One-room schools were commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and Ireland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Rural areas can be large and isolated (also referred to as "the country" and/or "the countryside over the course of time In Political geography and International politics, a country is a Political division of a geographical entity The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar The twentieth century of the Common Era began on In most rural (country) and small town schools, all of the students met in a single room. A school (from Greek σχολεῖον - scholeion) is an Institution designed to allow and encourage Students (or "pupils" The word student is etymologically derived through Middle English from the Latin second-type conjugation Verb "studēre" There, a single teacher taught academic basics to five to eight grade levels of elementary-age boys and girls. In Education, a teacher is one who helps Students or pupils often in a School, as well as in a Family, religious or Primary education is the first stage of Compulsory education. While in many areas one-room schools are no longer used, it is not uncommon for them to remain in developing nations and rural areas, such as much of the Faulklands and Shetlands. Developing countries are countries that haven't reached Western-style standards of democratic government free market economy industrialization social programs and human rights guaranties Shetland (formerly spelled Zetland, from etland; Old Norse non Hjaltland; Sealtainn is an Archipelago off the northeast coast of
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History
United States
The quality of facilities at one-room schools varied with local economic conditions, but generally, the number of children at each grade level would vary with local populations. Most buildings were of simple frame construction, some with the school bell on a cupola. In Architecture, a cupola or lantern is a radially symmetrical ornamental structure (often dome-shaped or quadrilateral located on top of a larger In Midwestern states, sod construction was also used, as well as stone in areas such as portions of the southwest where trees were scarce. Sod or turf is grass and the part of the Soil beneath it held together by the Roots or a piece of this material In some locations, the schoolhouse was painted red, but most seem to have been white.
Mission Ridge School was one of the early schools built in Mason County, West Virginia. Jefferson is an unincorporated town and a US Post Office in Park County, Colorado, United States. Mason County is a County located in the US state of West Virginia. It has been moved to the West Virginia State Farm Museum complex near Point Pleasant. Point Pleasant is a city in Mason County, West Virginia, United States, at the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers Examination of the materials in this building indicates that boards and timbers were hand-sawed and also hand-planed. Square nails were used throughout the building. Except for the roof and a few boards in the floor, all of the material in this building is original. The blackboard really is a black board, made of wide boards painted black. It was not until much later that slate was used for chalkboards, although students often had individual slates for writing practice.
Teachers in one-room schools were often former students themselves. In Education, a teacher is one who helps Students or pupils often in a School, as well as in a Family, religious or Their role is well-described by a student from Kentucky in the 1940s: "The teachers that taught in the one room, rural schools were very special people. The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America. The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949 Events and trends The 1940s was a period between the radical 1930s and the conservative 1950s which also leads the period to be During the winter months they would get to the school early to get a fire started in the potbelly stove, so the building would be warm for the students. A potbelly stove is a Cast iron Wood-burning stove, round with a bulge in the middle On many occasions they would prepare a hot, noon meal on top of the stove, usually consisting of soup or stew of some kind. They took care of their students like a new mother hen would care for her newly hatched chicks; always looking out for their health and welfare. "
A typical school day was 9 a. m. to 4 p. m. , with a morning and an afternoon recess of 15 minutes each and an hour period for lunch. "The older students were given the responsibility of bringing in water, carrying in coal or wood for the stove. The younger students would be given responsibilities according to their size and gender such as cleaning the black board (chalkboard), taking the erasers outside for dusting plus other duties that they were capable of doing. "[1]
Transportation for children who lived too far to walk was often provided by horse-drawn kid hack or sulky, which could only travel a limited distance in a reasonable amount of time each morning and evening, or students might ride a horse, these being put out to pasture in an adjoining paddock during the day. The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae. A kid hack was a Horse -drawn vehicle used for transporting children to school in the late 19th and early 20th century in the United States. A sulky is a lightweight Cart having two wheels and a seat for the driver only but usually without a body The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae. In more recent times, students rode bicycles. The bicycle, cycle, or bike is a pedal-driven, human-powered vehicle with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind
The school house was the center and focus for thousands of rural communities, hamlets and small towns. Often, town meetings and picnics were also held there.
The vast majority of one-room schools in the United States are no longer used as schools and have either been torn down or converted for other purposes. However, in some rural communities, including among the Amish, one-room or two-room schools are still used, primarily for elementary education, with students graduating to local or regional middle and high schools. The Amish (ˈɑːmɪʃ are members of an Anabaptist Christian denomination best known for Simple living, Plain dress and resisting modern conveniences Primary education is the first stage of Compulsory education.
Iron Hill School #112C
The Iron Hill School #112C, now the Iron Hill Museum, is in Newark, Delaware and is an example of a one-room schoolhouse constructed for African-American students during the days of segregation. The school, constructed in 1923, was one of 89 funded by Pierre S. duPont for black students in Delaware. DuPont's philanthropy project was aimed at improving the educational situation of blacks in Delaware at the neglect of the State Legislature. DuPont also funded construction and improvements for white schools. All of the DuPont-funded schools were designed by the Newark, New Jersey architectural firm of Guilbert & Betelle. Guilbert and Betelle was an Architecture firm formed as a partnership of Ernest F
The Iron Hill School is currently being utilized as a natural history museum, but plans to construct a new museum adjacent to the site include future interpretation of the school building to commemorate the history of the school and the community. An oral history project has recorded nearly 40 hours of interviews that capture the history from 1923 till its closing in the early 1960's.
Ireland
In Ireland, free primary education was mandated in 1831, prompting the establishment of many single-teacher National Schools across rural areas, most initially using a room in an existing building. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Year 1831 ( MDCCCXXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a A national school is a type of School. England and Wales See also Education in England, Education in Wales Historically By the 1850s there was a school in every parish. Events and Trends Industry Production of Steel revolutionized by invention of the Bessemer process Benjamin Silliman A parish is a Local church; it is an administrative unit typically found in episcopal or presbyterian churches Most extant one- and two-room school buildings date from the decades after 1891 when primary education became compulsory. Year 1891 ( MDCCCXCI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Most of those still in use today have been extended following merger with neighbouring schools. Since 2002, any state-funded school with at least 10 pupils is entitled to at least 2 teachers; the 21 schools which fell below this threshold are located on offshore islands [2]. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. This is a list of the principal Islands of Ireland. It includes both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland In recent decades, an increasing number of schools have been founded for parents not content with the National School system. These include Gaelscoileanna (which teach through Irish rather than English) and multi-denominational schools (most Irish schools are controlled by one or other of the main Christian churches). A gaelscoil (Plural gaelscoileanna) is an Irish -speaking School, often also Co-educational, usually found in Ireland, but outside Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The culture of the people living on the island of Ireland is far from monolithic Although such schools eventually become eligible for state funding, they usually begin with a single teacher in a room or prefabricated building. Prefabrication is the practice of assembling components of a Structure in a Factory or other Manufacturing site and Transporting complete
Teacher's residence
The teacher's residence, or teacherage, was often attached to the school, or very close by, so that a male teacher's wife and family were an integral part of the management and support system for the school. Single, female teachers were more often billeted or boarded with a local family to provide for social norms requiring social supervision of single females.
Canada
Many one roomed schools also served as the local chapel on Sundays, and evening/Saturday meeting places for local people and activities. Being mostly rural, many schools had no water or sanitation and this was often provided by converting wells into toilets (a plank with a hole in it), melting snow for water in the winter and relying on the help of nearby farms in the summer. In the 1950's a milk truck would sometimes come in the summer weeks and offer Strawberry, Chocolate and Plain milk.
Teaching standards were often variable from school to school with the teacher having to coach children of all ages/grades within one room. This sometimes meant that younger grades were left "out of their depth" while higher grades were being taught. Being distracted the younger ones often listened to and became aware of concepts and teaching that, normally, they would not encounter for some years. This has sometimes been presented as being one cause of the "precotious" period of the early 60's.
Consolidation
Motorized school buses in the 1920s made longer distances possible, and one-room schools were soon consolidated in most portions of the United States into multiple classroom schools where classes could be held separately for various grade levels. A school bus is a Bus used to transport Children and Adolescents to and from School and school events Gradually, one-room school houses were replaced. Most one-room schools had been replaced by larger schools by World War II except in the most rural areas. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including
However, they are still common in rural parts of Australia. Megalong Public School is a good example of a one-room school.
Preservation: buildings and cultural
In Calvert County, Maryland, Port Republic School Number 7 closed its doors in 1932 and sat unused for over 40 years. Calvert County is a County located in the US state of Maryland. Then, in 1976 the Calvert Retired Teachers Association, looking for a Bicentennial Year project, decided to restore the one-room schoolhouse. On July 24, 1977, after months of hard work by teachers and community volunteers, the old school bell rang out once more, and the little one-room school house, filled with its memories and memorabilia, was ready for visitors. [3] It is now one of the county's tourist attractions.
A similar project was done in Queen Anne's County, Maryland by retired Teachers and Community Volunteers. Queen Anne's County is a County located on the Eastern Shore of the U The restored schoolhouse is located in front of Queen Anne's County High School
In Iowa, over 125 small one-room school houses have been turned into local museums. Queen Anne's County High School (QACHS is a four-year public high school in Centreville MD, Queen Anne's County, Maryland, United States The State of Iowa ( is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. The buildings in some places found new purpose as homes.
The One Room School House Project of Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, includes listings and information on some 880 schools throughout the state and nation. For similarly-named academic institutions see Southwestern College. Winfield is a big but little City situated along the East European Border River in the west-central part of Cowley County, located in South Central Kansas The information, pictures, and stories included in this site have been collected and sent to the project by researchers and historians from across America.
Famous students of one-room schools
- Robert Gordon Menzies, the longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia - school at Jeparit, Victoria
- Laura Ingalls Wilder, who later dramatised her experience in Little House on the Prairie and other children's novels. Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, KT, AK, CH, QC (20 December 1894 - 15 May 1978 Australian politician was the twelfth person to serve The Prime Minister of Australia is the Head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia, holding office on commission from the Governor-General. Jeparit is situated on the Wimmera River in Western Victoria, Australia, 370 kilometres north west of Melbourne. Laura Ingalls Wilder ( February 7, 1867 – February 10, 1957) was an American Author, who wrote the Little House series Little House on the Prairie is a children's book by Laura Ingalls Wilder that was published in 1935
- Joyce Carol Oates, the Pulitzer-prize-winning writer, attended a one-room schoolhouse in upstate New York. Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16 1938) is an American author and the Roger S
- Alan B. Shepard, Jr., the first American in space and one of only twelve astronauts to have walked on the moon, attended a one-room schoolhouse in East Derry, New Hampshire. Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr (November 18 1923 &ndash July 21 1998 ( Rear Admiral, USN Ret
- Hazel Miner, who froze to death in a spring blizzard in Center, North Dakota in March 1920, but saved her younger brother and sister by covering them with her own body. Hazel Dulcie Miner (April 11 1904 - March 16 1920 the daughter of a North Dakota Farmer and a student at a One-room school, died saving her 10-year-old Center is a city in Oliver County, North Dakota in the United States.
- Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia founder. Jimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales (born August 7 1966 is an American Internet entrepreneur known
- Herbert Hoover, President. Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10 1874 &ndash October 20 1964 was the thirty-first President of the United States (1929–1933
External links
- CSAA a National One-Room Schoolhouse Support Organization
- Berkshire County Massachusetts (Lanesborough), Preserved One-room Schoolhouse on Mt. Greylock
- Calvert County Maryland, Preserved One-room Schoolhouse
- One Room School House Project of Southwestern College
- Kentucky One-room School
- Historic Mission Ridge One-room School
- University of Northern Iowa - One-room School Museum
- Iron Hill School: An African-American One-Room School, a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan
- Former Mt. Lonarch school, Victoria, Australia.
- America's One-Room Schoolhouses
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