How Much Has American Schooling Changed Since The Early Days

For as tough as American schooling is now, it could be a lot harder for today’s youth. In the past, schools were very strict and harsh on the students. Whereas, today we have very lenient punishments, and rules are upheld depending on teacher discretion, due to looser guidelines which have evolved with the times. We as American minors have many different options of schooling; private, online, advanced (stem), public and homeschooling. Therefore, this gives students an opportunity to learn at their own pace and be in a comfortable environment, which is very effective and stimulates to the brain. Although the real question is how much has American schooling actually changed since the early days? One room school houses where the real start†¦show more content†¦The students were respectful and fearful. Therefore they didn t make too much trouble for her. You didn’t speak unless spoken to, or you rose your hand. Then, if she called you, you would have proceeded to s tand, walk to her desk, politely and formally ask what you intended to do. Since the teachers desk was on a platform, she was always able to see most to all of her students and since she was above them, literally, every fiber of her being was screaming authoritative figure to her students. Punishment! A word that we all shy away from, but do we really know what punishment meant to kids who went to school in one room school houses? They endured many physical punishments, such as hitting the child on the knuckles with a steel tipped ruler or standing for a long period of time with your arms straight out in front or to the sides of you or even having to take cold showers. Although some teachers preferred the mental embarrassment route which included, wearing a dunce cap, being forced sit on a high stool beside the teachers desk at the front of the room or if it were a boy they would have banished them to the girls cloak room. The important information is what made them get in trouble. Things like not properly addressing the teacher as ma’m or miss, speaking out of line, or anything that was considered disrespectful such as not standing up when addressing the teacher, or using slang and not proper English. The point is these were very