of the courses that did not receive proper attention until later.
Over the years, education has been molded and reformed to fit the components for today’s need. There was a period where the physical set up of the classroom changed to simulate “urban… and large cooperation” jobs. Schools started to have more real life examples in the classroom and there was a back to basics push in the 1970’s. Finally many schools started to incorporate social justice in their school systems providing medical care and other “progressive ideology.” Today, there is a constant ping-pong of what should be taught in schools and how these things should be taught. I think that Thre needs to be more of an emphasis on the outdoor education to help current and future students reconnect to nature.