Reading and Writing and 'rithmetic

The newest member of my library writers' circle is named Vivian. She is the only nonfiction writer in the group. She was part of a book project that chronicled the history of a rural Missouri county's one-room schoolhouses. The book included the reminiscences of the students and teachers who attended and taught there.

One excerpt from the book sums up the pragmatism of country life:

To begin the day, the teacher rang the five-minute bell. In warm months, it signaled students to get a quick drink of water, visit the outhouse, and gather belongings left under trees. On extremely cold days, students were already inside thawing out from their walk to school.

Teachers expected students to be on time; they kept attendance and tardy records.

"One day we were just about to school when the bell rang. We didn't want to be late so we just went home." Joanne Pope Pearce, Salisbury 1936-1944

Oak Grove School, Adair County, Missouri, circa 1940.