“Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater!” is an old saying that suggests that we not get rid of treasures when we get ride of trash, and it’s a common idea for the classical educator, who wants to preserve instructional treasure and protect it from the incursions of later, less effective and sometimes honestly poorly thought out modern ideas, to try to protect every aspect of the past.
But … it’s worth remembering, as we romanticize the ancient world, that is was a far different place than the one we live in. The technological differences alone were mind-boggling. For more on this, I would recommend you read the MD Harris Institute’s post Some Differences Between the Ancient and the Modern Worlds, in which the author states that “The technological differences are staggering but other differences, including population and world view, are equally daunting.” Beyond technological differences, religious and civic organization differences were huge.
The chart below aims to sketch out some basic differences between ancient and modern education realities.
| Ancient Greece | Ancient Rome | Modern Day | |
| Who actually was educated? | It’s not really known for sure. City people had higher rates of literacy so it’s safe to assume more city residents attended schools. Only boys attended group schools. Some girls did learn to read but did not go to school. If their parents wanted them to have the opportunity, they learned at home. | It is legally expected that everyone will attend school; evasion of this civic expectation could result in legal prosecution of parents. | |
| Who were the educators? | Schoolteaching in ancient Greece, as now, were somewhat lowly paid. Teachers were literate and sometimes, but not always, scholars. | Greeks were often the schoolteachers in ancient Rome, some of whom were enslaved persons. Ancient Romans believed Greeks to have a unique and attractive scholarly ability, and the subject of Greek literature was part of the Roman curriculum. | Professionally certified teachers with 16 years or more of formal education. |
| What were the subjects? | Reading and writing, poetry, history, oratory, arithmatic, music, and athletics | Same as Greek subjects, with the addition of Latin. Also, perhaps, there was a greater emphasis on rhetoric | Reading, math, science, social studies, writing, physical education, art, music, sports, and applied sciences. Classes in artisan skills such as home economics and woodshop may supplement academic subjects. |
| What kind of school building was used? | A variety of small buildings were run by individual, self-employed teachers. | Similar to Greek plan; small, individual schools. School could also be held outside. The school year started in March instead of in September. | School buildings are large and accommodate hundreds or in some cases thousands of students. Spaces and staff for food preparation and in many cases extensive playground and sports facilities are included. |
| How many years were students educated? | Uncertain, but it was up to the parents and the student. | Students studied from age seven until age eleven or twelve. Some students then went to high school. | Students begin school at five or perhaps six if they skip kindergarten, and continue until about the age of eighteen. Some students complete two to seven or more years of post-high-school studies. |
| Which careers required education? | Training in rhetoric was essential for public and political life since public speaking was the main communication; likewise, business was conducted orally instead of in writing. | Politics required literacy and rhetoric, as did participation in the priestly class. Businessmen may or may not have had a formal education. | The diversity of the types of careers which require education has expanded rapidly. Careers from medicine to law to politics to engineering to service in the armed forces all require various levels of formal schooling and functional literacy. Jobs for those who cannot read are quite few. |
| What proportion of people attained a basic, literate education? | Unknown, but literacy was not universal. In general, the children of the rich were taught to read, while laborers were taught only the trades of their parents. | About 80% of adult Americans can read at least at a 5th grade level. There is a civic goal of attaining universal literacy. | |
| What was society’s attitude about education? | Education was considered valuable, but there wasn’t a real stigma to not possessing book learning, and admitting that you needed help with reading and writing for activities such as voting did not embarrass citizens. | Education is considered prestigious and economically valuable. Parents from all walks of life want their children to attend school, and do well in school. Being poor at school work is a problematic source of social shame for many. | |
