What Can a One Room Schoolhouse Teach Us Today?
Have you ever watched Little House on the Prairie and wondered what it would actually feel like to step inside that one room schoolhouse?
That is what today’s visit to the District No. 33 one room schoolhouse in Newbury, Massachusetts, felt like.
District No. 33 operated from 1877 to 1901, and walking through its doors offered a fascinating glimpse into teaching and learning more than a century ago. With its old desks, slates, chalk, spellers, and wood burning stove, it was easy to imagine children gathering there each day.
We were fortunate to have Eva Jackman as our docent. Eva brought the schoolhouse to life through historical facts, discoveries, and family stories. We also learned that the schoolhouse was used for community purposes, including voting, something that still happens today at my school.
One item especially caught my attention: a chart showing what students needed to know to receive an eighth grade education in the late 1800s. The areas included Grammar, Arithmetic, U.S. History, Orthography, and Geography.
Of course, I was immediately drawn to the subject called “arithmetic.” Students were asked to determine how many bushels of wheat a wagon could hold, calculate the cost of coal, find interest, determine the cost of a farm, calculate the tax levy needed to operate District No. 33, and write a bank check, promissory note, and receipt.
What struck me most was the context. Wheat. Coal. Taxes. Land. Banking. Interest. I don’t know what kind of mindset students at District No. 33 had toward arithmetic or how they felt when it was time for their lessons. What I could see, though, was the connection. These math examples show the direct relevance between school learning and the real world. The math reflected the world students were living in and preparing to enter.
That interconnectedness was also reflected in other meaningful ways. Students brought wood to fuel the stove that heated the school. Geography included learning about trade routes and how people, products, and places were connected. Mathematics, geography, history, economics, and civic life naturally overlapped.
This reminded me of my school visits in Europe. Students often learned about neighboring countries as part of understanding their own. Geography connected to history, economics, transportation, culture, and trade. Living in New England makes that especially relatable. Our small neighboring states each have their own identity, yet they are also deeply connected.
Now teachers are trying to make sense of artificial intelligence as it relates to the classroom. Just as students in District No. 33 needed to understand the tools and systems shaping their lives, today’s students need opportunities to understand AI, use it responsibly, think critically about it, and hold on to the human skills that education has always helped develop.
At the end of the day, the tools and contexts may change, but perhaps the question remains the same: How can we make what students learn today matter in the world they live in tomorrow?
If you are curious, here are the ten “arithmetic” requirements to pass 8th grade in 1877 copied from the posting on the wall:
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Name and define the fundamental rules of arithmetic.
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A wagon box is 2 feet deep, 10 feet long, and 3 feet wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
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If a load of wheat weighs 3,942 pounds, what is it worth at 50 cents per bushel, deducting 1,050 pounds for tare?
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District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school for seven months at $50 per month and have $104 for incidentals?
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Find the cost of 6,720 pounds of coal at $6 per ton.
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Find the interest on $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
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What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?
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Find the bank discount on $300 for 90 days, with no grace, at 10 percent.
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Write a bank check and a promissory note.
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Write a receipt.
Here is the link to connect to the museum and Eva Jackman
Please note: the math easel photo was interesting to me but is not original to the school. It was donated many years later but the date is unknown.