A Girl's Early Education

Our family has been blessed by the gods with enough wealth to fund a good education for both of our children. Many families solely prioritize their sons' education to prepare him well for his future career, which we also did with our son Felix. But a girl's education in Rome gets controversial. Many people believe that a girl should only learn basic household and mothering skills, or an introductory level of literacy to be a more interesting companion for her husband. But Cornelius and I believe that education is priceless, and as a well-educated woman myself, I wanted my own daughter to have a similar opportunity. When Lucia turned eight, we had the paedagogus Alexander stay at our home and provide Lucia with an education in basic literacy and arithmetic. This was the same well-educated slave who had taught Felix a few years prior. Lucia's lessons were generally shorter than Felix's had been though, so I would use the remaining time in our day to teach her necessary skills as a young Roman woman. I had taught her most of the basics of sewing and and proper etiquette when she was younger, so when she entered into her early education, I moved onto topics like cleanliness, personal appearance, and Roman virtues. As a woman, we have to make sure our external appearance is a symbol of our family's status, so learning how to weave our hair into certain styles and dress ourselves modestly and in the right fashion is imperative.

Lucia continued her at-home education with Alexander until she was 13, at which age she continued her personal studies through reading poems and philosophical texts, as well as taking interest in what Felix was learning in classes with his rhetor. Felix was happy to share his findings with Lucia and engage in intellectual conversations with her. Growing up, Felix and Lucia were quite close, especially compared to other brother-sister sibling dynamics in our society. I believe that this is largely attributed to Lucia's education; it empowered her to take part in these intellectual conversations and have a frame of reference for current events and politics, which are Felix's primary interests.

For so many reasons, I believe investing in an education for your daughter is crucial. She may not live to be a politician or philosopher, and her job as a homemaker doesn't require a formal education, but education will allow her to be an even more interesting companion for her future husband and a sister who can better support her brother's career in politics. I understand that my opinion on this is controversial, but all I ask is that you hear me out. It could very well be worth it for your daughter.

vale, et animum sume,

Octavia