Reflection#15

There were quite a few differences between the Athens and Roman approach to education. One difference is that in Athens girls were not taught a formal education at all. They were usually taught at home by their mothers. However in Rome wealthy men sometimes educated their daughters, however, this too was done at home. There education was vastly different from their male counterparts. The girls were taught how to sew, music, and how to be a good wife. This schooling was short as girls were allowed to marry at the age of 12. Another difference was that in Greece education was a means to have more knowledge and thus to be better and happier citizens. In Greece tuition for most schools were pretty low so that even the poorest citizen could afford to allow their children to attend, at least for a short time. In Rome however, education was for the rich people who put a lot of faith in education. This was done mostly to impress their friends and neighbors. The poor of Rome could not afford to be formally educated although they still learned to read and write. The biggest difference between the two civilizations would have to be the corporal punishment. While this may have gone on in Greece it was not a standard until Rome. When a student did not learn a particular lesson or made a mistake they were often held down by slaves and flogged. While Greek ideas were very important to the Romans they did not fully grasp the idea of reasoning that many of the Greek philosophers were trying to teach. If they did then they would have understood that punishment in this manner did not create better students.