In terms of professional technology, students should not only learn the knowledge of calculation (algebra) and measurement of land (geometry), but also learn the knowledge of disciplines, such as biology, geography, astronomy, medicine and so on. In addition, students will learn how to organize a choir, how to forge silverware and jewels, how to distribute rations, and how to use various musical instruments.
The process of literary creation includes two aspects: first, copying, imitating and learning past literary works; The second is to create new literature. The works for students to copy and imitate are mainly literary works in the second half of 3000 BC. There are hundreds of these ancient works, all written in the form of poems, ranging from a few lines to hundreds of lines in length. Up to now, the ancient Sumerian literary works found mainly include the following categories: myths and epics used to praise the brilliant achievements of gods and heroes, such as Epic of Gilgamesh and Epic of Genesis; Hymns praising God and the king, as well as love poems and prayers, such as Chamakh Hymns; Mourn the death of Sumerian cities, such as Ur Death Elegy; Oracle Bone Inscriptions literature, such as honest poems for suffering; Wisdom literature, including fables and proverbs. Thousands of pieces of clay tablets and fragments of clay tablets unearthed from Sumer area, most of which are immature works by students of ancient Sumer school, also suggest to us that ancient Sumer school is the center of literary creation.
School courses are boring and the study time is particularly long. Students must stay in school all day from sunrise to sunset. In a year of school life, students should have some holidays, but there is no clay tablet to record this situation. From teenagers to young people, students spend many years learning cuneiform. Faced with boring school life, students often skip classes. A clay tablet recording students' school life records a conversation between father and son:
Where did you play truant?
-"I didn't go anywhere."
If you haven't gone anywhere, then why are you wandering around? Go to school and stand in front of the teacher and recite your homework. Open your bag and let your' big brother' tell you new knowledge. Come back to me after you finish your homework and report to the monitor. Don't loiter in the street. Hey, do you understand? After nagging, the father began to severely reprimand his son, saying that he "went against his will" and was tired of the young man's complaining nature. I can't stand your complaints. You're boring me to death. Usually, after students arrive at school, they review the clay materials they learned the day before, and then "Big Brother" prepares new clay materials. Students copy and learn from them. Finally, "Big Brother" and "Father of the School" check whether there are any mistakes in the clay tablets copied by the students. At the same time, teachers and "big brothers" will also make some academic reports to increase students' knowledge. Sumer's teaching is not characterized by progressive education. The teaching discipline in this school is very strict. Although teachers will encourage and praise students to study hard, they mainly use corporal punishment to let students correct their mistakes. And the list goes on. A clay tablet recording students' school life records the corporal punishment a student received in one day.
"My headmaster looked at my clay tablet and said,' There are a few words missing here' and slapped me with a cane. The person in charge of cleaning said,' You are wandering in the street, you haven't tidied up your clothes' and slapped me with a cane. The person in charge of classroom silence said,' Why did you speak without permission?' Hit me with a cane. The person in charge of the student assembly said,' Why did you stand up without permission?' Hit me with a cane. The person in charge of students entering and leaving the school said,' Why did you leave the school without permission?' Hit me with a cane. The Sumerian teacher said,' Why don't you speak Sumerian? He hit me with a cane. My teacher said,' Your homework is not satisfactory' and slapped me with a cane. "School corporal punishment is very strict, but students also have ways to transfer the teacher's anger. A graduate recalled that in order to win the favor of one of the teachers, he asked his father to invite the teacher to his home in order to soften him with a good meal and "a little extra respect (money)". It seems that this flattering strategy has worked. When the teacher left that night, he praised the student's efforts and hoped that he would set an example for other students. The ancient Sumerian school played an important role in promoting the development of Sumerian characters and literature, popularizing and spreading Sumerian culture, but it also inevitably had limitations. This is mainly manifested in the following aspects: First, Sumerian schools are basically aristocratic schools, and students generally come from wealthy aristocratic families. Children from poor families have neither long free time to study nor money to pay their teachers themselves; Second, Sumer School is basically a boys' school.