As a child in public education, from kindergarten to senior year of high school, I noticed an undeniable trend with my instructors. In elementary school (age six) I had all female teachers, 11 in total. Once I got to middle school (three years), I had few male but mostly female instructors: 3 males, 19 females. And then in high school (which I attended only two years before enrolling in university), I had more male teachers than female ones: 10 males, 7 females. This trend has continued into college, where I have an equal distribution of male and female instructors. I believe this trend is not random but a manifestation of our society's gender roles. As an anthropology major, gender roles and how they interact with activities such as education are important. This essay will evaluate the history of education in the United States and Sambia with an emphasis on the anthropological theme of gender and then compare and contrast their intersection. The first public school built in the United States, in colonial times, was the Boston Latin School in 1635 [Boston]. The school most likely only admitted students who already knew how to read and write, suggesting that homeschooling was essential. However, from the mid-1600s to the mid-1800s, public schools were virtually nonexistent and America's educational needs were met at home through the purchase of books [Peterson]. Parents felt it was their responsibility to teach their children how to earn a living and how to live. And so the Bible had the most important influence on the lives of Anglo-American children. Early American education was based on the principle of volunteerism. Because women were not expected to work outside the home or bring in income...... middle of document ......sions/Churchwide-Organization/Global-Mission/Where-We-Work/Asia/Papua - New Guinea/Mission-History.asp&xgt;.Robert, Peterson. "Education in Colonial America." This week in history. TJ ED and Web. November 17, 2011. .Stockard. Ed. Globalization and change in fifteen cultures. Sambia, gender, sexuality and social change. Herdt, Stople. Belmont, CA: Eve Howard, 2007. Print.Waldrip, Bruce G., Joe T. Timothy, and Wilson Wilikai. “Pedagogical Principles in Negotiating Cultural Conflict: A Melanesian Example.” International Journal of Science Education 29.1 (2007): 101-122. Premier of academic research. EBSCO. Network. October 18, 2011.Weiler, Kathleen. “The Historiography of Gender and Progressive Education in the United States.” Pedagogica Historica 42.1/2 (2006): 161-176. Premier of academic research. EBSCO. Network. October 18. 2011.