History of Education

Wow, the history behind our education system is very interesting.  I was only partly aware of what a strong influence religious groups had on the development of our education system.  It is very intriguing to hear about all the different nationalities and their role in the development of our education system and their beliefs about education.  I was also surprised by how different each provinces beliefs and practices could be from one another depending on who inhabited that province and who migrated in.
As a teacher I think that it is important for me to have a good understanding of the history behind our education system and to also know where it is going and what factors today will influence it.  This is important because I need to be able to teach my students for the world we live in today.
I need to prepare them for today and the future and meet them where they are at, because we all know kids today are much different from the kids of generations past.  Children have a lot more to say and have a lot of issues outside the classroom to deal with as well.  Teachers themselves and their role is also different. They don't have the power they once did and can not assume the same role or use the same behaviour modification methods they once did, but at the same time they are dealing with much more on a daily basis.   Our school of thought has also changed from a worksheet, solo practice type thinking to a more open, group sharing collaboration of ideas.  And we can see that kids of today need that and we know it is often more effective.  Some of the other more current needs are the ability to teach a variety of developmental levels and children with various learning, behavioural, emotional, social and cognitive needs.  All of these changes need to have a place in my teaching and my need to stay current is important for the children in my class to get what they need and consequently be what society needs. Technology is also of huge importance in today's schools and this will have to be taught at a rate close to that of the needs of our society to make sure we have the students to go out in to the world and be successful.  Just as they did in 1919 when they decided that more technical education was needed I will need to stay abreast of the needs and changes and adapt.  In order to do this it is important that I also know the history of our educational system and what influences brought it to where it is today.