6 Things I Learned About School from the First Chapter of Farmer Boy

 

We are re-reading Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder. My boys love this book. Tonight as we read the first chapter I was again struck by the opening chapter's description of school in the 1860's.

I've felt prompted to write about it a bit and contrast it to modern day school experiences.

1. Children Walked Three Miles to School

We've all heard grandpa's tale of walking five miles to school, in the snow, up hill, both ways. Turns out your grandpa probably isn't too far off. Almanzo and his siblings walked 1 1/2 miles to school and then back again and, yes, they did so in the freezing snow. 

This may one reason why, even though they had a rich lunch consisting of apple turnovers, butter, and donuts, the rates of childhood obesity in Almanzo's generation were probably zero.

2. Teacher's Were Responsible for Children

Almanzo speaks of the high snow drifts this winter day. The school teacher. Mr. Corse, had arrived at the school house early to shovel the walk way to the school so the children could enter the building. He was also responsible for getting the wood stove going (with wood he probably chopped himself) as to keep the students and himself warm all day.

To me this shows a level of responsibility needed from a teacher for the care and comfort of their class that we simply don't have the opportunity to find anymore. Imagine having to wake early, walk miles to work through the snow, shovel the walk way, start a fire, not to mention preparing your lesson. What dedication that must have taken!

3. The Teacher's Knew Their Students Intimately

Teacher's during this time would room with their students families. Each family boarded the teacher for two weeks and then they switched. Imagine the insight one would gain as an educator if you had to actually live with your students! Today a teacher would be extremely lucky to have one, one hour, home visit per year and that usually only happens in private schools.

How much better a teacher would be able to teach his or her pupil if they understood the students background, their home life situation, the kinds of food they ate, the schedule they kept, where they fell among their siblings, how their parents spoke to them, etc. It boggles the mind!

4. The School Year Was Very Short

The teacher boarded two weeks with each family and when he or she had rotated through all the families available the school was closed up for the year. From what I could gather from Almanzo's description there were about 5 families worth of students in his school. that would mean about 10 weeks of school all year long.

That's a big contrast to the institutions we call school today were some students, at "year round" programs literally spend all year in school.This really shows that the emphasis at this time was on home and family for socializing, entertaining as well as education. 

5. Children Didn't Start School Until Age 9

In Almanzo's world children didn't begin school until they were almost 9 years old. This puts kids entering school at third grade by our modern standards. This may seem odd but really it makes a lot of sense. Around the age of nine children go through what's called "the nine year change". This is a time when they become more independent and are better able to focus on long tasks.

Since children in Almanzo's school were expected to sit, be quite and learn their lessons starting at age nine, when they were mature enough to do so, is very logical. 

But didn't this leave them behind in their studies?

Not at all. They started later but could learn quicker. Instead of trying to shove reading, writing and math down the throat of a 5 year old, they simply started at nine when the child could pick it up without much of a struggle, thus they moved along quickly after that.

6. Children Were Given Ample Recess Time

Teachers back then seemed to understand what our modern day has forgotten - if you're going to make children sit, quietly, in a desk, for hours, you need to give them time to run and play. It's called recess and few schools these days even allow for it.

Yet in Almanzo's day they were given 15 minutes in the morning and time again during lunch - and this was for all ages. These breaks were also separated by gender with the girls going out first and then the boys having their turn. Lots of fresh air, sunshine and play punctuated the children's day - what a delight!

You would expect that today with our longer hours, our earlier start and our federal standards in educational methods that we would at least see a much more intelligent population here in the US but that simply isn't true.

In 1870, 80% of the entire adult population was literate (able to read, write and articulate). And those numbers were dragged down by the fact that African Americans, unable to attain education in most parts of the country, only had a literacy rate of 20%.

The gap for literacy between blacks and whites equaled out for the most part in the 1970s yet as of 2003, we see that only 86% of our adult population is literate and that rate has been on the decline for years. 

So for all our testing, pushing, prompting, regulating, forcing and equal opportunity of education we have only gained 6% and we are in danger of losing that soon? Something doesn't seem right

Modern day schools have become like jail cells for children. Drab, sterile, too long, and too often with nothing to show for it but high rates or "behavior" issues unheard of in the 1860s.

Personally, I long to see a return of community run, one room school houses and as more parents take their children out of public education jails and school them at home and in co-ops I think we have a good chance of seeing that happen in our life time.

In the meantime, I'll be pouring over Laura Ingalls Wilder's books for more gems lost in the past!

And now, some wisdom on modern education from Tears for Fears...

"All around me are familiar faces

Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
And their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow...

I find it hard to tell you

'Cos I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
Made to feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me "

-Mad World by Tears for Fears