Teaching Profession, History of

Early Teaching

The earliest of educators were often members of the clergy, such as priests and rabbis, or were slaves from conquered states employed in the households of wealthy Greeks and Romans. In Greece, several of the most notable teachers of all time, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, emerged during the fifth and fourth centuries BCE, generating foundations of teaching that are still used today. Although formal education in China dates back to 2000 BCE, in Europe, it was not until the Middle Ages that formal institutions of learning were established by the Roman Catholic Church.

According to some, formalized education in the United States was launched in 1647 with the passage of a Massachusetts law requiring each town of fifty or more families to establish a school. Fictional portrayals of early schooling would have many believe that teachers were young, single women, when the domain of teaching actually belonged almost exclusively to young men. For these young men, teaching was considered a means for social mobility for those who could not find work; however, it was also considered temporary work, with the majority of teachers leaving the field after only five years. It was not until the 1850s, a period commonly referred to as the “feminization of teaching,” that women began entering the teaching force in great numbers, the prevailing attitude being that women possessed the caring skills and attitudes necessary to nurture and guide young minds. Prior to this time, teachers were hired based upon the ability to control and dominate predominantly male students, and little formalized training was expected or required.

By the early twentieth century, teacher training institutions, such as normal schools, began to evolve into degree-granting institutions and colleges predominantly geared toward the preparation of elementary school teachers. Throughout the course of the twentieth century, states enacted legislation extending compulsory education through the age of sixteen. During this time, high school graduations escalated from a scant 6 percent to almost 88 percent, radically increasing the need for secondary school teachers equipped to teach select disciplines. This expansion of the American public school system created the need for more and more educators, and vast numbers of women sought teaching credentials to enter the field, mostly at the elementary school level. High schools, however, remained the province of male teachers.

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