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Greece provides us with the history of two very different
kinds of education, that of Athens versus Sparta.
In Athens parents taught their
kids directly until about age 7, when they were enrolled according to parental
choice in various free enterprise schools and academies.
Anyone could set up a
school, offer any curriculum, or do private tutoring. The parents researched
various options and sent their children to different educational opportunities
as they felt best.
Widespread competition kept the price low, since educational
attainment was highly valued.
There was almost universal education for the
young, even among the poorer classes. The wealthy typically hired tutors, while
other classes usually sent children to group schools.
The broad curriculum included three major areas of focus:
literacy, music and gymnastics. Literacy covered reading, writing and
arithmetic, while the broad field of "music" included music, poetry, epic
literature, drama and storytelling. Gymnastics emphasized physical
fitness.
During adolescence, typically between ages 14-18, the
wealthy young continued studying with tutors while the non-wealthy youth were
apprenticed into various trades. Parents made the choices about tutors and
apprenticeships.
Adolescent studies of wealthy youth often covered oratory,
science, higher mathematics, rhetorical writing, and a wide range of
specialized topics--depending on the school.
The city-state of Sparta, in contrast, adopted a single
state curriculum, required all children up to age 18 to attend, and allowed
little or no extras beyond the compulsory curriculum.
The state appointed the
teachers; parents had no say in the education of their youth.
At first blush, it would appear that the Spartan model was more fair,
inclusive and open for youth from all economic levels and diverse walks of
life.
The reality is quite different, however...
~Oliver DeMille, TJEd.org
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