Puritan Education

ORGINS

CURRICULUM

• John Winthrop said that in the puritan society in New England, the 'City Upon a Hill', that colony leaders would educate all

• town leaders stressed the importance of an intelligent, learned clergy, knowledgeable in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, familiar with the writings of the Church Fathers, the Reformers, and the Holy Scripture.

Puritan Education

• "Dame Schools" were created for children ages 6-8, teachers usually taught reading. most girls education stopped after this.

• These colony leaders, most of whom attended oxford or Cambridge, founded a school in 1636 called Harvard College

• It was required to teach chlildren how to read and write, illiteracy was considered barbarous

• schools were relatively small and the teachers were predominately male

• by the 1670's, all New England colonies (except Rhode Island), had laws that mandated literacy for children

• most teachers did not know much more than the students (in the first few years) and were only a page ahead of the students in the books

by Trixie Adjie, Erin Costes, and Joey Cheung

• To the Puritans, the education of children was uppermost in their minds. If a Christian civilization was to flourish in the wilderness, institutions would have to be created to make that happen.

• In addition, school children read the Greek classics of Cicero, Virgil, Terence and Ovid, along with some Latin verse and religious poetry.

• Teachers would rotate their eating schedule among their student's parents and would even stay (lodge) with the families of their pupils for a week or longer at a time.

• Even at a young age, children were warned of the dangers of the world and of giving in to temptation, and were often quizzed on what they learned in the Bible. Attending church was mandatory, and those who missed church multiple times could be fined.

The Puritans opposed the catholic system of education based on the catechism. This catechism taught belief in God could be achieved by following fixed rules. Attendance at Mass, repeating certain prayers ( see indulgences), private confession for the forgiveness of sins.

The Puritans suggested that the later allowed you to commit serious sins but then have them written-off by absolution at confession.

Puritan education REJECTED the need for a "mediator" between God and (wo)man. (This was the role of the catholic priest.)

They believed and taught that 'justification by faith' was the route to salvation not by repetitive prayers or using aids such as statues, rosaries, stained glass windows and organs. Hence the removal and desecration of these objects in the churches. The reject the dogma of "The divine right of Kings" suggesting Kings/Queens rule by and under God's authority.

What is generally mis-understood about the Puritan "Pilgrim Fathers" was their objection to a regulated form of worship ( see Act of Uniformity and the Prayerbook). They rejected the Elizabethan settlement of 1559.They wanted the chance to worship in a free spontaneous method " as the Spirit moved them". This is still the basis of the Society of Friends (Quakers).

They also believed in mutual support and co-operation rather than centrally controlled funding and discipline.