65 - MY COUNTRY SCHOOL

MY COUNTRY SCHOOL

13 ⅝ x 8 ⅝ inches

(My country school, District #67)

Rural living in the 1940s and 1950s meant attending a small church and a small school. They were the most influential sources of outside social contact. Because of the size, participation in extracurricular activities was required; it helped develop everyone’s confidence. Everyone had to sing in the school play—lip-synching was not allowed. Everyone had to participate to make the baseball team—everyone had to learn how to get along with one another. It was good solid training for real life.

Kindergarten through eighth grade was all taught in one big room, giving us the opportunity to repeatedly listen to the older grades’ lessons. It was a natural way to advance beyond our grade. Some years, there were only seven pupils in the entire school. We were close-knit even though we were all very different.

The one-room school was both restricting and stabilizing. The confinement forced us to treat each other with respect. The intimate environment focused my attention on the day’s lesson and helped me develop a deep love for learning. Attending a country school was a huge blessing, an advantage for learning multiple life lessons.