Horace Mann was born on May 4, 1796 in Franklin, Massachusetts. He was born to Thomas and Rebecca Mann and was one of five children. The Mann family owned a farm and all of the children were expected to perform chores from an early age. This hard work led to Horace Mann’s further beliefs and philosophies of a strong work ethic and diligence. Like many other kids during his generation, they learned by doing. They did not study how to do the work that needed to be done, they just did it and performed it well. Mann attended church services regularly and was educated through the strict Calvinist culture. He eventually broke away from this and developed more sympathetic and less strict views on life and also in education. During his childhood and
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Schooling was not pushed like it was today. Kids went to school for the basics - reading, writing, and arithmetic. Most kids stopped there and very few went on to further educate themselves beyond that. The early elementary-esque school that Mann attended was a one room schoolhouse that was in very poor conditions featuring little heating and also uncomfortable benches. The state said these schools were in fine condition, however, they obviously were not. It was much like this in most one room schoolhouses all over the United States and these schools still followed religious practices very closely when educating their students. This is something to pay attention to because it was vital in shaping Mann’s philosophies and eventual policy ideas for education. The next key the reader should focus on is how teachers were not very professional like they are today. There was strict punishments - hoping to deter any students from causing disruption or anarchy in the classroom. Also, the idea of reciting entire lessons and following an “A-B-C” structure was how students were taught. Any self-interest a student may have was discouraged by the teacher. Teachers were not well trained or fully knowledgeable in their teaching. Many of them were in between jobs and teaching was thought of as a temporary job. Mann turned teaching into a full-fledged, professional
Schooling was not pushed like it was today. Kids went to school for the basics - reading, writing, and arithmetic. Most kids stopped there and very few went on to further educate themselves beyond that. The early elementary-esque school that Mann attended was a one room schoolhouse that was in very poor conditions featuring little heating and also uncomfortable benches. The state said these schools were in fine condition, however, they obviously were not. It was much like this in most one room schoolhouses all over the United States and these schools still followed religious practices very closely when educating their students. This is something to pay attention to because it was vital in shaping Mann’s philosophies and eventual policy ideas for education. The next key the reader should focus on is how teachers were not very professional like they are today. There was strict punishments - hoping to deter any students from causing disruption or anarchy in the classroom. Also, the idea of reciting entire lessons and following an “A-B-C” structure was how students were taught. Any self-interest a student may have was discouraged by the teacher. Teachers were not well trained or fully knowledgeable in their teaching. Many of them were in between jobs and teaching was thought of as a temporary job. Mann turned teaching into a full-fledged, professional