One Room Schoolhouse  

November 15, 1892

We are going back in time today--to the year 1892!  Benjamin Harrison is President.   We are in Pittsboro, Indiana---in a small building surrounded by farming fields.

We arrived at 9:30 am to the little school house.  It was actually located in front of a large elementary school.  Once all each family arrived, the girls could pick out a pinafore - an apron-type thing that the girls tied behind their neck; and behind their waist.  We all were asked to wear period clothes.  Dd had a long skirt and long sleeve shirt.  I was surprised at how many children didn't dress up.  I even dressed up!

It was in 1998 that the little school house was moved from it's original spot to inside town; and in front of the elementary school.  It took 1 1/2 years to renovate it. 

After all the families arrived, we all lined up and walked past the "out-house" and walked into the public school to use their bathrooms.  I think we all were a little worried how real we were going to have to pretend!!!

The girls sat on the right side of the room; and the boys on the left.  Each desk had a name plate, made of wood.  The names were actually the last group of students from this school in 1912.  Because they needed more names than that small class had; they used the names from previous classes also.

The teacher was "Miss Phoebe".  She went around the classroom -as if taking attendance  - and talked to each "scholar" (she called us "scholars" not "students"; as if we were really that person, in 1892.  When Miss Phoebe asked a "scholar" a question; the scholar would have to stand up to answer her back.  Some scholars quickly understood this process and never skipped a beat.

I don't remember which events happened in which order---but we had "history" , handed out the McGuffey Readers and the scholars went up by grade and read a section with their grade, Recess (with old-timey toys), lunch (suppose to be what we would have eaten in that day, as well) and "arithmetic" on our slate boards and soapstone as chalk.

It was really a nice day.  It helped that Miss Phoebe was a really nice teacher!

They had a woman whose handwriting was so beautiful that they had her write on the board; what they wanted, and then had another person copy her writing in paint.  This way, it will be like this for every class---always!

Because the girls allowed themselves to wear the pinafore's they did look a little more 'at home' in this setting.  The youngest girls, I have to say, looked the cutest to me!! 

Here is a group photo of our class on this day.  The week before another group of our LHE 'scholars' had spent the day with Miss Phoebe too.  You can see the girls wore the little apron/pinafore over their clothes; but the boys did NOT want to wear the fancy shirts that were offered to them to wear over their shirts to help make them look historically accurate. 

They bought a few things for the school, and this encyclopedia was one item they bought.  I think they paid a few hundred dollars.  The stand is very unique; it will level itself out no matter what page you turn it to.  It acts like a mini scale.  The two sides of the table go up and down to level out the book, for prim reading.  I hope that explanation makes sense--it was very inventive.  They also bought a standing globe that was from this time, and still in good shape; I believe they paid $300.00 for it.

We had to make our own paper cup and then she gave us a ladle full.  This was all the water we got for the whole day; luckily she gave us seconds.