EDF1005-Reflection #9

Sumerian schools had to begin paying tuition which is how the teachers were paid. It mostly consisted of the wealthy because the poor couldn’t afford the tuition or time need to earn an education. The Sumerians began to learn how to write which is the reason as to why we have records of things that happened in the past. Students used to write on practice tablets which are how we now have evidence of what they did. Teachers wrote a lot about school life and their aim for the school was to be “professional”, even though researchers say at that time they most likely didn’t use it for the same meaning we do today. Sumerian schools played a huge role in different forms of writing. But, in Egypt they learned their occupation which is what they will be doing in the future. Boys followed the careers that were in the family. Some were either home schooled or trained to be scribes. The students pretty much learned on their own. They would write down what the teacher wrote or memorized it, for arithmetic for example. Physical education was only taught to the prince. Not everyone was allowed to learn all types of tasks; each person had their own occupation they were in charge of learning. The teacher plays a huge part in a classroom. He/she is the example of the room and they demonstrate how we have to play our role. It is important to be able to engage with the teacher unlike what they did in ancient Egypt or Sumerian. There needs to be a relationship formed between the teacher and the student. There are certain subjects and material that needs to be covered with some sort of explanation, not everything can be learned on one’s own. You need to hear personal testimonies and scenarios on everyday life. There are different tricks learned, ways to learn things faster, and all this is done with the help of a teacher. You need a personal relationship with the teacher for the learning to become more effective. It isn’t the same as just lecturing to the whole classroom. This is why teachers are so effective in the class in the role they play in today’s society. Now, we learn more than one subject and try to be best all around with the help of all our teachers. Women and men can choose whatever occupation they choose to do and not have to be worried to be a boy or a girl to do certain things.