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           Teaching & Professional Practice
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           TEACHR                       Pedagogy: A lexical oddity
                                        Norman Young
                                        Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Avondale College of Higher Education, 
                                        Cooranbong, NSW
                                        Despite the games we often play with words,                                          For ‘pedagogy’ Webster’s dictionary, without 
                                        they are seldom defined by their derivations                                         qualification, provides “the profession or function 
                                        (etymology), more frequently their meanings                                          of a teacher; teaching”. The same dictionary 
                                        are governed by their usage in sentences                                             also offers “the science or art of teaching; 
                                        (semantics). Once we do that, we discover                                            especially instruction in teaching methods”. This 
                                        that the paidag                                                                      is echoed almost verbatim in the 4th edition of the 
                                                                   gos was not and never was a 
                                        teacher. That is why the choice of ‘pedagogy’                                        Macquarie Dictionary (2005). Indeed, it suggests 
                                        for the English meaning, ‘the art of teaching’,                                      for ‘pedagogue’, “teacher of children, a school 
                                        is so odd; it’s derived from a Greek word and                                        teacher”. The Concise Encarta (2001) reflects the 
                                        custom that had little to do with the noble art of                                   same definitions, though it too reminds us that the 
                                        education. True, the paidag                                                          Greek paidag
                                                                                       gos led or followed                                          gos was a “slave who leads a child to 
                                        his charge to school, but this was simply one of                                     school”.
                                        the many places to which he accompanied the                                               Dictionaries and other educational sources 
                                        child, and such a role was hardly educational.                                       often unpack the etymology of the word ‘pedagogy’ 
                                                                                                                             by pointing out that it derives from the Greek 
                                                                                                                             paidag
                                        Introduction                                                                                      gos, which is formed from pais (‘boy’, ‘girl’, 
                                        Most education faculties have courses with units                                     ‘child’)4 and agein (‘to lead’, ‘to bring’). Hence, the 
                                        in pedagogy, and many even use the term itself in                                    conclusion is usually drawn that the paidag   gos led 
                                        their subject listings. Books in the field of education                              his charge to school. The application to the role of 
                                        frequently use ‘pedagogy’ and cognates in their                                      the modern teacher often then proves irresistible: 
                                        titles. Avondale College of Higher Education Library                                 that is, to define the modern Christian teacher’s 
                                        has sixty-seven books in its collection that contain                                 task as gently leading children to understanding, or 
                                                                                                                 1
                                        the term ‘pedagogy’ or related words in their title.                                 to wisdom, or even to Christ as per Galatians 3:24 
                                        This is a rather modest total compared with Sydney                                   (Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us 
                                        University Library and The National Library of                                       unto Christ, KJV).5 In fact, the paidag   gos, carrying 
                                        Australia, which list respectively 1,930 and 2,070                                   his charge’s musical instrument or texts, more often 
                                        titles.                                                                              walked behind the student.
                                        English usage                                                                        The paidag
                                                                                                                                                  g o s
                                        The earliest usage listed in the OED for ‘pedagogy’                                  To understand the role of the paidag   gos in antiquity 
           The person                   is the date 1623 with the meaning ‘skoole-masters-                                   we must examine ancient sources. The person 
           of the                       ship’.2 Even earlier, William Tyndale in 1526 rendered                               of the pedagogue, as opposed to his role, often 
      “                                                                                                                      attracted the ridicule of the philosophical Greeks. 
           pedagogue                    the Greek text of Galatians 3:24–25 (paidag   gos) 
           often                        with ‘schoolmaster’.3 This was followed by the                                       Firstly, he was usually a household slave, generally 
           attracted the                Authorised Version of 1611. Given the widespread                                     foreign, and often a prisoner of war. Hieronymus, 
           ridicule of                  and prolonged use of the Authorised Version, both                                    the Peripatetic, reportedly censured fathers for 
           the philo-                   in public and private worship, it is not surprising that                             placing their children into the care of barbarous 
                                                                                                                                                 6
                                        the Greek term paidag                                                                pedagogues.
           sophical                                                          gos entered the English                                               Since they were foreign prisoners of 
           Greeks                       language as ‘pedagogue’, or ‘pedagogy’ with the                                      war, the pedagogues gave their admonitions in poor 
                                        meaning ‘schoolmaster’.                                                              Greek, which was derided by those who had Greek 
                                             Webster’s 2nd                                                                   as their mother tongue, and that no doubt included 
                                                                  edition of 1968, though giving ‘a 
                                                                                                                                                                  7
                                        teacher’ for the word ‘pedagogue’, adds an historical                                the children in their care.  Because the younger and 
                           ”
                                        note.                                                                                stronger slaves were more productively used for 
                                             Among the ancient Greeks and Romans, [the                                       manual labour, the pedagogues were frequently old 
                                             paidag   g o s  was] a slave who attended the children                          (by no means always) or damaged. The numerous 
                                             of his master and conducted them to school, often                               terracotta figurines of a pedagogue are usually 
                                             acting as a tutor.                                                              grumpy-looking old men.
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                                                                                                     Teaching & Professional Practice
                  When Pericles once saw a household slave fall                                The paidag    gos as a disciplinarian
             from an olive tree and break his leg, he cynically                                The paidag  gos was type-cast on the stage in 
             commented, “a new pedagogue has just appeared”.8                                  general as a strict killjoy. Whilst, some paidag   goi 
             Hieronymus complained that Greek fathers gave the                                 were gentle with their charges (like Mary Poppins), 
             most important task—the training of their sons—                                   others were severe and cruel. They pinched and                                   The many 
             to the least costly (that is, old or injured slaves).9                            threatened, shouted and ranted, and cuffed and                                   headstone 
                                                                                                        19                                                                 “
             Plutarch regarded as stupid the Greek custom of                                   caned.  “Your anger hardly leaves off the cane”,                                 inscriptions 
             appointing the most talented slaves to positions such                                                                                   20
                                                                                               complained Martial of his paidag  gos.  Libanius                                 that praise 
             as stewards and money managers, while leaving                                     likened the pounding of a boat’s oars on the sea to                              and identify 
             their sons to the oversight of the wine-bibber, the                               the paidag                                           21
                                                                                                                 gos’ lash on a boy’s back.  Claudius’                          a man’s 
                                                                10
             glutton and the most useless slave.  Of course, not                               paidag  gos was a former muleteer, who was                                       former 
             all paidag   goi (plural) were of this character, but                             appointed expressly to administer punishment. His                                paidag  gos 
             many were and thus were not the best model for the                                former trade eminently qualified him for his latter role,                        indicate that 
             modern teacher of children.                                                       since he was adept with the whip. Indeed, the leather                            neither their 
                  Four aspects of the ancient paidag                                           strap was a standard accessory for the paidag                           22
                                                                       gos will                                                                                    goi.         names nor 
             be explored in this discussion. After noting the                                       Libanius confesses to having a dread of the                                 the early 
             temporary nature of the role of the paidag
                                                                            gos, this          paidag  goi’s strap, and Theodoret of Cyrrhus, a                                 affection 
             paper will discuss the role of the paidag   gos as a                              Father of the early church, noted that “students                                 was 
                                                                                               are scared of their paidag                   23
             disciplinarian, a protector and an educator.                                                                              goi”.   Quintilian’s frank               forgotten
                                                                                               admission is understandable.
             The temporary nature of the role of the                                                I blush to mention the shameful abuse which 
             paidag    gos                                                                          scoundrels [that is, the paidag   goi] sometimes                                           ”
             When the boy was about six or seven years of age,                                      make of their right to administer corporal 
             or when he had some understanding of speech,                                           punishment.24
             the paidag
                                gos took over the care of him from the 
                      11 
             nurse. He remained in the paidag  gos’ care until                                      A popular disciplinary technique with the 
                                            12                                                                                                       25
             just after late puberty.  Thus, the boy was in the care                           paidag  goi was to twist the boy’s ear.  Photo 1 
             of his twenty-four-hour minder for approximately                                  depicts an angry paidag  gos ready to punish a 
             twelve years. Hence, when the paidag
                                                                       gos,                    naughty boy, who is running away on the other side 
             Charidemus, tried to control the youthful Martial,                                of the vase.
             the latter asserted his independence by boasting                                       As the boy entered puberty, curtailment of 
             of the growth of his beard and his prowess with his                               youthful hormones was also part of the paidag
                                                                                                                                                                     gos’ 
                          13
             mistress.  When Socrates found it puzzling how                                    task: “You don’t allow me to frolic, nor do you allow 
                                                                                               me to woo”, lamented Martial to his paidag                           26
             the youthful Lysis, though heir of all, could still be                                                                                            gos.  
             under the control of his paidag
                                                            gos, a slave, Lysis                When accosted by an irate father concerning his 
                                                                      14                       son’s wanton behaviour, the philosopher protested 
             explained, “I have not yet come of age.”  Once of 
                                                                                               that he was not the lad’s paidag                     27
             age, the lad was free of his paidag   gos.                                                                                        gos.  Physical 
                  Xenophon expresses the nature of the transition.                             punishment was commonplace in the classical 
                                                                                               world, and the paidag
                  When a boy ceases to be a child, and begins to be                                                              goi were not the only ancient 
                  a lad, others release him from his paidag   g o n  and                       disciplinarians: nurses, teachers, trainers and even 
                  from his teacher; he is then no longer under them,                           fathers meted out corrective force on their charges.
                                                            15
                  but is allowed to go his own way.
             If one was an eph  bos (a youth), one was no longer 
             under the control of a paidag   gos, whose charges                                                                                                                 Photo 1
                                                                     16
             were babes (n  pioi) and boys (paides).  It was a 
             common jibe, if one wished to ridicule someone’s                                                                                                                   [Photograph: 
             maturity, to accuse them of still being under the care                                                                                                             Norman Young; 
             of a paidag             17                                                                                                                                         Reproduced 
                                gos.  Ideally, the transition to manhood 
             involved the recasting of the controlling principle; a                                                                                                             courtesy of the 
             hired slave (paidag                                                                                                                                                Soprintendenza 
                                            gos) is replaced by reason, the 
                                                           18                                                                                                                   Archeologia della 
             divine guide (theion h   gemona).
                  The paidag  gos thus had clearly defined limits                                                                                                               Puglia, Taranto, 
             regarding the duration of his control of the child, to                                                                                                             Museo Nazionale, 
             that degree, he was similar to today’s teachers.                                                                                                                   Bari]
                                                                                                                                                                                v5 n2 | TEACH | 23 
    TEACHjournal 5-2.indd   23                                                                                                                                                             3/10/11   8:23:39 AM
         Teaching & Professional Practice
                                  It is not that long ago that many schoolteachers             tended his charge more tenderly than the mother; 
                              followed the paidag   gos’ pattern of discipline. I can          and if the child died, he mourned more genuinely 
                              recall the names of some very brutal teachers in my              than the dutiful parents.31 On reaching adulthood, 
                              time as a student. Thankfully, discipline measures               it was common for men to emancipate their former 
                              have changed in most western countries. However,                 paidag
                                                                                                          gos.
                              as it was with the paidag
                                                              gos, today’s teachers are            Whilst some paidag  goi were harsh and punitive, 
         This aspect          expected to act as disciplinarians.                              others were gentle with and devoted to their charges. 
                                                                                               This aspect of the paidag
         of the                                                                                                                gos, the duty of care, is 
    “
         paidag  gos,         The paidag    gos as a protector                                 one worthy for modern teachers to emulate.
         the duty             Cicero points out that the first persons a man loves 
                                                                     28
         of care, is          are his nurse and his paidag   gos.  The paidag   gos            The paidag    gos as an educator
         one worthy           often took the blame for some childish misdemeanour              Although some children were fortunate that the slave 
         for modern           so as to spare the child any parental punishment. The            appointed as their paidag   gos was well educated, 
         teachers to          many headstone inscriptions that praise and identify             this was more often by chance than parental design. 
                              a man’s former paidag                                            However, Roman fathers did try to obtain a Greek 
         emulate                                          gos indicate that neither their 
                                                                                               speaker for their son’s paidag
                              names nor the early affection was forgotten. Given                                                    gos. Even though 
                              the widespread pederasty of the classical world, the             they assisted the child with any homework (see 
                              paidag                                                           Photo 4) and sat in on the teacher’s lessons (see 
                    ”   goi acted as a fortified wall or guard that 
                                                                                               Photo 5), the paidag
                              protected the child from such abuse. The paidag   goi                                       gos’ instruction was mostly 
                                                                    29
                              were as “barking dogs to wolves”.  Hence, they                   limited to social trivia.
                              accompanied their charges to the athletic field, the 
                              theatre, the courts, and to school or lectures (see                  And yet what do the paidag   goi teach? To walk in 
                              Photos 2 & 3). They were twenty-four-hour minders;                   the public streets with lowered head; to touch salt-
                              even from bedtime to rising at dawn, the attendant                   fish with but one finger, but fresh fish, bread, and 
                                                                                                   meat with two; to sit in such and such a posture; in 
                              slave was always present.                                                                                       32
         Photo 2                  It was not unknown for the paidag   gos to die                   such and such a way to wear their cloaks.  
                              in defence of his charge. Appian tells the touching              Aristides provides a verbatim catalogue of the 
                              account of how a paidag
         [Photograph:                                        gos threw his arms around         paidag  gos’ chidings.
         Norman Young;        his orphaned charge and would not release him to                     ‘It is not proper to stuff yourself full’, and ‘walk on 
         Reproduced           his would-be murderers. This occurred en route                       the street in a seemly way, and rise for your elders, 
         courtesy of          to school and both were killed.30
                                                                    Libanius praised               love your parents, do not be noisy, or play dice, or’ 
         the Hermitage        the paidag   gos as the most devoted of all a child’s                ‘cross your legs’.33
         Museum,              influences: he supervised the child’s studies more 
         Leningrad]           constantly than either the father or teacher; when               Seneca’s report of a paidag   gos’ advice is in the 
                              the child became sick, he acted as a nurse and                   same vein: “Walk thus and so; eat thus and so, this 
         Photo 3
           Heracles being 
           followed by 
           his nurse, 
           Geropso, as his 
           pedagogue.
         [Photograph: 
         Norman Young; 
         Reproduced 
         courtesy of the 
         Staatliches 
         Museum, 
         Schwerin]
          2        3
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   TEACHjournal 5-2.indd   24                                                                                                                        3/10/11   8:23:40 AM
                                                                                                                                                 Teaching & Professional Practice
                                                                                                                                         10
                   is conduct proper for a man and that for a woman;                                                                        Plutarch, Mor. 4B; Julian, Mis. 352C.
                                                                                                                   34                    11
                   this for a married man and that for a bachelor.”                                                                         Plato, Prot. 325C.
                                                                                                                                         12 Teles ap.Stobaeus, Flor. 72 (Wachsmuth 5.848F).
                          As apposed to the limited educational role of                                                                  
                                                                                                                                         13
                   the paidag   gos, today’s teachers aim to develop                                                                        Martial, 11.39.
                                                                                                                                         14
                   the whole person (mentally, physically, emotionally,                                                                     Plato, Lys. 209A.
                                                                                                                                         15 Lac. 3.1. Cf. Plutarch, Phil. 4.1.
                   socially and spiritually).                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                         16
                                                                                                                                            Plato, Laws 808E; Ps.Plato, Axioch. 366D–367A; Teles, ap. 
                   Conclusion                                                                                                           Stobaeus, Flor. 72 (Wachsmuth 5.848F). For boys seventeen was 
                   What relevance does the ancient role of the                                                                          usually considered the age of puberty, and thirteen for girls.
                                                                                                                                         17 Lucian, Jup. Trag. 29.5; Philo, Flacc. 15; Gaium, 26.
                   paidag  gos have for twenty-first century teachers?                                                                   
                                                                                                                                         18 Plutarch, Mor. 37D–E; Philo, Quod Det. 146.
                   The teacher, like the paidag   gos, has a temporary                                                                   
                                                                                                                                         19
                                                                                                                                            Quintilian, 6.1.41; Plato, Lys. 223A; Libanius, Ep. 139.2.
                   role. The lessons learned in school must nurture                                                                      20
                                                                                                                                             11.39.
                   the child towards independence and the love of                                                                        21 Ep. 1188.3–4.
                                                                                                                                         
                   learning. Most importantly, as teachers fulfil their                                                                  22
                                                                                                                                             Diogenes, Ep. 29; Libanius, Or. 2.380 (Behr), 58.9.
                   duty of care, they must have a purposeful intention to                                                                23
                                                                                                                                             Libanius, Ep. 911.2; Theodoret, Ep. 36.
                   foster schools as safe places for children. Teachers                                                                  24
                   are called to be protectors of children. In addition,                                                                    Quintilian, 1.3.17 (Loeb).
                                                                                                                                         25
                                                                                                                                            There is a terracotta image of a paidag   gos from Myrina doing just this 
                   paidag                                                                                                               (C. Daremberg and E. Saglio [eds], Dictionaire des Antiquités Grecques 
                                    goi were sometimes likened to shepherds 
                   or a ship’s pilot because of their role in guiding the                                                               et Romaines IV / 1, 1907. Reprinted Graz: Akademischen Druck und 
                   children. In a society where many are looking for                                                                    Verlagsanhalt, 1969) IV.272, figure 5449. See also Plutarch, Cat. Mal. 20.4.
                                                                                                                                         26
                   direction, teachers can perform this vital role.                                                                          11.39.
                                                                                                                  TEACH                  27
                                                                                                                                            Lucian, Herm. 82.
                                                                                                                                         28
                                                                                                                                             Cicero, De Amic. 20.74.
                   Endnotes                                                                                                              29
                                                                                                                                             Libanius, Or. 58.7.
                    1                                                                                                                    30
                      This includes variant forms such as ‘pedagogical’.                                                                     Appian, BCiv, 5.30.
                    2                                                                                                                    31
                      The OED also gives a reference from 1583 meaning ‘instruction’, ‘discipline’.                                         Libanius, Or. 58.8–11.
                    3                                                                                                                    32
                      This is retained in the editions of 1534 and 1536.                                                                    Plutarch, Mor. 439F–440 (Loeb).
                    4 The stem of the noun pais is paid; the dental ‘d’ is dropped when                                                  33
                                                                                                                                             Aristides, Or. 2.380 (Loeb). Cf. Xenophon, Lac. 3.2f.
                   the nominative singular ‘s’ is added.                                                                                 34
                    5 This is an inaccurate translation in two serious ways:                                                                 Seneca, Ep. 94.8–9 (Loeb).
                    
                   “Schoolmaster” should read “slave child-minder,” and “to bring us                                                                                                                                                                         Photo 4
                   unto Christ” should be rendered “until the time of Christ.”
                    6
                      ap. Stobaeus, Ecl. 121 (Wachsmuth 2.233).
                    7 Aristides, Or. 2.380 (Behr); Plato, Lys. 223A.                                                                                                                                                                                         [Photograph: 
                    
                    8 ap. Stobaeus, Ecl. 121 (Wachsmuth 2.233).                                                                                                                                                                                              Norman Young; 
                    9                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Reproduced 
                      Ibid.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             courtesy of The 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Trustees of the 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             British Museum, 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             London]
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Photo 5
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             [Photograph: 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Norman Young; 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Reproduced 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             courtesy of the 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Staatliche Museen 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Preussischer 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Kulturbesitz, Berlin 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             (West)]
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 4                5
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             v5 n2 | TEACH | 25 
      TEACHjournal 5-2.indd   25                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             3/10/11   8:23:41 AM
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...Teaching professional practice view metadata citation and similar papers at core ac uk brought to you by provided avondale college researchonline teachr pedagogy a lexical oddity norman young honorary senior research fellow of higher education cooranbong nsw despite the games we often play with words for webster s dictionary without they are seldom defined their derivations qualification provides profession or function etymology more frequently meanings teacher same governed usage in sentences also offers science art semantics once do that discover especially instruction methods this paidag is echoed almost verbatim th edition gos was not never why choice macquarie indeed it suggests english meaning pedagogue children school so odd derived from greek word concise encarta reflects custom had little noble definitions though too reminds us true led followed slave who leads child his charge but simply one many places which he accompanied dictionaries other educational sources such role har...

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