First there was learning. This has always been an important part of human life. By imitating their parents， children learned to hunt， to make tools， and to take care of themselves and others.

Next came education. This was possible only after people developed language. Then adults could explain how to do things. They could talk about traditions， beliefs， and ceremonies of the group. Still， education was oral. Children could learn only what their teachers could remember.

Finally， schools were created. They came into being because writing was invented. The first system for writing appeared about 3，500 B.C. in Sumeria， a land that is now Iraq. The Sumerians also invented a system for calculating with numbers. About 500 years later， the Egyptians discovered writing and calculation， too. And shortly after that， both the Sumerians and the Egyptians started schools. Being able to read and write they allowed people to learn anything that could be recorded. But the early systems were complicated. Children couldn‘t learn them just by watching. That’s why schools became a necessity.

Those first students learned reading， writing， and calculation. Having these skills gave people great power over those who did not have them. Some 5，000 years later， this is still true.

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