Colonial-era school teacher

Hello, my name is Mary Anne Johnson and I was a colonial school teacher living in the colony of Virginia. I taught during the 17th century. Things seem so different today. I was a widow and I had minimal reading and writing skills. I think it is amazing that teachers now a days have so many resources, and training available. My students ranged in age and my home doubled as my classroom. I taught in what was called a dame school. I concentrated in reading and writing to the males in the classroom and basic home skills to the females. Of course, these home making skills were fundamental skills for women in society. My salary usually came from the parents of my students. It was not a set earning - it consisted of whatever amount the parent could contribute. I usually taught from my kitchen with a large table that sat many people. The way classrooms are set up today seem somewhat like the schools that started to develop in the late 1800’s and 1900’s. Where there are seats in rows and columns, and a spot for the teacher to teach in front of the students. I can really see how that could've been helpful when I was teaching in my kitchen.

As the students did their work, I did my house work as well. I did not own teaching supplies. I incorporated the Bible into the children’s learning. I usually started the class day off with a prayer. This is the duty the Lord would want me to do in my classroom. Frequently, some of my students were absent if they were needed for work at home. I was very strict because of the amount of students I had and their variation in age levels. I believed strictness was necessary for moral and obedient children.

The other teachers around were mainly males. Many of them were male ministers who taught the Holy Scriptures. The boys that could afford the advanced education went on to Latin Grammar school which were taught by men. These boys were between the ages of 7 and 14 and these schools were specifically formatted to prepare ministers. Another form of education available were apprenticeships, which consisted of a person learning a craft from someone who had already mastered it.

Today, I am shocked by the changes in the school system. Following Catharine Beecher’s influence, the number of female teachers increased dramatically. Catharine Beecher thought that teaching came naturally for women because of our nurturing nature. She wanted to establish a career for women and teaching seemed like the most fit career for women during that time. Nowadays, most teachers are women! There are new ideas about how to teach the youth. Progressive education, as I can see, made a large impact. Progressive education was a movement influence by John Dewey that called for learning by experience. This type of education included health concerns, family and community life issues, and vocational studies. Also, the education system has strayed from being God’s classroom to not teaching the word of God. The school buildings are huge and the students come in split into groups with other students their same age. Things have certainly changed quite a bit since my time.