Education During the Reign of Elizabeth I

In 14th-century England, children were treated as small adults, and early maturity was highly valued. It was believed that the happiness of children depended on developing their innate abilities, and therefore, all methods of education, even cruel ones, were considered acceptable.

The focus of education was on learning to read and write. Children learned on small boards, where, in addition to the alphabet, the Lord's Prayer was also written. Teachers used a cane for punishment. A common saying during the Tudor period was: "Better not to be born than to remain ignorant." This standard was mostly met by noble families. Sons of noble and gentry families were sent to the houses of lords to learn moral and social norms. In these circles, public schools gradually gained importance alongside private tutors.

Public schools began to appear during the reign of Elizabeth I. These schools had to be promoted to compete with the more comfortable, home-based education. Their advantage was that competition among students encouraged better performance, and students could learn from distinguished scholars. However, they were not able to replace private tutors, as the wealthy could afford to hire the best teachers. The middle class tried to imitate the nobility by hiring private tutors, often beyond their means, or by enrolling their children in more prestigious schools.

There was no shortage of schools. The Reformation, with the dissolution of monasteries, severely impacted church education. King Edward VI made an attempt at educational development, but this effort was unsuccessful. It was under Elizabeth I that these reforms were fully realized. New schools were founded throughout the country, established by various bodies or individuals. The principle was to create an education system accessible to all. This made it possible for some students to study for free or with minimal enrollment fees. Some schools determined tuition fees based on the students' backgrounds. In some cases, places were reserved for the children of local residents. Before being admitted to such schools, students had to learn to read and write. This was a difficult task because the best teachers were not focused on teaching such basic skills. Therefore, a type of preparatory education was needed. This could be part of the secondary school curriculum, or it could be a separate school. Another option was for older women to teach these basics, but often they themselves were uneducated. Since smaller secondary schools had to admit weaker students, they were forced to provide remedial education. They often hired a temporary teacher for this or entrusted the task to an older student.

In addition to the conventional secondary school, there was another type of school. This was a combination of preparatory education, language school, and traditional secondary school, maintained by private individuals for financial gain. The education here was indeed expensive, but it was worthwhile.

Regardless of the type of school, we might find them brutal by today's standards. Students were often beaten to the point of bleeding, and some even died from the beatings. This was deemed acceptable because home education worked the same way. Students tried to escape this harsh treatment, though most attempts were unsuccessful. By this time, there were already teachers (such as Elizabeth's tutor Ascham) who criticized this practice. They believed that instead of the sense of imprisonment, students should associate school with play.

In medieval education, the seven liberal arts held the central place. The trivium and quadrivium provided the basic knowledge needed for later studies in law, medicine, and theology. Latin and religious education played an important role. The Elizabethan curriculum, in contrast, was much more practical. Literature appeared, although at this time it mainly involved learning expressions necessary for eloquent speech. Logic was almost completely sidelined, and rhetoric became a branch of Latin. In the more important schools, Greek also appeared alongside Latin, although Latin retained its dominant role. Latin was not treated as a dead language; it was almost always used. Students first learned shorter dialogues, then read Cicero's Letters, Ovid's Metamorphoses, Aesop's Fables, Sallust, and Horace. From these works, students had to learn various expressions and mimic Cicero, Ovid, and Virgil in their own writings. Religious education remained important. In addition to prayers at home, students had to go to church with their teachers on Sundays and holidays. The next day, they had to report in detail to their teachers about the service. Those who were absent or not attentive received strict punishment.

Certain subjects were only taught to the nobility. History, geography, and modern languages were studied only by them, with private tutors. They learned languages such as Italian and French, but neglected their own language, English. Music was also mostly taught to the nobility. Many members of the gentry also learned music, seeing it as a career opportunity.

Teaching began at six in the morning, with the first break at nine o'clock. The lessons continued until 11, after which students could go to lunch. At 1 p.m., teaching resumed and continued until 3:30 p.m., followed by another break. Teaching ended at 5:30 p.m., and students participated in a joint prayer and psalm singing. Of the ten hours of daily lessons, some could be skipped if students behaved exceptionally well. The Christmas break lasted 16 days, and the Easter break was 12 days. Additionally, there could be ten extra days of holiday. In a few progressive schools, corporal punishment was abandoned, the teaching hours were shorter, and music was also taught.

M.St. Clare Byrne "Elizabethan Life in Town and Country", Norwich, 1954, ford. Kercza Mária