What the Education of George Washington Can Teach Us
Kayley Kenzie
The education of George Washington was rather limited compared to others in his day. After all, his two older half-brothers went away to England for their education; he did not.
George Washington learned no other languages and never attended college. He was only about 16 when his education ended.
So who taught Washington, and where did he go to school? We don't know for certain. All that remains of the education of George Washington are the school papers. We can see through these papers that Washington received a solid education that helped him throughout his life.
But according to Washington himself, his education was "defective." Although the education of George Washington was something that was continued throughout his entire life, he was still self-conscious of his formal schooling ending when he was still in his early teens.
His favorite methods of acquiring knowledge included reading books, learning from others, and studying the people he respected. He also learned from personal experiences.
But let's go back to his school papers. Here's what we can conclude about the education of George Washington through these records:
1. Washington's first school papers bear the date 1741. Since he was born sometime around 1732, he could effectively read, write, and do arithmetic at about age eight or nine.
2. One of Washington's papers was a survey of his half-brother's turnip field. He obviously learned surveying in school. How would this skill help him later in life?
3. One of his papers showed that he studied geography, could calculate interest on money transactions, and could copy many legal forms that were used in Virginia at that time.
4. Even though Washington didn't go to England for schooling, he spent time learning manners. In one of his papers, he copied 110 rules people should follow for good behavior and good manners.
These rules were called the "Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation." These rules obviously helped him communicate well with people and leaders around him.
Even though the education of George Washington was cut by a couple of years, it is obvious that he received a good education. What he learned helped him become a leader for this nation.
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