The One-Room Schoolhouse
By: Meghan Judd
Where was it?
- Set up where people were settled.
- Took place in mostly open country areas.
- In states such as Kansas, Iowa, Georgia, etc.
- Kids could walk to school every day, no more than two miles.
Exteriors and Interiors of the Schoolhouses
- Simple building structure.
- They built it solely off of materials that they had available to them at the time, which in most cases was wood or brick.
- They chose to build it as a one story rather than two because the people were afraid that the schoolhouse would not be able to hold up through strong winds and storms.
- They had big school bells outside that the teacher rang starting and dismissing school.
Furnishings
- Pictures of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington
- Blackboards and chalk
- Single wooden desks
- Furnace
- Flags
- Maps
- Piano
- Globe
- Inspirational quotes listed around the room
Downsides
- Teachers had no training, started as early as 17.
- Outhouses were expensive to maintain.
- Not many books available in the library.
- The schools were unsanitary.
- If your teacher was ineffective you lost a year of education.
Curriculum
- Reading, writing, arithmetic
- Learned to sing songs
- The teacher taught students good morals such as responsibility and respect
- Kids were whipped with a paddle for discipline
- Had time for recess and lunch
- Said the pledge of allegiance and prayed every day
More Facts
- In most cases the oldest child of a family won't attend school because they have other duties to maintain the farm
- There were at the least 6-7 and at most 12-15 kids in each schoolhouse
- Days were grey for kids
- By 1900, there were 50 different ethnic groups who attended One-Room Schoolhouses in Wisconsin
- Students never took standardized tests
- They celebrated holidays in schools such as Halloween and Christmas
- Students looked forward to end of the year graduation
Would I have like to attend this school?
No, I would not have liked to attend this school. One-Room Schoolhouses had many problems and I don't think I'd be able to learn very well from it. The One-Room Schoolhouses don't use technology and I would not be able to learn as well without it.
Citations
Country School: One Room, One Nation. Dir. Kelly Rundle. Perf. Kelly Rundle. Passion River, 0. DVD.
"Histories/Records - One-Room Schoolhouse Center." One-Room Schoolhouse Center - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2012. <http://oneroomschoolhousecenter.weebly.com/historiesrecords.html>.
"One Room Schools - The Teachers." Clarke Historical Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2012. <http://clarke.cmich.edu/resource_tab/information_and_exhibits/one_room_schools/the_teachers.html>.
"One-room Schoolhouse: General Information - NIU - Blackwell Museum." Home Page - NIU - College of Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2012. <http://www.cedu.niu.edu/blackwell/oneroom/generalInfo.shtml>.