Who Invented School and Why Did They Invent It?

Who invented school and why did they invent it? If you are a high school or a college student reading this, chances are you must have asked this question. Sometimes, it is not because you are curious to know or you were given the assignment to find out. It is usually because you are overwhelmed or exhausted with school work. So you ask yourself, “Who invented the idea of school?” “Why do I have to go to school?” “Why does schoolwork always stresses one so?” “Who is the guy who invented school?”

Well, you are not the only one who has asked. However, in this article, you will get an answer to your question. So, keep reading.

Who Invented School and When?

Horace Mann was the man who invented school and people often call him the “Father of the Common School Movement”. He was an American educator who was passionate about teaching those who were willing to learn. Horace did this in 1837 when he became Massachusetts’ secretary of education.

Horace was a professor and president in college and taught the subjects, Greek and Latin.

Who invented public school? Horace did this as well. He created this system so that qualified teachers would teach students and that they followed a curriculum. As you may already know, a school curriculum contains information about what and how the school will per term/semester.

Formal education is one of the most important things in today’s world. This is an organized way of imparting a person’s life with what they need to progress in society. A formally educated person stands out among the crowd and people respect the qualifications that come with it. To get formally educated, you must go to a school. Thus, scholars often credit Horace Mann as the one who invented school.

However, even without reading history books, you may wonder that 1837 seems like a “recent” age for the invention of school. If you have read history books, you would have read of formal education in ancient cities and times. So, why do scholars credit Horace Mann as the one who invented school in the world? Were there other inventors before him and who are they? Keep reading to find out.

Who Invented School and Why Did They Invent it: Harry P. School

Judging from his name, it is not hard for one to immediately think that this man invented school. This is because his surname “School” is the noun used to define a place for formal learning.

In 1369, Harry School decided to gather children in his community who misbehaved and lock them up in a house. However, he did not leave them alone; he hired adults to help watch them. Furthermore, he gave the children tasks to do to keep them busy. Do you know what they say about an idle mind being the devil’s workshop? It is therefore not out of place to think that Harry School did this so as to keep them busy with something productive. This is exactly what school is today — keep you from being a nuisance to society while doing productive things with your life. The parents and guardians of the children were happy about Mr. School’s idea and so, his school grew.

Still, one cannot credit Harry School for the invention of school. Before him, formal schools existed in ancient Greek, Rome, China, and other places in the world. For example, in Sparta, the state engaged young boys in military affairs. From age seven, trained soldiers taught these boys how to fight and kill. Also, in Athens, ancient Greece, young children learned to write, sing, do mathematics and gymnastics. They also learned to read and write poetry. Of course, these children had teachers (older abs experienced ones) who trained them in this manner.

Thus, one cannot say exactly who invented the school system. This is because the school system has existed for so long it is nearly impossible to trace the origin.

Who Invented Summer School?

Not many students like schooling but have no choice but to attend. Regular school sessions can be tiring and draining, how much more is a summer school? So, you may be wondering, “Who created summer schools?”

Well, there are no historical facts about the origin of summer school. What is known is that summer school takes place during the school holidays. Unlike regular school days, the hours of learning in summer schools are shorter. For some summer schools, the duration for learning is two hours while others have up to five hours.

What are the Benefits of the School System?

Schools will always be a part of our society no matter how much you wish them away. Yes, they can exhaust you. Yes, they can cause you to have sleepless nights especially when you are working on assignments. Indeed, they can be tasking. However, they have benefits to society. So, what are these benefits?

  1. They Help You to Grow

As a person, you need knowledge. You need knowledge about your individual life, other people, your surroundings, your country, other countries, etc. Schooling helps you to get knowledge about these things. It opens your eyes to see the things around you in a different light.

  1. You Become Independent

As schooling helps you to discover yourself, you learn to do things without becoming unevenly dependent on others. You learn how to do basic things by yourself, even things that looked hard. This includes personal hygiene, how to use simple tools and machines, domestic chores, etc.

  1. You Become Creative

Usually, schooling encourages students to think on their own. After teaching, teachers give students homework to do. Usually, they set the homework questions so that the student does not give the exact answer of what they learned in school. Thus, students have to think about how to get accurate answers. This helps to exercise the brain, thus birthing creativity.

  1. It is a Place to Meet People of Different Backgrounds

In schools, you meet with people who share the same background as you and also people of different backgrounds. A school is a place where you can build a social network with other people. Most schools encourage this and as such, allow for different groups and organizations to meet in school. This way, students get to learn new soft and hard skills, share personal stories, visit places together, among others. When you meet people in school, it can be beneficial to you both in your present and later life.

  1. You Contribute to Your Society

In schools, you learned different subjects and skills both in theory and practical. This way, you can put what you have learned in school to use. For example, those who studied technology in schools can help develop tools to make folding clothes easier. Whatever you learned in school, you can use it to affect your society in a good way.

The bottom line is that schools are necessary for today’s society especially if you want to stand out from the crowd. There is a saying that you have to pay the price for greatness. So, see the long hours spent in school and at school work as the price you pay to be a better person.

Conclusion

Who invented school? Now, you know that school has existed for centuries and there is no one inventor.

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