There was a basic structure that was common to most schools that students had to follow on a regular basis., In some schools boys and girls were taught separately and taught by nuns or teachers,at most schools there would be four to five classes a day; English, Arithmetic, Language Arts, History, and Latin. “Classes were from 9:00am to 3:30pm and had an hour lunch and two recesses” (Schulhauser 1).. ”In the morning right at 9:00 they would sing O Canada, say the Lords Prayer, and at the end of the day (3:30) they would sing God Save Our Queen (or God Save Our King depending on the year)” (Schulhauser 1).Relationships between teachers and students were formal. Students that wanted to advance in schools had to be tested to see if they can go to schools in town. “Younger students in the school had a two-seat type desk; the older kids had a single seat desk. Grade one children had tables and chairs.” (Schulhauser 1).
Additionally, in the 1940s, veterans became more educated after they came back from the war and had advantages that most civilians didn’t have. The US Office of Education reports that the number of students that were enrolled in college decline due to the military. The GI Bill, also known as the Readjustment Act, was passed June 22, 1944. “The GI Bill also paid for several years of college and provided low-cost business loans. For the young men who had put their country, the GI Bill was their key to reestablishing themselves” (America 654). It also paid for years of college tuitions and low business loans. Many teens that joined the armed forces and fought World War II came back as adults and went straight to college. The GI Bill encouraged millions of men to educate themselves so that they would be able to get good jobs and be able to support a family. The GI Bill increased the percentage of Americans attending college increased in 1940. “109,000 men and 77,000 women graduated from college with a B.A. degrees. By 1949, that number almost tripled to 328,000 men, and 103,000 women.” (America 654) The nation thanked them for their support in the war by paying for their college fees. When the war veterans went to college, the Veterans Administration, or V.A., paid their tuition which amounted to about $500 a year, plus books, fees, and a small amount of an allowance for living. “Veterans made up 49 percent of U.S. college enrollment in 1947” (The GI Bill 1). That is 7.8 million veterans who trained in colleges. After the War was over, the soldiers were happy to see their loved ones again which resulted in the Baby Boom.
World War II really opened available positions in the work force to women when men were drafted in the military. “Courses developed included child development, hygiene, home economics and decorating” (Women 1). “In 1924 Vassar College instituted a curriculum specially designed to educate women along the lines of what were supposed to be their chief interests and responsibilities: motherhood and the home” (Women 1). This curriculum was fitting with the traditional gender roles for women at the time. ”In contrast, with the American entrance into the war Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute enrolled its first female student; the Curtiss-Wright Company sent eight hundred women to college to learn engineering; and othe companies began hiring female Chemists, Lawyers, and Brokers” (Women 1) Mothers left their children at home while they are at work, so the kids would had to be independent and start doing chores that mom would do if she was at home.
Another aspect of education in the 1940s that is different from today is that most African Americans were separated from society in schools but they did get and education. Discrimination and segregation continued at University of Oklahoma as an African American student named G.W. McLaurin could not sit with his white colleagues during class sessions. “On March 8,(In 1948) bowing to a federal court ruling that African American students may not be rejected on racial grounds, the University of Oaklahoma Law School accepts George McLaurin as a student, but only on a segregated basis” (Important 2). The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) had begun a program to challenge segregation in the schools in the 1930’s” (Overview 2) This helped lead to the Supreme Court ruling that insisted on G.W. McLaurin should be able to sit with the rest of his classmates. Rulings like this helped pave the way for other African American students to enroll in colleges throughout the south. In February of 1948, the University of Arkansas Law School had accepted there first African American student which resulted in the expansion of more African American students getting an education like everybody else.
The government started to get involved with schools and teachers wages making laws that students had to follow on a regular basis. Teacher’s wages ranged at around $500 a year. “In March, Minneapolis teachers strike for twenty-seven days, demanding salary increases” (Important 2) In June of 1940 the Supreme Court makes a law that any student who does not sing or salute the flag would be expelled. “In September, the University of Maryland alters its curricular requirements, making courses in American history mandatory.” (Important 1). As a result many teachers were informed what standards were to be taught in English, Math, Science, and History classes.
The shift in Education has become a variation of ideas and new strategies. The appearances of classrooms were not that terrific in southern parts of the country. Students had followed basic structures toward teachers. The GI Bill helped veterans pay most of their expenses for college after the war. World War II forced many men from college to join the war and sent women to Universities so they can take men’s positions in the work force. African Americans Fight for education really paid off as you see students, like G.W. McLaurin, attend college. The wars going on in the United States kept men from attending college. Laws being made were mostly about allowing African Americans to attend college, allowed women to work, and on its way to become more standardized in all schools. Schools were steadily increasing and becoming industrialized as the Baby Boom had its effects.