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УДК 94 420 "1837/1901"-3-284.1
UDC 94 420 "1837/1901"-3-284.1
А.П. АЛЕКСАНДРОВА
кандидат филологических наук, доцент, кафедра английской филологии, Орловский государственный университет имени И.С. Тургенева
A.P. ALEXANDROVA
Candidate of Philology, Department of English Philology, Orel State University named after I.S. Turgenev
SCHOOL EDUCATION IN VICTORIAN ERA ШКОЛЬНОЕ ОБРАЗОВАНИЕ В ВИКТОРИАНСКУЮ ЭПОХУ
The paper considers school education in Victorian Britain; particular attention has been focused on the classification of the types of schools which existed during that period; a brief survey of these types of schools is given; class room conditions and teaching tools used by Victorian teachers are described as well. Some light is thrown on the educational programme taught at British schools.
Keywords: Queen Victoria, Victorian era, education, school, child, teacher, pupil, class room, basic subjects, teaching tools.
В статье рассматривается школьное образование в Викторианской Британии; особое внимание обращается на классификацию типов школ, которые существовали в тот период; представлен краткий обзор разных типов школ; также описываются условия и средства обучения, применяемые викторианскими учителями в процессе обучения. Освещена образовательная программа обучения в британских школах.
Ключевые слова: Королева Виктория, Викторианская эпоха, образование, школа, ребенок, учитель, школьник, базовые предметы, средства обучения.
Education in Victorian England remained mostly for children from upper-class backgrounds. Most children did not attend school and went out to work and earn money for their families. However, as time passed, the people of the Victorian age were beginning to see the value in teaching their children to read and write. The Church of England began to encourage education in children so they would be ible to read the Bible.
Education in nineteenth-century England was not equal - not between the sexes, and not between the classes. Gentlemen would be educated at home by a governess or tutor until they were old enough to attend Eton, Harrow, Rugby, Winchester, Westminster, Charterhouse, or a small handful of lesser schools. The curriculum was heavily weighted towards the classics - the languages and literature of Ancient Greece and Rome. After that, they would attend Oxford or Cambridge. Here they might also study mathematics, law, philosophy, and modern history. Oxford tended to produce more Members of Parliament and government officials, while Cambridge leaned more towards the sciences and produced more acclaimed scholars. However, it was not compulsory, either legally or socially, for a gentleman to attend school at all. He could, just as easily, be taught entirely at home. However, public school and University were the great staging grounds for public life, which helped to make friends and to develop he connections that would aid later in life. [12]
As education grew in importance, various types of schools began to appear around England in hopes of uthering education.
Although schools have always been around it wasn't
until the Victorian era that these were improved considerably and available for all children rich and poor. When Queen Victoria initially came to the throne schools were for the rich. Most children never went to school and struggled to read or write. Children from rich families were typically taught at home by governess until the age of 10 years old. Wealthy boys from the age of 10 would then go to Public schools such as Rugby. Girls on the other hand ontinued to be educated at home.
Prior to the 1870 Education Act, children in Victorian England were educated in many different ways, or not at all, depending upon their sex and their parents' financial situation, social class, religion and values.
In England, an elementary education wasn't free. Schools were financed by private individuals, churches, charitable organizations and businesses. One can expect to ay between one and nine pence per child per week.
The first schools of record, dating back to the 16th century, were Sunday schools. By the middle of the 19th century, approximately two thirds of all working class children between the ages of 5 and 15 were attending unday school.
The other schools from which the National State Education System evolved included the British Schools, National Schools, Ragged Schools, Dame Schools, Workhouse Schools, Industrial and District Schools, etc.
The British Schools were started in 1810 by a non-denominational organization called the British and Foreign Schools Society for the purpose of teaching the works of Quaker teacher, Joseph Lancaster. These schools utilized the "monitorial" system whereby the older children, under
А.П. Александрова A.P. Alexandrova
the supervision of paid staff, taught the younger ones. An estimated 1500 of these schools were in existence by the year 1851.
The National Schools evolved after the success of Lancaster's schools. The curriculum here centered on the Church Liturgy and Catechism. The National Society for the Education of the Poor was formed in 1811. With the assistance of Dr. Andrew Bell, believed to be the originator of the monitorial system, organized the National School sys-tem which numbered 17,000 schools by the year 1851.
The "Ragged Schools" were established to permit the poorest of families to send their children to school for free. Ragged schools originated in the Sunday School founded in 1780 by Robert Raikes in Gloucester, who taught children to read so that they could read the Bible. Then a Portsmouth cobbler, John Pounds, gathered groups of children to play with his disabled nephew, and by 1818 had a class of 30 or 40 who he was teaching to read, from the Bible because it was the only book easily available. The idea spread to London. In 1844, 19 Ragged Schools joined to form a Ragged School Union, headed by Lord Shaftesbury. By 1861 they were teaching over 40,000 children in London, including the children of convicts, drunks and abusive step-parents, and deserted orphans - and even 'the children of poor Roman Catholics who do not object to their children reading the Bible'. By 1870 there were 250 Ragged Schools in London and over 100 in the provinces. Meanwhile Quintin Hogg, the ex-Etonian son of a prosperous London merchant, had set up a Ragged School, just off the Strand in London, in 1863, when he was just 18. His pupils were the wildest and most destitute of the street children. Hogg persevered, and even set up a 'doss house' for homeless boys. One of his sisters was enlisted to run classes for girls, who were just as wild. The London Polytechnic, now the University of Westminster, can trace its origin to Quintin Hogg. [4] Slightly over 200 "ragged" schools were in exis-tence by the middle of the century.
The Church of England and the non-conformist movement both provided elementary education, and both adopted the Lancaster system whereby the brightest pupil taught what he had learned, to a group of fellow-pupils, each of whom in turn passed it on, and so on: tidy and superficially efficient but prone to errors. Nevertheless Joseph Lancaster himself gave 1000 children some grasp of the rudiments, reading, writing and 'reckoning', in this way. The system was replaced by properly trained pupil-teachers in 1846. Both establishments set up teacher training colleges, which gave their graduates the entrance to employment as well-rained, certificated teachers.
The Jews Free School was opened in the east end of London in 1817. By 1822 it offered 'a religious, moral and useful education' to 600 Jewish boys and half as many girls - already almost up to the Monster School level. From 1842 to 1897 its head was Moses Angel, a brilliant polymath with a genius for teaching. By 1870 it had 2,400 upils, and was perhaps the largest school in the world.
Two other schools which catered to the poor were the "Dame Schools" and the " Workhouse Schools''. The Dame
Schools were run by women with no real teaching qualifications. They charged 3 to 4 pence per child per week and taught reading and writing at the most basic level. The "Workhouse School" was established under the 1834 Act, whereby unions were required to provide at least three hours a day of schooling for workhouse children. Here they were taught reading, writing and arithmetic and religion. They also received job training.
Parish workhouses were supposed to provide education for the children in their care whom they had not managed to apprentice out, but this duty was poorly observed. Some satisfied it by shunting their children to the Central London District School for Pauper Children on the outskirts of London, known as the 'Monster School' because of its size - it housed 1,000 pupils.
By an Act of Parliament in 1844, "Industrial" schools outside of the workhouses were established. The industrial schools provided accommodation and education for pauper children away from the main workhouse. Only a handful of these types of schools were ever formed.
"Cottage Homes" were introduced during the 1860s as an alternative to workhouse accommodation for children. These homes are found in rural areas and are based on the concept of a "village" of small houses each accommodating "families" of between 12 and 30 children. In addition to the houses and school, these "villages" also ncluded workshops, an infirmary and a chapel.
Only the English could call their most exclusive and expensive educational establishments 'public'. Winchester College was the earliest, founded in 1382. The College of St Mary at Eton followed, in 1440. There was a burst of new foundations in the 19th century, reflecting the aspirations of the middle classes to the status symbols of the nobility and gentry. They emphasized the importance of sportsmanship and of a brand of Christianity later called 'Muscular Christianity'. They produced self-confident young men ready to become leaders destined for the army or the civil service, at home or in the Empire. Scholarship ame lower down in their priorities.
Children working during the day seldom attended school, many did not at all. Their knowledge would not go beyond the necessary things they had to know to do their job. Until 1870, mostly only rich people could afford a proper education. Poor children went to diverse charity schools with low fees when they had the time. The Factory Act of 1833 required factory owners to provide schools for their child workers and part of the child's day would be spent learning basic skills such as reading, writing and arithmetic in what became known as the 'half time' system. State schools only developed in the 1870s and in the 1880s education became compulsory up to the age of 10. Poor people could not afford this and many children still went to work as chimney sweeps or maids. In 1891 this law was changed and schooling up to the age of 11 became free for all. [2]
Speaking about the educational process the emphasis was placed on the three "R's", 'reading', 'riting' and 'rithmetic'. Children learned by repeating lines and copying
ИСТОРИЧЕСКИЕ НАУКИ HISTORICAL SCIENCES
work until it was perfect. Pupils spent a lot of time copying from the blackboard. Furthermore children were expected to chant things out loud until they did so without mistakes. The times tables were commonly done in this way and children were expected to do this without any mistakes. The importance of developing a fine hand in writing was high and alongside numbers this was seen as a crucial part of education. [23] Often they didn't understand what they were writing.
Lessons range from 20 to 30 minutes. By week's end, one will have spent approximately 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours on reading, 4-6 hours on arithmetic and 4-5 hours on spelling nd diction.
People thought school was more important for boys than girls. Boys had more Maths lessons than girls and studied science. Girls had housework lessons.
In the upper classes it was assumed that a girl would marry and that therefore she had no need of a formal education, as long as she could look beautiful, entertain her husband's guests, and produce a reasonable number of children. 'Accomplishments' such as playing the piano, singing and flower-arranging were all-important. If she could not find a husband she faced a grim future as a 'maiden aunt' whose help could always be called on to look after her aged parents or her siblings' children. She might even be forced to take on employment as a governess, shut away in the schoolroom with children who had little interest in absorbing the information she was teaching. This became increasingly unattractive to intelligent women. But their future was improved when Queen's College in Harley Street, London was founded in 1848, to give governesses a recognized and marketable qualification. No 'accomplishments' there. Ten more years saw the foundation of Cheltenham Ladies' College. Other girls' public schools followed. This increase in female education led to renewed demands for the vote. The National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies was founded in 1897, hotly denounced by the Queen, who from her position of unimaginable power saw no reason why women should want to vote at all. [4]
Now let us see what tools were used in the classroom in the Victorian period.
The schools were imposing buildings with high up windows to prevent children from seeing out of. The classroom was typically a small and dark room with a few windows for light, heated by a small coal burning stove or open fire. The teacher sat at a desk resembling a podium and before the iron-framed wood desks, students used to sit on benches. There was a "Bible" sampler and a picture of Queen Victoria on the walls. But in most cases the walls were bare, with the exception of an embroidered text or blackboard. Classes usually took place between the hours of 9:00 A.M. - 12:30 P.M. and resumed again at 2:00 P.M. until 4:30 P.M. Within poor inner city areas there could be anywhere between 70 and 80 pupils in one class. Children who lived within a short walking distance usually went home for lunch; the others brought their lunch and remained at school.
Some children left home and went away to school.
These schools could be terrible places. The pupils had to sit in very cold classrooms and didn't have good food to eat. They were often unhappy and ill - but the school owners made lots of money. Boys then went to boarding schools. Middle class children went to grammar schools or private academies. Children from rich families had their own private teacher or a private tutor - a governess.
Discipline was huge in the Victorian times. It wasn't uncommon for children to be beat by canes made from birch wood. Boys were typically caned on their backsides whereas girls would take the punishment on their legs or hands. The reasons ranged from truancy right through to laziness in the classroom. The punishments were usually harsh and painful for children aged jus between 5-10. Children who were slower than the rest within lessons were made to wear the shameful dunce hats and sit in the corner for over an hour. This was not only humiliating for the child but also not helping them get up to speed with the rest of the class. At the time there was no concept of children with learning difficulties and the uneducated classroom teachers would assume it was purely down to the laziness or lack of effort. Children were reprimanded for using their left hand to write as it was seen as a punishable offence and they were made write with their right hand. [23] Teachers often hit children who didn't listen or who did something wrong.
In Victorian schools there were more female teachers than male ones with women occupying the majority of teaching roles. These women were often very strict and scary. The majority of female teachers were unmarried ladies and they were to be called 'Miss' at all times. The reason teaching consisted of mostly ladies was due to the pay scale. The salaries were poor and men could be earning more money elsewhere so this was left to the women. The rationale behind it been mostly unmarried women was that once married the women was expected to take care of the family. The large majority of teachers did not have a college education. The role of teaching was something they picked up while on the job and every new lesson would be a challenge for them too. The teaching was also passed on to some of the brightest children in some schools known as 'Monitors' where they would be taught by the Headmaster and would then pass this onto small groups of children as another way of educating. The Victorian teaching system was much different to the one we have today. [11]
Before books became commonplace in the classroom, the free-standing blackboard was the key teaching aid. Writing materials consisted of sand trays, slates and copy books which, however, had no lines. Pupils had to use a ruler and draw their own lines on the page. A "blot" in copy books was something children tried to avoid in fear of punishment.
Finding affordable reading material was sometimes a problem. Prior to 1850 the principal reading text was the Bible. Later "horn books" appeared. A horn book resembled a wooden paddle upon which a piece of paper was held fast by a piece of thin, transparent animal "horn". By 1875, however, over one thousand school books were available on the market.
"Object" teaching was used in teaching science. An object, natural or man-made was brought into the class and the lesson revolved around it.
Another teaching tool was the abacus which was used to teach arithmetic. Its beads slid up and down on "rods" which were divided horizontally by a "reckoning bar" or "beam". The rods going from left to right were Ten thousands, Thousands, Hundreds, Tens, Ones, Tenths, Hundredths, Thousandths and Ten thousands. When using an abacus, they worked the numbers from left to right.
Beginning in the 1830s, the Victorians passed a vari-ety of laws aimed at protecting the wellbeing of children at work, at school, or in the home. The Factory Act of 1833, had imposed a duty on employers to provide half-time edu-
cation for employees under 13. In practice, the Act was easi-ly ignored. The break-through came in 1870. Elected school boards could levy a local rate to build new schools provid-ing education up to the age of 10. In 1880 the provision of elementary schooling for both sexes was made compulsory, and the age raised to 13. By 1874 5,000 'Board Schools' were running. Another change in the law enabled grammar schools for girls to be founded and funded. By 1898, 90 such schools ad been founded.
Although Victorian schools are different in many ways to today's classrooms some of the methods used help to shape the education system in the United Kingdom. Victorian schools are still used throughout Britain and remain an important part of British history.
References
AlexandrovaA.P. Violence and law in Victorian England. Scientific notes of Orel State University. 2015. № 1(64). Pp. 234-238. Alexandrova A.P. Children's life in Victorian era. Scientific notes of Orel State University. 2016. № 1(70). Pp. 9-12. Marah Gubar. The Victorian Child. http://www.representingchildhood.pitt.edu/ victorian.htm Picard Liza. Education in Victorian Britain.
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