Understanding Child Development And Implications For Practice

Narrator:

Museum Exhibit Guide:

Narrator:

Museum Exhibit Guide:

Narrator:

Museum Exhibit Guide:

Narrator:

Museum exhibit guide

Museum exhibit guide:

Narrator:

Museum exhibit guide:

Hello.I would like to know more about the interest invoking Egyptian antiquities that have been put up as the exhibit in here. Could you please help me with the same?

Sure. The Egyptian civilization is one of the oldest civilizations in the world. The civilization existed in the lower reaches of the Nile an area that is better known as the modern Egypt. Egypt is famous for the pyramids that they did build to preserve the earthly bodies of those who had died (Liverpoolmuseums.org.uk, 2018). The pyramids have attracted the archaeologists for a long period of time who have excavated those pyramids time and again to reveal certain items that the Egyptians might have buried along with the mummies of the dead people (Oppenheim 2013). Which exhibit attracts your attention the most?

All the exhibits that have been put on display in this area seem to intrigue me. The cosmetic container that has been put on display, the mummy of this young boy, this model of something that looks like a kitchen all attract my attention. However, the mummy of this young boy captivates my attention the most. Could you please help me paint a picture of the childhood of these ancient Egyptians?

I would like to help you with your query. You might have heard of the recent news that depicted a 3-D scanning of the mummy of a young girl in Egypt (Dailymail.co.uk 2018). The scanning had revealed that the girl had been almost 4.5 years in age when she had breathed her last. The scans have also revealed the fact that the girl might have breathed her last due to meningitis or dysentery. Could you please tell me whether you are involved in some research on this matter?

No, I have not been involved in any research but the mummified body of the child and the as well as the other pets mainly the cats have intrigued me hugely. I had been wondering how the childhood of the ancient Egyptians might have been. I had been wondering whether all of them were allowed to have the light of education as is generally found in the modern times. The development of the ancient Egyptians since their childhood intrigues me to a greater extent. I wonder whether they were allowed to take part in the festivals that had been arranged for the masses and whether there had been the prevalence of the practice of child labor as it is in the modern times in some parts of the world. Do you not think that this kind of livelihood might have affected the progress of the successive generations?

I understand your point of view and would like to add to the reflections that you have been worried about. I would like to bring to your notice the fact that unlike modern times, ancient Egypt was ruled over by the pharaohs. The pharaohs were the kings of the land and had the ultimate authority over the land (Bagnall and Cribiore 2015). The viziers followed the pharaohs in terms of the power that was held by the post. The common man of Egypt was not allowed to have possession over anything that they used. All their belongings and possessions were considered to be the possession of the pharaohs (Breasted 2016). The children of the country were born and brought up in this environment which left them with no other choice but to obey the law of the land. The education system of the country reserved the imparted education to the boys who belonged to the affluent families of the country. This led to a huge number of children who were devoid of the light of education. There have been found evidences that state that there have been girls who have been educated and progressed in their education careers so that they have taken up the prestigious profession of the doctors. The boys of ancient Egypt were introduced to education at the age of seven and were imparted knowledge mainly on the techniques of using the hieroglyphic codes and those that involved the use of mathematics. This might have led to a condition of under-development in the children who were born in poorer families. The children in the poorer families tended to take up the professions that their parents were involved in thereby leading to a condition wherein the overall development took a back seat. The Egyptian girls were taught at home which led to the conditions wherein the development of the girls on all levels were hampered. The personal development of the children too was hampered due to the discrimination that the various levels of the society. One of the various factors that affected the overall development of the child was the discrimination that was based on the families wherein they were born. This political discrimination also affected the development of the child on various other levels like the cultural levels and the educational levels. This in turn affected the economic conditions of the country as a whole. The modern society however suggests that this had been unjustified for the children since they had no hold over the point based on which they had been discriminated on. The modern day global citizens might argue against the norms that were prevalent during those times, but do you think anything else could have been done in order to avoid these circumstances?

I agree to certain points that you put forth in your argument. However, I do feel that the situation might have had a very bad impact on the development of the children. The children who had been born into the various affluent families in the country tend to bear the various advantages that should have been enjoyed by each and every child in the country. All the children must have had equal rights over the educational systems of the country irrespective of the economic strata wherein they belonged or their gender. The educational system of the country depicts the discrimination of the children on the basis of their gender and the economic strata wherein they belonged (Wilson 2013). Do you not think that the privileges that every child was entitled to became reserved for some of the children of the country due to them being born into a certain stratum of the then Egyptian society?

Yes, I agree to the point of view that you have been suggesting but I would like to point it out to you that these are the conditions that had been prevalent during those times. The modern-day theories and the conclusions based on them would not be properly applicable to the scenario that did transpire in the ancient Egypt. During the ancient days, there had not been the appropriate machinery that might have helped in the simplification and the faster application of the works (Hyde 2013). Thus, it was necessary to have a huge number of slaves for the job. This was one of the reasons behind the huge number of slaves who were employed by the people of the affluent classes (Wheeler et al. 2013). This was the political condition that had been prevalent during those times. What is your take on that?

I do agree that there had been malpractices that had been prevalent in those times. These malpractices that had been prevalent in those times are still seen to be practiced in the various parts of the world. The concept of child labor is being practiced in the modern days as well especially in the third world countries. The children who have been learning about the condition in the historical times are being influenced by the various incidents that have been put across by the various historians (Doise et al. 2013). The children who have been learning about the various historical aspects tend to be influenced by these negativities as well (Bornstein and Bradley 2014). These negative influences tend to affect the overall psyche of the child which needs to be handled well by the concerned educator. In your opinion are the malpractices that had been prevalent in ancient Egypt still present in the modern times?

I do agree to your concern regarding the various aspects of the malpractices that are still prevalent in the modern-day society. These practices that the ancient Egyptians had been observed to have been continuing tends to be present in the modern-day society (Charlesworth 2013). These malpractices generally involve the various aspects of child labor and the discrimination based on the economic conditions wherein the child had been born (Gentner et al. 2016). The reports of these practices have lowered to a huge number yet these instances are often seen to be reported in the media. These exhibits at the museums do help a child to learn more about the past days of the world. The exhibits also help them to learn more about the civilizations and the people who have been involved in the daily activities during those days and the various types of the government that they might have had (Jant et al. 2014). However, the further examination of these exhibits also reveals the malpractices that had been prevalent during the past era. The child who has been interested in the civilization might need the guidance of an educator to understand the concerned practices in a proper manner (Hamre et al. 2014).

Thank you so much for your co-operation. The information that you shared has helped me gain a better insight into those days and the effects it might have on the psychology of the children in the modern days.

I am glad that I could help you with your query.