Education by Culture in My Homebrew Setting

For most of my adult life, I have been a teacher. I've taught elementary school, middle school, high school, and at universities--the whole range, for those unfamiliar with United States education. And yet I've never really thought about what education looks like in my world. I think that on some level, I just imagined everybody doing slightly different versions of what I'm used to--classroom teaching. But of course, my homebrew world is more complicated than that. With fidelity to my homebrew versions of D&D groups, this guide will explore how education happens, who is allowed to teach and learn, what sorts of things are taught, what the purpose of education is, and how the group feels about education. 

Daltoners

For Daltoners, education is relatively basic. Young children--too young to work--are taught in large classrooms that accommodate up to 50 students at once, the basics of reading and arithmetic as well as a formative education on the beliefs of the Dalton Church of Pelor. Over half the school day consists of the teachings of the Dalton Church of Pelor, with reading and arithmetic given considerably less time. The goal of Daltoner education is to create principled members of the Church and to give young Daltoners the ability to read (to study the holy texts of Pelor) and to do basic math (to be able to carry out financial transactions). Education takes place during early childhood and generally ends after three years, at which point experience in the real world is held to administer the rest of one's education. 

Amongst Daltoners, teaching is not a respected profession. Generally, single Daltoner women are teachers, be they widows or spinsters. Teaching is partially not respected because the skills taught are so rudimentary--basic math and reading is taken for granted, in part because Daltoner education has ensured they have these basic skills. Further, the lessons on Pelor tend to be introductory, and the "real work" of religious instruction is left for clerics and priests. Because of this, only those who adore young children and have little means of supporting themselves turn to teaching. 

For Daltoners, education is thought of as a benevolent gesture. The adoption of basic schooling came only once witnessing the relative lack of education of Daltoners compared to the rest of Evanoch; it was an effort to equip Daltoners with the skills they needed to compete in the modern world. That was roughly 150 years ago, and the Daltoners' education project has seen an increase in commerce and Daltoner culture as new generations of Daltoners have entered the world more equipped to deal with problems and embrace their culture. But despite the gains made through education, it has not been expanded as the increased individual identity of students troubles the very conformist Daltoners. The ultimate goal of Daltoner education is to become part of the Daltoner culture. 

Faninites

Faninite education is entirely informal and unstandardized. Faninite children are taught by their parents and community members throughout their youth and adolescence. While life skills are taught, and the parents' professions are usually imparted, most of a young Faninite's education is guided by their own interest. Faninites who take an interest in a subject or skills seek out more expert people to instruct them; it is considered a duty to educate others in Faninite society. The goal of Faninite education is to provide young people with what they need to survive (the basic skills) and to be happy (the personal interest education). 

Teaching is not a profession for Faninites, who are expected to be teachers of anything they are skilled at or knowledgeable about, but the act of teaching is highly respected. Those who spend considerable time teaching others are considered staples of the community, wise, and benevolent to share so much. It is thought that nothing would be known without teaching--that all knowledge and experience would disappear if not shared--and so for Faninites, teaching is something that allows society to pass on its best to those that follow. 

Faninites believe that education should be a constant part of life, and the idea of a formal schooling with a definite end does not make complete sense to Faninites. Teachers from other cultures do have the respect of Faninites, although they believe it should not all be in the hands of a select few people to do the educating--a sort of kind pity comes from this, believing that other cultures' teachers are overworked and underappreciated. Because most Faninite education centers on usable skills and personal wisdom, much of Faninite education is not academic as far as other cultures are concerned. The ultimate goal of Faninite education is to make the world more livable and full of wisdom.

Dwarves

There is no formal schooling until academy-level for the dwarves. Basic education is considered the obligation of parents, and apprenticeships amongst dwarves start even before adolescence, so that unless a dwarf comes from a wealthy family and doesn't need to pick up a trade to support themselves and their clan, most dwarves never receive education beyond apprenticeship. For dwarves who do wish to enter academia, they generally find that non-dwarven universities and academies are not entirely welcoming to dwarves, whose educations are irregular and are entirely focused on dwarven concerns and interests. 

At the level of academia, teaching is respected, but less respected than achievement. Dwarven higher education more resembles guided individual study than having a class of students; academic dwarves research independently and confer with their professors, who are themselves engaged in the same process, in order to advance learning. It is not entirely uncommon for students at Underhar University to be students for several years together and never meet. For dwarves, education is about the individual's search for knowledge to add to collective knowledge. 

Dwarves do not generally regard education as something required by all. The ruling class of dwarven society is highly educated by dwarven standards, which helps them to lead more effectively; common dwarves are not leaders and do not require education. Many dwarves perceive education as a matter of class--only those wealthy enough to not work go into academics. For this reason, the educated tend to see teachers as guiding lights to more knowledge, and the common dwarf regards teachers as frivolous and unnecessary. The ultimate goal of dwarven education is to teach skills that will be useful.

Orcs

Education amongst orcs takes place at the hands of curtrans, the wise women of orcish villages who see to the wellbeing of the people there. Orcs are generally left to figure out things about the world on their own; young orcs are warned of dangerous situations, but they are otherwise more or less independent in seeking understanding. A curtran tends to wait for people seeking advice to come to her, but in the case of wayward young people, a curtran will often approach them to discuss what is wise. Beyond the counsel of the curtran, there is no formal education amongst orcs, nor is there an established institution for higher learning anywhere in orcish lands. 

When an orc has a special skill or insight to impart, they will; lessons taught by a curtran can be conveyed; beyond this, the expectation is that orcs will figure things out for themselves or ask for the help of a curtran. The reputation of curtrans is difficult to convey: they are the heart and soul of their communities, they are trusted sources of wisdom, and they are the unofficial leaders of orcish society. To ask how a role as educators affects the reputation of curtrans is to ask which blade of grass in a field affects the whole field--curtrans could not be more respected. 

Orcs regard education as important in the abstract but fail to understand the need for formal schooling. Orcs respect teachers from other societies as being akin to a curtran (if without the community role), and teachers can find a welcoming community amongst orcs, many of whom will want to inquire about the teacher's wisdom. Knowledge for its own sake is not truly pursued in orcish society; orcs prefer practical things, and passing down orcish oral tradition is considered useful as a way to tie all orcs together. The ultimate goal of orcish education is to help people.

Elves

Education is very formalized amongst the elves. Education is undertaken with a private tutor from a very early age, and by the time an elf is at the end of adolescence, they have typically cycled through several escalating tutors and are ready for academia. It is expected that an elf will fulfill advanced study of a subject before choosing a profession, at which point adult life truly begins. There are several institutions of higher learning in Mishara as well as an elven-run academy in nearby Finiel. These academies generally specialize in a few fields of study, such as arts, sciences, magic, etc. 

To be a tutor or higher-level teacher for elves means being a learned expert. Tutors specialize in breadth of knowledge, and this generally commands the respect of elven parents, who see the tutor as a way to guarantee their child the best chance in life. Professors and other academic elites specialize in depth of knowledge, and this commands the respect of elven students, who often choose an expert to study with in the hopes that they are able to learn directly from the masters. For elves, teachers are respected members of the community even if they aren't the most respected members of society. 

Elves regard education as incredibly important, and knowledge for its own sake is a frequent pursuit of academic elves. Non-elven teachers are usually thought of as being less impressive than elven teachers, but certainly, elves offer respect to any teacher. It is especially true of elves that early teachers, such as the first tutor a student has growing up, are cherished, as they are more often present in a young elf's life than their parents, and while elven teachers are not marked by warmth, elves still tend to carry positive memories of these teachers into old age. The ultimate goal of elven education is to produce fully individual people.

Half-Elves

Half-elves tend to be too spread out to have formal societal structures in place; they do value education like both their parents, the Faninites and the elves, but their approach blends the two approaches while adding to it. Like the Faninites, half-elves elect that any able and willing person should be able to serve as a teacher in a pursuit they are proficient or expert in; like the elves, half-elves believe in the value of gradations of expertise, starting broadly and then going for depth once a field is chosen. But unlike either of their parent groups, half-elves also treat education as a way to achieve self-knowledge; half-elven education is heavy on philosophy in order to promote more critical thought. 

Those who teach have the respect of half-elves to a lesser extent than artists, but still much more than most professions. While half-elves are not overly practical people, the practicality of education does not escape them, and many half-elven parents are known to consider tutors and other teachers to be part of the family. As students themselves, half-elves often seek to capture the respect of their teachers, something done through an impressive display of knowledge or skill. 

Half-elves think of education as being very important, but there is little agreement over what education should consist of. It is agreed that exposure to the arts and to philosophy and logic are worthwhile, but other fields are very much up to the choosing of the student. Some half-elves elect to entirely ignore mathematics, history, or the sciences in place of a more personal curriculum, while others undergo a comprehensively broad education that informs the student's understanding of all fields by the other fields. The ultimate goal of half-elven education is to be satisfied. 

Gnomes

Gnomish society is deeply defined by education. Formal education in a classroom setting with a group of highly-educated teachers and assistants is considered mandatory from an age of 3 until the test known as the G.O.L.D. (Gnomish Overall Literacy Demonstration) is administered when the student's teachers believe they are ready, generally around 24 years old. Gnomish education spans every topic known to academia and specializes in education of the Code of Right and Good Action, a complex guide to moral behavior that gnomes hold as essentially holy. Further education at the Vestry Academies, where all fields are taught up to hyper-expert level, is common amongst gnomes and is generally considered to be an assumed part of life for most gnomes. At the most advanced level, gnomish education resembles elven education in terms of independent and shared studies, though gnomish academics are far more cooperative and collaborative than elven academics. 

In order to teach at any level of gnomish education, one must possess an impeccable G.O.L.D. score designating them as a potentially talented teacher as well as having an advanced degree in the field they are to teach (there is a degree for early and adolescent education for those posts). This qualification makes nearly any teacher a respected member of gnomish society; because gnomes prize expertise highly, educators who distinguish themselves as especially knowledgeable or helpful are considered even more highly respectable. It is worth noting that membership in the Educators' Guild is another mark of respect for a gnome. 

Gnomes believe that all things are possible with education, and few things are possible without it. With that spirit, gnomes go about education with great purpose and dedication. There is a heavy societal expectation with gnomes that students will take their educations seriously--without an education, a gnome's financial prospects are slim, their social prestige will be low, and their ability to function as a moral person through the Code will be impaired. For these reasons, the ultimate goal of gnomish education is to prepare for a happy, meaningful life. 

Halflings

Halflings approach to education is intertwined with their approach to parenting--halfling children are raised by their mother alone, who teaches as many useful and practical skills as possible before abandoning the child just before adolescence so that the child can become an independent adult. This matriarchal teaching consists of literacy, cooking, sewing, hunting, alchemy (a skill highly useful in the rainforests of the halfling lands), and at least a few crafts. The intention of this education regimen is to prepare the child for life on their own, so all skills that an adult needs to care for themselves are covered. Beyond this brief and practical education, halflings generally learn new information and skills from working together. 

Because teaching resides entirely in the mother's hands, it is difficult to extricate the feeling of halflings about educators without getting feelings about their mothers, which is of course highly complicated by the abandonment, though halfling culture mostly holds that this is a natural process that is as it should be. Therefore, with a lack of official teachers and only motherly relationships to rely on, there is no meaningful statement to be made about halfling feelings towards educators. 

Halflings believe that skills and information can be easily picked up and absorbed, so education seems totally unnecessary so long as one stays part of a community. The act of learning new things is undertaken seriously--without it, a halfling would be without a way to support themselves, and that would be unthinkable. And when a halfling learns something from someone, they are always sure to issue a sincere "thank you." It's just the idea of formal education that is foreign to halflings. The ultimate goal of halfling education is to prepare people for the life ahead. 

There you have it--a guide to the education systems and philosophies in my homebrew setting. Traditionally, education has really only come up in campaigns when characters needed to visit a university to find an expert on something, and even then, I've tried to keep things interesting by putting non-academic experts like Tasselman Calies in campaigns like Listen Check and Of Gods and Dragons, so education has always just skirted out of sight. But now, I have a full understanding of schooling and informal education across Evanoch, and I'll be more inclined to include schools, teachers, and students in my campaign with this knowledge. Sometimes, a homebrew idea or detail immediately informs something going on at your table, and sometimes, a homebrew idea or detail allows you to open new doors that hadn't been urgent. In this case, I'm eager to be ready to add something education-related to my games, especially since it's something I'm passionate about. 

That's all for now. Coming soon: the value of an epilogue, contributions to healing in my homebrew setting, and the visual arts in my homebrew setting. Until next time, happy gaming!

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