Luke J.

School in Colonial Times


Introduction

In Colonial Time schools kids had to deal with some of the worst
punishments that make you feel foolish and embarrassed. Back then kids
used different school supplies such as a hornbook. For example today students
use different supplies such as pencils, markers, glue sticks and many other
supplies. If you were in colonial times your schoolmaster would be very strict
and you would have to deal with terrible punishments and sit on rock hard
benches. The school only had one room which was always freezing.

What school did young children go to in colonial times?

In Colonial Times children went to a School called Dame Schools.
Some researchers think that girls just went to Dame Schools but
others agree that all children went to Dame Schools. Dame Schools
were taught by a woman in her House. The woman would teach
kids that lived in the neighborhood. The children learned to read
and write. They also learned their numbers and their prayers. Dame
was another name for a women. Dame Schools ended when all the
children finished their lesson then they were done with Dame
School. At Dame Schools the benches the kids had to sit on were
very hard. There was only one room which was always cold accept
for the fire. Every boy had to bring firewood and if they forgot they
had to sit far away from the fireplace. The kids families often had to
pay their kids Schoolmaster which was mostly paid in corn.

What schools did most boys go to?

Once boys were done with their lessons they could go on to another
School while girls stay at Dame Schools. Boys went to a school called the
College of William and Mary. Younger boys learned to read and write
while the other boys could learn to become a priest. Only boys were
allowed to go to the College. Some people think that boys were smarter
than girls because they had more opportunities than girls.

What were punishments like at colonial schools?

In Colonial Times punishments were very bad. Mostly every
Schoolmaster kept a bird branch in handy and almost every
Schoolmaster used it to whip schoolboys who did not behave. If you
did not know your lessons you were called a dunce. You had to sit on
dunce stool and you had to wear a dunce cap. Sometimes you had to
wear leather eyeglass frames. If you whispered to a friend you would
have to wear a wooden whispering sticks in your mouth. If you didn't
listen to your schoolmaster you had to wear a card around your neck that
said idle boy. If you were caught biting your nails you had to wear a card
that said bite finger baby. Some punishments hurt and made you feel
foolish and embarrassed.

What school supplies did the children use?

Children in colonial times did not use the same school supplies that kids do
now. They used a book called a hornbook. The hornbook was not an actual
book with pages to turn it was just a piece of wood with papers attached to
each side of it. The hornbook had their numbers, letters, and prayers. At the
college they would use a book called the New England Primer. The kids had to
use a quill which was a feather that you would put ink on it so you could write
with it.

Conclusion

In this book you learned what School young children went to what schools
most boys went to what were punishments like and what school supplies
children used at school and how different Colonial Schools  were from
today. This makes me think that colonial schools were harder than
schools children go to today because of the cruel punishments kids had
to go through and how cold the room was and the hard benches the
students had to sit on.

Would you rather be a student in colonial times or be a student today?