Theodore Roosevelt’s impact on life through education
The majority of historians or American citizens agrees, Theodore Roosevelt ranks among the top five presidents of the United States. He is undoubtedly one of those unique individuals who ever held the office and was an instrumental figure in shaping the nation we now know. Without his passion for education, he would have never been in the position or had the determination to be one of the youngest presidents of the United States. He was a keen observer of life around him and his education was very important to him.
Theodore was born on October 27, 1858, into a wealthy family in New York City. He was the son of Theodore Roosevelt Sr., a banker, and of Martha Bulloch Roosevelt. Physically, Theodore was a small, weak child, with fair skin, brown hair, large teeth, and blue, nearsighted eyes; however, despite his size, he was always very determined. Theodore had three siblings, two sisters, Corinne and Anna, and a brother, Elliot. Theodore, Corinne, and Elliot did nearly everything together.
Theodore Roosevelt’s earliest education was obtained through books. Theodore took an interest in books when he was less than five years old. Children of his age usually spent most of their time playing outside, although Theodore was different. Most of the time he spent indoors looking through numerous books in his family’s library. Since he did not know how to read, he found another way of learning from them. He examined the pictures carefully for many minutes until he was able to gain tons of facts and information. Sometimes he was so captivated by the pictures that he would ask his older sister Anna or his mother to read the book to him. Years later, he could repeat things he read word for word.
Up to the age of fifteen, Theodore never attended school. Many children in New York, including Theodore, and his siblings had numerous health problems, which prevented some of them from going to school. A few wealthy parents did not want their kids in school because of the many illnesses that spread there easily at that time due to the lack of sanitation, proper care of the sick and little medicine. It was very common in the late 1800s for the children of wealthy families to hire a tutor to teach their children. These tutors would usually teach reading, writing, math, science, history, geography, and foreign languages. However, Theodore and his siblings did not receive this high-level education. With his siblings, he was tutored by only his mother and his Aunt Anna Bulloch, who did not have a lot of education in some areas themselves. Overall, Theodore was taught small portions of science, geography, and history, but he never became a good speller, and was poor in math, Greek, and Latin. He was also taught the skill to read and write, which he would use all of his life. Theodore once said, “Believe you can, and you’re halfway there.” Theodore Roosevelt believed that anything was possible by just believing and persevering no matter what. Despite the downfalls of his health, and only learning small portions of subjects, Theodore still had a keen mind and love ffor books and being unable to go to school did not stop him from getting good education.
Theodore was a very curious boy and a lifelong fascination with science and nature came early on in his childhood. He loved books and the outdoors so he combined that into the study of nature. Before he could even read, he found copy of African explorer and anti-slavery activist Dr. David Livingston’s “Missionary Travels and Researches in Southern Africa” in the family library. The pictures of the birds and animals were captivating, which first started his fascination with nature. He got hands on a seal scull, which started the Roosevelt Museum of Natural History. That seal sparked Theodore passion for observing, collecting, dissecting, studying, skinning, stuffing, labeling, and writing about the creatures of the natural world. Into his teenage years, he had been collecting more and more specimens. Not so many children in New York were quite as interested in the education of science and nature as Theodore was. He began to write down everything he read in the books about animals and wrote down his observations from his perspective. Collecting, and preserving these artifacts helped Theodore realize his true passion for being a naturalist, and shaped his education immensely by reading mostly books about animals.
Theodore was an avid reader. Whenever Theodore had a moment, he would spend it reading. He specifically loved stories about the American frontier because he loved history. As soon as he learned to read, he read classics such as Swiss Family Robinson, Little Men, Little Women, and Robinson Crusoe in a heartbeat. Sometimes, instead of reading them himself, he would beg his father to read them to him. «As a small boy,» he remembered, «I had Our Young Folks, which I then firmly believed to be the very best magazine in the world. . . . Cast Away in the Cold, Grandfather’s Struggle for a Homestead . . . and a dozen others like them were first class, good healthy stories, interesting in the first place, and in the next place teaching decency, good conduct, leadership, and responsibility.» He also read books of contemporary fiction, poetry, ancient philosophy, military histories, and natural history studies. At an early age, reading these magnificent books, combined with his father’s unique example, helped Theodore form ideas and opinions that would remain with him throughout his life. Some parents, including Theodore’s mother, worried about their children, since they spent all there time reading. However, Theodore’s father encouraged Theodore to learn and educate himself in many different ways. This was definitely not the only education Theodore had. As he was growing older, his studies and reading did not cease. He made Bible reading and Bible study played a big part of his everyday life. He encouraged others to take partake of its great wisdom. «A thorough knowledge of the Bible is better than a college education,» he argued.