Centuries of Tutoring: A History of Alternative Education in America and Western Europe

This book examines both the development of tutoring as a form of education and its influence on 'schooling.' It offers a review of what past educators wrote on their work, the lives of their students, and the wider socio-cultural ramifications during centuries of tutoring. The role of the tutor and the tutor-governess is reviewed as education at home and the corollary use of tutors in the school. The nineteenth century in Europe and America witnessed the widespread use of tutors, and the gradual adoption of mandatory tax-supported public schooling. The study concludes with a brief review of the contemporary uses of tutoring and an analysis of its historical contributions to Western education.