Only some boys and girls went to school.  Most of them were in the upper-class group of their society.  The five main subjects were reading, geography, writing, mathematics, and literature.  The students learned writing by copying letters, literature, and business accounts.  They used papyrus, the worlds first paper like material, and they wrote with reeds that were softened and shaped.  The king's palace, government department, and temples operated schools.  All the schools prepared students to become scribes or to follow other careers.