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What The Education Of George Washington Means To Us
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.
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.
He did not learn any other languages or go to college. In fact, George Washington’s education ended when he was about sixteen years old.
It is not for certain who taught Washington or where he attended school. The only thing that remains from the education of George Washington is his school papers. Through the papers, it can be determined that he has useful education that would help him later on in life.
Washington was quoted as describing his education as “defective.” Even though the education of George Washington continued to be developed, he remained embarrassed that his formal education ended early.
Some of his favorite methods of learning included books, studying the people he respected, and learning from others. In addition, he learned from his own 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. Washington turned in a paper that was a survey of a turnip field owned by his half-brother. Clearly he learned about surveying in school. How did this skill help him later on?
3. We can see from another one of Washington’s papers that he learned geography, knew how to calculate interest in monetary transactions, and could also copy many of the legal forms in use in Virginia in those days.
4. Although Washington didn’t pursue his schooling in England, he learned about good manners. He copied 110 rules people should follow in order to demonstrate good manners and behavior.
The rules were known as the “Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.” The rules clearly must have helped him interact with people and the leaders around him.
George Washington may have lamented having a truncated education, but what he had was clearly solid and useful. His education gave him the necessary skills to be a good leader for America.