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Schools In The Victorian Era Research Paper

Decent Essays

Education Environment:

Schools in the Victorian Era

All schools have a different environment, whether or not they teach the same principles. That is why it is usually hard for new kids who move to another school, because it is completely different from the school they went to before. Even schools throughout the United States, which are supposed to teach by the same standards and principles, all have their different ways of how the school itself functions. However, the difference between schools is even more drastic when you take into consideration schools from other countries, or times. For example, the schools that students attend are very much different than the schools in England during the Victorian Era. “Hard Times” by Charles …show more content…

These relationships are different than the ones most people are used to today. Today in schools, students and teachers typically have good relationships are have the ability to have one on one relationships with them. This is something completely foreign for victorian schools. For example, “Hard Times” addresses this by this line, “‘Girl number twenty,’ said Mr. Gradgrind, squarely pointing with his square forefinger, ‘I don't know that girl. Who is that girl?’” From this line, readers can definitely gather the idea that teachers and students do not know each other on a personal level, instead they refer to students by numbers. In “Jane Eyre” this idea is also shown because the teachers are quite rude to the students. “‘You dirty, disagreeable girl! you have never cleaned your nails this morning!’’ This line from “Jane Eyre” shows how the teachers treat the students, obviously not in a good way. Teachers today wouldn’t say those types of things to their students becasue the relationships between teachers and students are extremely different. Evidently, relationships between teachers and students are very different in victorian times than they are …show more content…

In “Hard Times” the idea that students are only taught facts is extremely evident. Any sign of creativity in students is seen as a bad thing. Opinions are not accepted because they are only allowed to teach straight facts. The first line of “Hard Times” states, “‘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. This is the principle on which I bring up my own children, and this is the principle on which I bring up these children. Stick to facts, sir?’” It is more than clear from “Hard Times” that they have a strict policy on what they teacher students, which is just facts. Nothing else is allowed, especially opinions; which is extremely different than schools today because now opinions and self expression is critical to students. Clearly, victorian schools have a strict way of only teaching students facts, as seen in “Hard

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