Ancient Roman Education
Education was very important to the Ancient Romans. The people of Ancient Rome put a great deal of faith into education. In general, schools were for boys only. Boys from rich families were well-schooled and were taught by a private tutor at home or went to schools. Primary school was taught from ages 6-13. The children studied reading, writing, and counting. They read scrolls and books. They wrote on boards covered with wax and used pebbles to do math problems. They were taught Roman numerals, and recited lessons they had memorized. In all ages of schooling, lessons were dictated by the teachers. This meant that lessons varied from teacher to teacher so not every student received the same education. Also, since there wasn't too much of a variety of subjects, students would probably get bored easily. At age 12 or 13, the boys of the upper classes attended grammar school, where they studied Latin, Greek, grammar, and literature. At age 16, rich boys went on to study rhetoric, which is public speaking, at oratory school, to prepare for life. Rhetoric was a very important part of education. You needed the skill of confident public speaking to get a job. Since only the rich received this education, it was harder for the poor to get a job and get a salary. If you didn't get a job or have a salary, you couldn't provide for yourself or your family. Overall, if you didn't receive a good education, it affected your life immensely.
Poor children couldn't go to school because it was not free. Public education was available for the children of Roman citizens where they at least learned to read and write in Latin. The schools were not free, but were affordable to most families of citizens. Children in poorer homes did not have slaves to teach them; they were taught by their parents, as everyone was in early Roman days. Teachers made a fairly large salary. A teacher's salary depended on how many students they had in a class, the age of the students, and the subjects taught. A primary math teacher received 900 denarii per year per student. A geometry, Latin, Greek, or literature teacher got 2400 denarii per year per student. The highest paid teacher, which taught rhetoric, got paid 3000 denarii per year per student. The average class size in Rome was around 10-18 students. Overall, education played a huge role in the Roman culture, even if it did have several problems.
Poor children couldn't go to school because it was not free. Public education was available for the children of Roman citizens where they at least learned to read and write in Latin. The schools were not free, but were affordable to most families of citizens. Children in poorer homes did not have slaves to teach them; they were taught by their parents, as everyone was in early Roman days. Teachers made a fairly large salary. A teacher's salary depended on how many students they had in a class, the age of the students, and the subjects taught. A primary math teacher received 900 denarii per year per student. A geometry, Latin, Greek, or literature teacher got 2400 denarii per year per student. The highest paid teacher, which taught rhetoric, got paid 3000 denarii per year per student. The average class size in Rome was around 10-18 students. Overall, education played a huge role in the Roman culture, even if it did have several problems.