One-Room Country Schools: History and Recollections

💎In my opinion, this book is a gem. Personally, I feel one-room schoolhouses are the solution to our education dilemma. At 73, whereas I didn’t personally attend such a school, I heard about them a lot, and with my parents visited several usually-charming school buildings in upstate New York in the 1960s. One-room schoolhouses are worth re-investigating, re-hashing, and re-adopting. We certainly could do no worse than the pathetic educational system(s) that exists now. I found the wood-burning iron stoves in the middle of the room particularly endearing.——-One-Room Country Schools🏠by Jerry AppsBorn and raised on a Wisconsin farm, Jerry Apps is Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the author of more than 35 books, many of them on rural history and country life.PREFACE TO THIS BOOKAfter graduating from a one-room country school in 1947, I took my elementary education for granted. But it came to mind as more people throughout the United States began discussing the shortcomings of public education and how it could be improved. As I became acquainted with these discussions, it occurred to me that my elementary education had been excellent, particularly in such basics as reading, spelling, arithmetic, writing, geography, and public speaking. This foundation has served me well over the years, and I gained it in an extremely modest building with all eight grades working together under the direction of one teacher.In writing this book, I set out to record what went on in these little one-room schools that were scattered throughout Wisconsin as well as in many other states. How did these schools provide an excellent education for most of the students who attended them? And likewise, what were their shortcomings?

I thought this book gave an accurate picture of the one room country school experience. My school was a little different from the ones Epps describes; Our school wasn't heated with wood, but many experiences were the same. I want to write an essay of my experience for my daughters. I wanted to read the book to refresh my memory. There were a few things I'd forgotten. Epps is right about how the school brought the community together. It did provide good preparation for high school. The history of rural education in Wisconsin was well told and new information for me.

It brought back lots of memories as I went to one room schools. I even went to look up one of the schools which was torn down, but could make out the lay of the playground and the country roads that we had to walk to and from schools The other school house had also been torn down. Many memories came back to me and found that I could relive the good times and forget the rest. I would recommend the book to anyone interested in reliving the good school days.

My Dad is enjoying the book I gave him for Christmas. It reminds him of his childhood.

This was a most interesting history of the education system. The school I attended wasn't a one-room school, but it wasn't much more (three rooms).It was a wonderful experience and Mr. Apps explains it in very honest terms. The ties to community were strong and I don't think we have that now. Too much control has been lost to bureaucratic government entities. As I read this book, I kept getting the same thought - not all "progress" is good.

Having gone to a one room school for my first four years, I was reminded of many things that were part of the day, the week, and the year.How things have changed, and not all for the better, but some are. The author is one I've read many times before and heard on WisPublicRadio, so to have his experience, talent and resources in this book is just great

I so enjoyed reading about the school system and how it evolved in Wisconsin. Great information told by the author's own personal experiences in rural America.

This book has much more than the author's reminiscences and those of others who contributed stories for this book. It's not just a nostalgia trip, though it is that, too. It goes into the history of the consolidation of the country schools, presenting both sides of the controversies of the time.