The Victorian Education system as presented in Hard Times
From the early beginnings of Hard Times, we can tell that this novel
was originally intended to shock those reading it. The education that
these children receive is harsh and designed to stem any feelings of
self-opinion. When Gradgrind interrogated 'girl number 20', he proved
that their education was more strict and when he later humiliated her
when he asked her to describe a horse, he proved that the Victorian
education system was solely based on fact and allowed no room for it
to be questioned.
This was even the case in such incidents as where Sissy states that
she would like flowers on her carpets. Gradgrinds' wish to outlaw
fancy in her thoughts, mean that at some points during the dialogue,
Gradgrind can begin to sound absurd in his words. Dickens heavily
objects to the mechanical way of teaching in Gradgrind's utilitarian
school. As early as in the second chapter the reader notices that the
facts taught in this kind of school have no use at all in normal life.
Sissy, with her natural understanding of a horse contradicts the cold
definition of a horse by Bitzer: 'Quadruped ....'.
What makes that situation worse is that later on, Gradgrind, who takes
charge of Sissy's education, forces her from learning on her ability
to comprehend that she cannot believe in what she wishes.
They are stifled in their environment, prisoners of a world of
utilitarianism. Gradgrind's school is very plain and bare, Dickens
describing it as a 'monotonous vault', and being 'intensely
whitewashed'. For pupils having to learn in this kind of environment
would be extremely boring, and no encouragement is given to exercise
The Education system of England and Wales underwent a number of important changes since 1944. This essay seeks to concentrate on these major changes describing the rationale and impact they had on the British education system.
Whig Party And The Rise Of Common Schools, 1837-1854. BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION: 1. Groen, Mark. A. "The Whig Party And The Rise Of Common Schools, 1837-1854. " American Educational History Journal 35.1/2 (2008): 251-260.
Throughout the Victorian Era, the standard of occupations were distinctly divided based on class. These social classes that divided the caliber of work in occupations were: the upper class, middle or working class and the lower class. Occupations that required skilled labor and unskilled labor each employed people in separate classes. Men and women within each class had different jobs in accordance with the type of work in their social class. (Victorian Web.)
Education in the 1500 and the 1600’s was less valuable than what it is now. (Andrews 107). Back then, people didn’t value education. It just was too expensive for the general public, which turned away a lot of people for the later grades. The later grades were for higher ranking jobs. They required more education in order to be skillful at them. So education was mostly for higher classed people.
In conclusion , I believe that as strong as the protagonist’s self image of herself was, one girl is no match for all of society, which has efficiently put her “in her place”. This manipulation of the girl’s self image is not only the end of her unique identity, but it is also a blow against freedom and individualism. Unfortunately for this horse, she could not roam free forever, and she has finally been caught.
In Britain now a days every child must go to school to further their education. However, it was not like that in the eighteenth century. The less fortunate were not as educated because they could not afford to have their children go to school. Girls had less of a chance to go to school than boys. But as the eighteenth century went on different types of schools were established for children, adolescents, and adults.
“The knowledge of the world is to only to be acquired in the world, and not in a closet.” Thus said Lord Chesterfield, who understood the fact that locking children away is not the best way to teach them. It is a painful reality that students are not being educated, but rather simply being schooled, and most people who understand street slang know that “to be schooled” is to be beaten down. This terminology is not a coincidence. Compulsory schooling is eliminating society of its most vibrant sources of variety, and teaching children that no work is worth finishing, and that they must depend on someone else’s word in order to survive.
Schools have changed remarkably since they were first introduced centuries ago. Continue reading in order to find out how the past has shaped education, as we know it. There are six main eras or time periods in which important things occurred for the American School System, The colonial era, The growth of public schooling, The progressive era, the segregation and Integration era, the 1960s-1970s, and the 1980- present era.
At the start of the Victorian era, education was not considered important. Girls from wealthy families were taught at home and the rich boys had the opportunity to attend school to be educated. The poor children were not able to attend school due to financial problems. The novel Great Expectations particularly focuses on the education system during the Victorian era. It takes us back to the time period where education was not given enough attention. In Great Expectations, Charles Dickens applied education system to express his concerns. He did not accept the fact that people were taught based on certain consideration. “Now, what I want is Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts; nothing else will ever be of any service to them.” -Charles Dickens. This quote depicts that human being, as reasoning animals, must rely fundamentally on facts, so does new generation in particular since, as he believes, nothing else, could be as productive. This is expressed through Pip. Education spans pip’s life only around the years 1812-1841 but, we also see the society wanting to be educated. Therefore, in the novel Great expectations, Charles Dickens applied education system to express his concerns. He reflects on how education system was like during the Victorian era through the novel. People were educated based on certain considerations such as social class, gender, and financial situation in both the novel and during the Victorian Era
Education is a social problem that is very prominent in the world today. Education affects not only children currently attending school, but what they do when they are older. It affects where someone may end up later in their life, what job they will have, and how much money they will be making. Unfortunately, not everyone graduates high school, goes to college, and earns a high paying job. The cards some people are dealt can be much different, and education today arises as a social problem because of income, family life, and the area someone lives. These three areas can really help someone in their education, but it can also set them back.
The advancements made in Victorian England socially, politically and technologically resulted in the questioning of how to grow and keep up with the times while still maintaining the core traditions that the Victorians idealised. One of the main debates in Victorian England was the discussion around the proper place and characteristics of women. Writers during the time period incorporated their personal opinions and outlooks on where women should be placed in society. Two writers and their pieces which will be further examined in this piece are Sarah Stickney Ellis’s The Daughters of England: Their Position in Society, Character and Responsibilities, and Charles Dickens Hard Times.
Every one in Australia wants the best education for the individual. The question is which one. Public or Private ? Education is one of the most important factors in determining what a person will become as a member of Australia's society. Because education is so important there are many questions that are asked for which is the better.
There have been many definitions offered of what characterises inclusive education. However there is now consensus that inclusive education provides every individual student with disabilities or special needs, access to and the right to equal opportunities for learning and participation in the classroom, in the same way that students without disabilities would have (Hyde, Carpenter and Conway, 2010; Westwood, 2007). A new paradigm emerged moving away from earlier attitudes that focused on groups of students with disabilities, to individuals with disabilities. This is an important factor that manifested in subsequent legislation and state policies, as governments progressed from the deficit model, which focused on the student’s disability or special need, towards an equitable social justice model. Legislation and government policies have impacted on how teachers and school policy makers must adapt their teaching methods and implement practices to ensure they cater for the diverse needs of learners, in order to create a genuinely inclusive classroom.
Having a good education plays a serious part in our life. Not only does it help us get a good job, it also helps us build our knowledge and prepare us for a success future. However, not everyone is fortunate to get college education. People who do have a good education face another problem, which is preparing their academic literacy for college. When moving to college, everyone’s academic literacy is different. However in today’s society, people’s academic literacy does not meet the expectation of college. Rebecca D. Cox states in her article, “The College Fear Factor,” that students struggle in college based on their past experience in kindergarten to twelve grade. When moving to college, students do not understand what their college professor are demanding of them. Students are not put up to speed on how to analyze and interpret text in college. In the article, “The Politics of Remediation”, Mike Rose delivers his experience as a counselor and how five students are struggling in the University of California, Los Angles. Each of the five students have their own problem in college and they relate their problem they have now with the experience in high school. Both articles involve high school affecting students in college, and both agree it’s not the students fault for their academic literacy. Students are not up to speed in understanding the academic literacy skills required in the University system. High school, for some students, did not prepare them for this and the students are not aware of it. Academic literacy is developed differently from all types of school and in my high school, it lacked the experience to help students prepare us for the academic literacy in college.
On the first day of class we were presented with the history of our schooling system. I have never been one to truly appreciate history and I remember sitting there that day with an overwhelming amount of information I knew I would not remember a week later. I was trying to be optimistic because I am going into education and it is only wise to be knowledgeable about the history of my career. Looking back on that first day and where I stand now, I have so much more appreciation for history. We speak of something I am passionate about and I am open to a whole new understanding of why history will forever be a part of not only the present but the future as well.