What is education? Homework, quizzes, tests, and… shudder… report cards. Except Matt and Attean do none of these things, and yet their relationship revolves around education. How? Matt teaches Attean English words and letters, and Attean teaches Matt how to make snares and craft a bow.
But education isn't only about skills and memorization. Matt also teaches Attean to trust a white person, and Attean shows Matt the wisdom behind Indian belief systems. And from each other, of course, they learn the power of friendship. In other words, being educated means way more than writing a killer essay. Read The Sign of the Beaver, and you'll see what we mean.
Questions About Education
- Whose education is more important: Matt's or Attean's?
- Is Attean a fool to ignore many of Matt's English lessons? Why or why not?
- How will Matt's education from Attean help him in the future? How will Attean's education from Matt help him in the future?
- In what ways does education play a role in Matt's coming-of-age process in the novel?
Chew on This
Though Attean's teachings taught him survival skills, Matt will need his reading abilities far more as an adult.
Though Matt's mother taught him to read, Matt will need the survival skills he learns from Attean more as an adult.