School Life in the 1950’s Essay

University Life inside the 1950’s was harder than today because the facilities had been few and inadequate. Teachers were stricter and corporal punishment was still being in use.

That they had fewer topics and riches, discrimination, sexism and racism meant that they could only do specific subjects. After World Battle 2 there was a baby boom and as a result in the 1950’s universities were quickly filling up while the children signed up. The enrolments increased just as much as 30% over the ‘baby-boomers’ decade. In the year 1950 there were 166 437 existing elementary and secondary colleges in the USA to teach over up to 29 million learners. As the amount of students improved, the schools and resources dropped.

It was reported by the Office of Education in 1953 that there was a shortage of 345 000 classes, meaning overcrowding in 60 per cent of America’s classrooms and up to 20% of schools failed to meet up with basic safety specifications (statistics- www. encyclopedia. com/doc/1G2-3468301830. html 6/08/2013) School establishments were even more unpleasant for the colored people of America. Their particular schools had been separate in the white persons and they were poorly funded by the federal government. “By 1950, the inequality in educational achievement between white learners and group students got increased since 1900, when very few People in america or and race or gender went to high universities, and formal education was only marginally a factor in national economical and social life”- historians Mondale and Patton. (www. illinoishistory. gov/Illinois%20History/Jan05-21Vargas. pdf 14/08/2013).

This every changed in 1954; each time a father called Mr Darkish took his case for the United States Great Court proclaiming his daughter should be permitted to go to institution with white colored children. “Mr Brown was upset that his child had to walk over a mile through train yards to get at a dark school each time a white a single was simply seven prevents away” (www. livinghistoryfarm. org/farminginthe50’s/life_12. html 14/08/2013). The United States Supreme Court announced a “Separate but equal” system (desegregation) in universities and made a start on stopping discrimination in other institutions. The country school structures were generally “made of wood with weatherboards outside and tongue-and-groove timber to get the interior surfaces.

Most schools had been elevated in stumps to realise a rudimentary play area underneath, which has been usually concreted. The rough-hewn stumps will be painted with tar to deter white ants, and constant looking at of stumps, walls, toilets and even toilet seats intended for termites was part of the mind teacher’s job”. Up the the front of the class room there were “two large blackboards, almost sq . in shape, attached to the wall structure. Sometimes an additional blackboard would stand on an easel too.

A wood made cupboard with doors, known as a ‘press’, placed all the class books and teaching materials. There was generally no different shelving” (www.starfieldobservatory. com/Nambour/Schooling. code 14/08/2013). The college facilities in 1950 were basic and inadequate plus the students and teachers needed to make do using what they had. The colleges of 1950 were lacking equipment yet one device was most certainly not short of most schools which was the cane or leader. Teachers used the walking cane to spank the disobedient and troublesome students and it was usually very effective – “I genuinely can’t remember kids type of stepping out of line very much because they understood that they will be getting regimented severely.

There were very little flexibility, but then again, there was very little problems” – Scholar in 1950 (www. angelfire. com/falcon/hist232/interviews%20l. code 14/08/2013). The main reason students got spanked were: “talking or being disruptive in class, not really lining up properly or getting rambunctious either inside or outside the school” (www. angelfire. com/falcon/hist232/interviews%20l. html 14/08/2013). Educators could walking cane across the hand or across the buttocks or perhaps often punch around the brain without fear of punishment, as the offence was “caused” by the kid. If the offence was looked at serious enough the student went to the headmaster for ‘6 of the best’ with a large cane. “They used the cane a lot, usually first resort not last.

Your woman said it had been normal for girls to get the walking cane in front of each of the class with skirt, or as it was for her, gymslip increased up. They will could get a couple of, 3, 5 strokes in front of class, sometimes some received 6 strokes. But if was thought serious these people were sent to the headmaster. Often bare off headmaster, dress up knickers down. Six minimum, could be up to 12.

She explained it was typical to see an individual being caned” (http://www.experienceproject. com/stories/Used-To-Get-The-Cane-At-School/2211915 16/08/2013). There was no charm against that system of abuse and many father and mother believed the teacher was acting inside the child’s needs. Other methods of punishment were intimidation, strapping, removal by class, decrease of privilege, composing lines and verbal put-downs were every regularly used. As stated prior to, the class amounts were elevating so teachers had to train more learners, meaning self-discipline was becoming more stringent while the instructor tried to keep the class in charge. The 1950’s was the moments of the frosty war and there was a great tear of nuclear battle.

In certain parts of America the ‘fallout’ checks were being brought in where the students were instructed to go through a fake atomic bomb strike and they will find sanctuary under all their desks (little did that they know this wouldn’t keep them safe from light! ). It absolutely was more intended for the teacher and parent’s piece of mind. Professors of 1950 were sterner and more exacting than today, corporal abuse was in employ making sure college students did almost all their work and behaved in the right manner.

The main subjects taught to high school students in the 1950’s had been reading, composing, arithmetic, record, biology, home science or home economics and woodwork, “Social savoir, history, geography, sociology, economics, political research, and psychology” (http://www. viu. ca/homeroom/content/topics/programs/Curriclm/ss1950. htm 16/08/2013). Some more advanced subjects like music, trigonometry, Latina or Spanish and algebra, were added to the richer schools as it was rare to discover a decent and qualified professors. In nearly all schools it absolutely was “necessary” for ladies to do household science and find out the skills of cooking and needlework.

Intended for the kids it was “necessary” for them to perform woodwork or woodshop and find out the skills of craftsmanship. Girls couldn’t do the ‘boy’ subjects and vice versa. Science was educated theoretically and there was seldom a chance for them to do tests.

Subjects were taught in a ‘chalk and talk’ system where the teacher would stand at the front with the classroom and talk to the students and write down thier topic information on the chalkboard. The students will listen and copy the task into their books. It wasn’t very common for young students to do sensible work and field trips were sensitive.

In the dealt with country educational institutions teachers was required to teach various subjects and the most didn’t only need their selected subject that they specialised in, meaning the teachers quite often weren’t fully trained to always be teaching several subjects and were offering false info. (http://www. livinghistoryfarm. org/farminginthe50s/life_12. html code 16/08/2013). The black persons schools got limited teachers and services.

Most of all their schools simply had the essential subjects and it was simply after 1954 when the Supreme Court released desegregation do this alter and the dark-colored people were permitted to go to school with the white-colored people and possess access to their very own assortment of subjects. “The topics taught in elementary school had been maths, studying, social studies, science, artwork and music” (http://library. thinkquest. org/J002606/1950-60S. html code 14/08/2013). Though music was usually simply a basic sing-a-long with the tutor and it could happen when, maybe twice a week. The schools in the 1950’s didn’t have variety of topics we have today and it absolutely was limited much more because of various social concerns such as racism, sexism and families riches.

School lifestyle was harder in the 1950’s because of the not enough facilities and their poor circumstances, the students were required to cram into overcrowded dim classrooms plus the coloured children had to walk miles to get at their black people schools. Schools had been stricter and corporal treatment meant educators were permitted to hit the scholars on the side or over the head and parents permit this happen as they presumed it was good for the the youngster. The variety of subjects alternatives available to the scholars in the 1950’s was limited and became even less as social problems such as racism, sexism, riches and splendour got in how.

The children and teens of 1950’s were required to put up with a great inadequate education system however many went on to become powerful in business and life. Bibliography Anali Vargas, ‘Some Major Differences Between High School inside the 1950’s and Now’-Page some, www. illinoishistory. gov/Illinois%20History/Jan05-21Vargas. pdf, August, 2013 Going to institution in the 1940’s and 50’s, www. starfieldobservatory. com/Nambour/Schooling. html, August, 2013 The 1950’s: Education: Summary. “American Decades” http://www. encyclopedia. com/doc/1G2-3468301830. code, August 13, 2013 Farming in the 1950’s: Education in rural America http://www. livinghistoryfarm. org/farminginthe50s/life_12. html code, August 2013 Vanessa Lockstein, Ontario College discipline, 1950-Present www. angelfire. com/falcon/hist232/interviews%20l. html, August 2013 Schooling inside the 1950’s. http://library. thinkquest. org/J002606/1950-60S. html, August 2013 Senior High School: 1950 http://www. viu. ca/homeroom/content/topics/programs/Curriclm/ss1950. htm, April 2005.