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Furniture
Then
In the earliest schools, students sat on three-legged stools
or long benches behind narrow tables.
The furniture was often hand-made from pine or oak by the student’s
parents. Later on the students sat at
desks that were bolted to the floor.
Some had built-in inkwells. Boys
and girls sat on opposite sides of the room. The younger children sat in the
front of the room. All students faced
the teacher, who was the source of instruction. The recitation bench
was a plain wood bench that served as seats for the students reciting their
lessons. Often at the front of the class were pictures of Abraham Lincoln and
George Washington, a blackboard with the alphabet above it, a United States
flag and a clock. If students were thirsty (or antsy), they would go to the
back of the room for a drink out of the large earthen container called the
water cooler. Sometimes, students would bring their own cups to get a drink out
of the container. In poorer school districts, the entire class used a community
dipper to get a drink out of the container. This community dipper spread germs,
which meant that many of the children were sick at the same time. Sometimes,
when a particularly bad illness was passed around, the school would close until
most students were healthy again.
Now
After 1930 portable
desks were found in schoolrooms. By the 1960s round tables were introduced to
encourage interaction between the students.
Teachers moved away from the front of the room, and they became more of
a learning facilitator.
Bells
Then
In the morning the teacher would stand outside the school
door and ring a hand bell when it was time for school to begin. This bell would also be used after
recess. Students needed to be within
earshot to hear the bell or they would risk punishment for being tardy. Some
schools were built with a bell tower that would call students to school.
Now
Today schools have a systematized
bell that rings at the beginning and end of the school day. It also can ring between class periods.
Blackboards
Then
Early blackboards (1809) were made from pine lumber and
covered with a mixture of egg white and carbon from charred potatoes. Teachers and students wrote with chunks of
chalk and erased with cloth rags. Slate
became available in the mid 1800s and teachers used cylinders of white chalk
and felt erasers.
Now
Today, whiteboards
and smart boards that use color, computer technology, and presentation software
for instruction are replacing the blackboard.
Books
Then
The first book in the classroom was the Bible. It was
central to a child’s moral and religious education, which was of prime
importance in early American schools. Children would also learn to read using the
Bible. Much of the school day was devoted to memorizing and reciting passages
from it. Bible passages were also copied to learn penmanship.
The first
textbook was the New England Primer used between 1760 and 1843. In the 19th century the McGuffey
Reader was most popular; it had been introduced in 1836. It consisted of a
series of six readers that increased in difficulty. These were the basis for
teaching literacy, basic values such as honesty and charity, and it was a way
that readers were exposed to landmarks of world literature.
Now
Today schools have
libraries full of books and electronic media. Books are still the primary
sources of instruction for students, but they do not memorize passages. Instead
they learn skills to access information on their own.
Lighting
Then
There was little need for lighting in schools as one-room
schools usually had large windows.
Sometimes oil lamps or candles were used in New England while Kerosene
lamps were used in prairie schools
Now
Students benefit from electricity to light classrooms and
power all types of electrical tools to make learning more flexible and
interesting. Electric lights have
allowed the school day to extend beyond sundown.
Heating
Then
Most one-room schools had a potbelly stove. It could burn many types of fuel: wood coal
corncobs, straw, or cow chips. The teacher was responsible for maintaining the
fire. Students close to the stove were often too warm, while students in the
corners of the room were often cold.
Now
Central heating and air conditioning has led to many improvements
in the school. Controlling the
environment of the classroom allows students to focus on learning, teachers to
teach and not worry about the comfort in the room, and it can extend the length
of the school year as well as the use of the school building.
Pens, Ink and Paper
Then
Penmanship was an
important skill. The appearance of the script was very important. The quill pen
was used for important writing tasks or for written work that was to be
exhibited. It was the teacher’s job to
whittle goose quill pens and make ink for the inkwells. Ink might have been
made from lampblack or tannic acid from oak tree galls mixed with light oil.
Writing with ink could be messy so students used blotting paper to absorb
excess ink from the page when they were finished.
Now
By the 1870s
massed-produced paper was inexpensive enough to be used in the classroom.
Students could write longer pieces including stories and journals that they
could take home and share with parents.
School Lunch
Then
Students brought their lunch to school in a sturdy metal
bucket. The lunch might include bread with jam or meat sandwiches, hard-boiled eggs
and pickles. At some
schools, children took turns bringing a pail of milk to school each day.
At lunchtime they placed the bucket of milk on the stove. Students looked
forward to having hot cocoa with their lunch. Sometimes they forgot to
loosen the lid of the pail, which caused an explosion that sent scalding milk
flying to the ceiling. Fortunately, these accidents rarely occurred.
In
the wintertime many students carried half-baked potatoes to school. The
potatoes, which had been heated before the children left for school, kept
little hands warm during the long, cold walk. Students finished cooking
the potatoes on the wood stove at school.
Now
Today most students eat lunch in a cafeteria that serves hot
lunches. Many students still bring lunch to school in a lunch box or a bag.
Slate and Pencils
Then
In early schools each
child owned a book-sized writing slate encased in a wood frame. This was used for practicing script. The slate was scratched with a slate pencil-
basically a cylinder of rock. Eventually the slate was replace d by soft
chalk. Memorization was emphasized since
nothing on the slate was kept. Slates and slate pencils were very handy
in one-room schools. Children were able to do their work on slates and show the
teacher, then correct the mistakes without using any paper. Paper was
expensive. Either children did not have any or tried not to use the little they
had. The slate boards made it easy to teach a lesson, erase the work and move
on to another lesson without any waste. By the 1930s, slate boards had largely
been replaced by paper and pencils.
Now
After the Civil War, lead pencils similar to those used
today were introduced. Now most work was written on paper. The pencil was a
great improvement since it’s narrow design made it easier for children to
control their writing and develop number and letter skill.
Technology
Then
Some interesting tools of technology included the stereoscope. This was introduced in the
1870s. It created three-dimensional
images of landscape, plants and animals. The abacus was used in school in the 19th century. It is an
early calculator. Teachers sometimes used it to demonstrate and test
computation skills. By 1923 the radio
was introduced in some schools. There
was radio instruction on subjects such as penmanship, accounting, arithmetic
and history.
Now
Television was first introduced in 1939
into classrooms in Los Angeles, California. It is still the most widely used
technology in the classroom. The computer has become the fastest-growing
form of technology in public schools today.
Testing
Then
Test and quizzes were common in the 19th century
school. Often teachers would conduct an oral stand-up quiz at the end of the
school day. By the 1870s students had to pass an Eighth Grade Examination in
order to attend high school. This was a two-day examination administered by an
official from the county seat.
Now
Today students take many tests. These include: short
informal quizzes, ITBS, Achievement tests, SAT, ACT and numerous state-specific
tests that measure all sorts of skills and abilities. The number and kind of
tests has increased over time.
