Where was the first School?

And now, it’s time for who’s smarted. Psst, hey, smarty pants, see if you can guess where I am. That give it away. In case it didn’t, I’m in a building where kids go to learn about different subjects like math, social studies, science, reading, writing, and gym.

Did you say I’m at a school? If so, good job. Now, you may be wondering, why is the trusty narrator in a school? Didn’t he graduate? Is he gonna be a substitute teacher? Maybe someone brought him in for show and tell.

Those are all excellent guesses, but I’m actually here to give my niece’s school some information about free access to who’s smarted plus for educators. Who’s smarted plus is our ad free subscription.

Oh, and if there’s any teachers, educators, principals, or school librarians out there listening, please visit our website who’s smarted .com and click educators to get your free subscription. Anyway, I’m headed to a place you don’t want to be sent to as a student, but is a lot less scary when you’re an adult visiting, the principal’s office.

Hello? Hi, can I help you?

Absolutely. I’m the trusty narrator from the Who Smarted podcast, and I’m here to let the principal know about our free Who Smarted Plus subscription for educators.

Oh, well come in. I’m Principal McCormack Secretary. Let’s get you signed in. Just make sure you come back here to sign out when you’re done. We’ll do it.

Okay, signing in.

Great. And here’s your visitor’s badge. You’ll want to head down the hall to room 25. Oh, she’s not in her office? Nope. Last I heard, she was in the science lab. Room 25. Oh, got it.

Thanks. Here we are, room 25. Hello? Principal McCormack? Hmm, nobody’s here. I guess I’ll just go back to the office and wait there.

Wait! Don’t go!

Huh? Who said that? Oh boy, is this a haunted classroom?

What? No, I’m not a ghost. Look over here, in the cage.

Oh, sorry, I didn’t notice the class guinea pig, which, of course, talks. Anyway, I was looking for the principal.

Oh, she was just in here. She comes to me to ask for advice.

Really?

I happen to know a lot of things about a lot of things.

I see. What’s your name, little friend?

Call me Dewey.

Dewey, like the morning dew you see on plants or your lawn?

No, I’m named after John Dewey, who changed schools through his belief that learning should be centered around student interests. Oh!

That’s interesting. I didn’t know that.

I bet there’s a lot of stuff you don’t know about the history of schools. And why would you? Unless you were really interested in knowing about them.

Well, for starters, I would not take that bet, Dewey. But I am interested in learning more about schools. Like, when and where was the first school? Why are so many schools made of red bricks? Who came up with the subjects taught in schools?

And do all schools teach the same things?

Ooh, great questions!

Sounds like class is in session for another whiff of science and history on hell smarted Who’s smart?

Who’s smart, is it you?

Is it me? Is it science? Or history? Listen up! Everyone, we make smarting lots of fun on Who’s Smarted! This message is sponsored by Greenlight. As a Who’s Smarted fan, you know how much I love helping kids build independence and learn crucial life skills.

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That’s greenlight .com backslash smarted to try Greenlight for free. Smarty pants, do you ride a bus to school? If you do, you’re in good company. Nearly 26 million kids in the USA alone ride a bus to school every day.

But if you don’t, how do you get to school? Do you ride in a car? Listening to who’s smarted, of course. Do you walk? Maybe you ride a bike, or a scooter, or a skateboard, or a horse. Or maybe you’re homeschooled, in which case you just head into the living room or the kitchen.

Hey trusty, did you know in the netherlands some kids go to school on the school bus? Which is a giant bike like cart that holds 10 people. Everyone helps the driver pedal. That sounds fun. And in the Philippines, some kids sail down a river to school on bamboo rafts.

Wow! But here’s the thing. No matter how you get there, the important thing is you go to school. After all, it’s the law.

Yep, in all but a handful of countries, school is compulsory.

Smarty Pants, do you know what compulsory means? Compulsory means parents and guardians are required to send their kids to a state -approved school. This could include public, private, trade, or homeschool.

But here’s a question for you, Smarty Pants. When did going to school become compulsory, or required by law, in the United States? Was it A in the 1600s, B in the 1700s, C in the 1800s, or D in the 1900s?

Dewey, do you know?

Of course I do. The answer is A. The first compulsory education law in the United States was passed in 1642 in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. This law reflected the Puritan belief that education was a moral and social obligation.

Learning things is cool, right, smarty pants?

Later, in 1852, Massachusetts passed another compulsory education law that required cities and towns to offer primary school, and that parents who didn’t send their children to school could.

Could what smarty pants true or false back then if a parent or guardian didn’t send their kids to school They could lose their parental rights the answer is true

But before that, they would usually have to pay a big fine. This law set a model for other states, which began passing their own compulsory attendance laws over the next few decades. By 1918, every state had passed a compulsory attendance law.

schooling. Does that count?

Of course it counts, as long as homeschools follow the state -approved curriculum. In fact, homeschooling has been in practice since the 17th century, and there was a time most children were taught at home by either a family member or tutor due to a lack of educational infrastructure.

Ah, and by infrastructure, you mean an organized school system.

Exactly.

But schools did exist before then right smarty pants Do you have any idea where the first school is thought to have existed is it ancient Greece ancient Egypt or ancient China? the answer is

The earliest known formal school was thought to be developed in Egypt’s Middle Kingdom around 3000 to 500 BCE under the direction of Kiti, treasurer to Mentuho Tep II. Back then, classes were held in open fields.

an open field for a classroom? That sounds pretty fun. Oh, unless it rains. Of course, when I think of a traditional school building, I’m thinking of a largish building made of red bricks. Why are so many traditional school houses designed that way?

Well, brick is a popular building material for school because it’s strong and has many practical benefits. Like what? Bricks provide good insulation, keeping students warm during the winter and cool in the summer.

Brick buildings often require less maintenance. Brick is resistant to the elements, won’t catch fire, and is recyclable. And, like I said, bricks are strong and brick buildings are built to last.

Ah, which is why you still see so many red brick schools today.

But while many public schools remain in that traditional red brick style, today there are many more ways to go to school. Did you know there are boat schools in Bangladesh?

You mean, instead of a school bus, they take a school boat?

No, I mean the boat is the classroom. They have internet service and electricity and a chalkboard and space for students to sit and learn.

Hm, smarty pants. Why would schools use boats instead of buildings? Is it A, to teach students about water, B, to drop kids off at home after school, or C, because flooding is a problem?

If you said C, you’re right! Since flooding can be a problem in Bangladesh, some schools use boats instead of buildings. But that’s not even one of the most unique ones. The River Plate Institute in Buenos Aires, Argentina is located in the River Plate Stadium, which is also home to a professional soccer team.

Bet I know what they teach in gym class.

Sometimes it’s what the school is made of that’s special. There’s a school in Guatemala made from recycled plastic bottles stuffed with plastic trash and covered with cement. That is a

great use of recycled materials.

And there’s a kindergarten school in Karlsruhe, Germany that looks like a very scary animal.

That’s interesting. Smarty Pants, what scary animal do you think it is? Is it A, a shark, B, a tiger, or C, a cat?

If you said a cat, you’re right. Meow.

But wait, cats aren’t scary!

Meow. They are if you’re a guinea pig. The school looks like a giant cat. The cat’s mouth is the door, and the classrooms are in its belly.

Okay, I can see why a rodent wouldn’t want to take classes in a cat’s belly. Any other cool schools?

Forest schools in Finland are literally outside in nature. But students who go to forest schools still learn the same skills as students in indoor schools. They just practice them in different ways. For example, they use rocks to solve math problems.

Some people count fingers and toes. Some people count rocks. And speaking of counting, how many days do kids typically have to go to school?

depends on where you live. In the U .S., 180 days is the most common number. While kids in South Korea have one of the longest school years at 220 days. Woah! And a school year isn’t always the same length for everyone.

In the Netherlands, kids can start school on their fourth birthday, even if their fourth birthday is the last day of school. There’s always a new student in the class.

Ooh, and maybe there’s always a birthday party, too. With cupcakes for the class. Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom. So, that’s a school year. What about a school day? Are school days always the same length?

Again, that depends on where you are. In the U .S., a school day is usually between six and seven hours. Some places have shorter school days, like Mexico, where the school day goes from 7 a .m. to noon.

And some places have longer school days, like Taiwan, where students can be in classes from 9 .30 a .m. until 5 p .m.

I see, but everyone pretty much learns the same kinds of things, right? Not exactly. Ooh, we’ll learn what kids learn right after this quick break and a word from our sponsors. Hey, parents! Trusty here.

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Trust me, it’s a game changer. Now back to who smarted. Oh, there’s the bell. Is it lunchtime yet?

Nope, just time to switch classes.

Right. Oh, and speaking of classes, do all schools teach the exact same things?

Not exactly. While everyone needs to learn to read, write, and solve math problems, some schools also have classes that are important to their country’s culture. For example, students in Armenia learn folk dancing in school because Armenia has over 1 ,500 folk dances.

That’s amazing! What other lessons do schools around the world offer?

In parts of Canada, many lessons are taught in French and English, so students get practice with both languages. And in Australia, students learn surfing skills and water safety. Hang 10! Or hang 14 if you’re a guinea pig with 14 toes.

Several schools in Russia teach beekeeping.

Um, yeah, I don’t know if I could do that.

Don’t worry, they wear protection.

Oh, in that case, sign me up. I think I’d rather learn beekeeping than algebra. But wait, who decides what classes get taught?

For some schools, the State Board of Education determines the curriculum. This is true in California, or it could be the local school district. But there are national guidelines. For example, there’s something called the Common Core State Standards for grades K through 12.

These are the things students should know by the end of each grade in key areas like reading, writing, speaking and listening, language, and mathematics. Teachers use the Common Core State Standards as a broad outline to create their own curriculum.

And this includes homeschools as well. Ah.

That makes sense.

Today, there’s also a lot of focus on STEM education, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, or STEAM, which is STEM plus the letter A for Arts.

Oh yeah, you gotta have your arts too.

I agree, whether it’s painting, drawing, crafting or music, arts education, along with some form of physical education is very important for enriching young minds and bodies. Oh, and trusty, did you know some schools even teach podcasting?

That’s amazing. Maybe they can work on who’s smarted someday.

Oh, and one last thing. To make sure students are proficient in each school subject, teachers and educators use an invention from 1792 by William Barthes, a Cambridge University tutor.

Hm, smartypants, what did William Farish invent to help determine if students were proficient or knowledgeable of their school subjects? Was it A. Tests, B. Quizzes, or C. Grades? The answer is…

Grades. He invented grades.

Hey Dewey, guess what class I’d be happy to get a B in!

Um, I don’t know. Math? History?

beekeeping. Call us at whosmarted at whosmarted .com. Two big back to school shout outs to Ania in Brookfield, Wisconsin, who loves who smarted because it’s really funny, and Alex in Colleen, Texas, who loves listening to who smarted because they like learning in a fun way.

Thanks so much, you two. We’re so happy to have you smarting with us. Good luck this school year. This episode, Schools, was written by Sarah Schoolhouse -Rock -Sweetik, and voiced by Kim, Did You Study?

Davis, Sarah Sweetik, and Jerry Kolber, technical direction and sound design by Josh, head of the class Han. Our associate producer is Max C+, Kamaski. The theme song is by Brian, study hall, Suarez, with lyrics written and performed by Adam Pizza Day Davis.

Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Kolber. This has been an atomic entertainment production.

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