Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Good Fences

This white picket fence stands elegantly in front of the New Era School. New Era is a restored 1884 one room school house that was dismantled and moved seven miles to its present location. It is now a museum to days gone by when the conveniences of modern schools were nonexistent. The New Era School has maintained the integrity of its time with original desks, pot-bellied stove, slate chalkboards, oiled floors, pump, outhouse, and coal shed. You can see the coal shed to the right of the school and the outhouse is out back on the left. The school is open on Tuesdays during the summer months for tours. Admission is free. The school stands adjacent to the local elementary school. In May the school children will take part in May Day activities at the New Era school including an old fashioned maypole dance.  

Years ago my parents had a choice when it was time for me to begin my school career. They were informed I could ride the bus into “town” to go to the public elementary school there or the bus would drop me off about halfway there at a small one room school house. My parents chose the town school. Every day the bus would stop and drop off those students attending the one room school and then off to town the rest of us would go. I attended school in that one building from grade one to grade eight. I liked school and have many wonderful memories of those elementary years.

However, I still often wonder what it would have been like in that little one room school house. Everyday as we stopped to get those other students we could anticipate a glorious story of something that had happened. We heard who fell in the creek, a story about the, um, – outhouse, the baseball games or tag. I particularly remember there were many stories about a young boy who was always getting into something. He was a little cross-eyed and the boys had a running joke about his antics. They always said,”It would have killed any ordinary man.” And, always we heard their laughter each and every day.

I’m not sure if those students missed out on anything; but I think maybe I did.

Linking to Good Fences and Weekly Top Shot

15 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

so darn cute! and perfect little fence!

Nicki said...

The grass is always greener - or so they say. There were probably pros and cons to both methods. Fun that you were given a choice. We actually were happy our children got to attend the smaller (close by) school rather than be bused into town to the larger elementary school. Pros and cons.

They are doing a nice job taking care of it.

Red said...

I went to a one room school. There was good and not so good. I hate to rain on your party. We were like one big family. the bad...very few of us learned to read! We have a romantic view of the one room school but there were also inadequacies. .

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

it is wonderful that it has been perserved inside adn out for other younger people to see and undderstand what school was like in the 'old' days. Of course the green is always greener an dI am sure the children that attended that little school were a close nit bunch and frindds for life.

kayerj said...

I love the picture but the story made the picture better. Thanks for sharing today.

EG CameraGirl said...

I can't imagine being a teacher in a one-room school. Very chaotic, I think.

eileeninmd said...

What a cute little school house and fence.. I have seen a similar one near me that has been renovated into a home.. Have a happy day!!

Ida said...

What a charming little school and picket fence. I bet it would have been a very close knit group of kids who went there. I think as long as everyone got a good education it probably doesn't make a difference about which school you went too.

Rose said...

Love this picutrue. This is a wonderful post...I didn't go to a one room school, but did go to one with four rooms. Two grades to one teacher.

Anonymous said...

It's so neat that it's next to the local elementary school and the kids can get a glimpse of an earlier era.

Debby Ray said...

What a pristine little school house...so clean and crisp...and the white picket fence sets it off perfectly...great story too!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Beautiful; fun reminder of days past. Bill taught in a one-room school for two years, right after graduating from Normal School (Teacher's College, as I'm sure you know.) We both went to a grade school like the one you went to, so he had no experience to draw on. He always says he learned as much from those pupils as they did from him.

Debbie said...

ooooo, it's just so cute and picture perfect! The fence compliments the school perfectly!!

It's so nice that it has been preserved!!

Unknown said...

A very quaint little school house, it's very existence just says "welcome" it is set off beautifully by the White picket fence

DeniseinVA said...

A great photo Carletta, what stories it could tell :)