GUAMPEDIA Pulan Tehnos
Volume VI Issue VII
Agosto 16- Septiembre 14, 2023 August 16- September 14, 2023
Know Our Islands, Know Our History Click to Know Guampedia.com
Schools of Thoughts
In the CHamoru/Chamorro lunar calendar, the month of August is tenhos, which means stormy or angry. This makes a lot of sense: with the wet season underway, we can be sure to expect more stormy weather throughout this pulan’s cycle. For students in the American school system, August usually means the start of the new school year. Though many students are probably sad about the end of summer vacation, there is much to look forward to with the start of the new school term. It’s fun to imagine what school might have been like back in the day. When French explorer Louis Claude de Freycinet visited the Marianas in 1819, he described education in Guam and the subjects students were taught in schools set up and operated by the missionaries. Every child received religious instruction and lessons in the crafts of spinning, sewing, tanning hides, forging iron, trimming stone, and agricultural methods. The “important” towns had royal primary schools for boys and a free school for girls where students learned religion, reading, writing, Spanish and mathematics. Girls received additional instruction in “the arts of their sex,” i.e., domestic skills like sewing or cooking. The College of San Juan de Letrán, established by Father San Vitores in 1669, had 30 students in 1818, “drawn from the most distinguished families on the island.” Students learned vocal and instrumental music, carpentry, blacksmithing and tailoring, and were expected to sing and play at Sunday mass at the church in Hagåtña.
Guma’ Uritao 2022
Head Start Program, 1968
Hurao, Artifacts and Latte 2011
Today’s students have a great advantage over their 19th century counterparts as far as access to information and knowledge, exposure to more diverse subjects and increased extracurricular opportunities. The Internet makes it easy to look up information on almost any topic. Since its inception, Guampedia was meant to be a resource that takes advantage of network communications technology and the large knowledge base of scholars and writers interested in the history and culture of the Marianas. From peer-reviewed entries to lesson plans and e-publications, Guampedia has much to offer students and educators and anyone else with an interest in learning or teaching about our islands and people. Take a look at some of the educational resources available on Guampedia. We wish all teachers and students a great start to the 2023-2024 school year! Guampedia is a non-profit affiliate of the University of Guam with operations funded by the Government of Guam’s tourism attraction fund.