The Whole Child

‘The popular method of filling the student’s mind with that which is not practical and hurrying him through a certain course, in order that he may obtain a diploma, is not true education. True education begins on the inside, at the core, with that which is practical.’

Goodloe Harper Bell, Review December 26, 1882

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I love this quote because it exhibits the need to develop the whole child.  Too many times parents and educators compartmentalize a child's development, keeping intellectual learning separate from vocational skills, musical expression or physical ability.  Seeing the child as a whole person and helping them develop in all facets of their being establishes the core of what true education really is.

The One-Room School

Do you have memories of a one room schoolhouse? Maybe you were a student in one. I grew up listening to my father tell stories of his school days as a young boy who attended a one-room school. What adventures! His stories were rustic, cozy, and unique compared to my elementary school experiences as a student attending a sophisticated elementary school in a college town. Most of my teachers were 'master teachers' who trained student teachers, but my father's teachers probably had no more than a 10th grade education. The education my father received must have been good, though, because he grew up to become a teacher in a one-room school for a year or two before going back to college to complete his education and become a college professor himself.

This one-room schoolhouse is not far from where we live.  It is owned by my friend, Toni.   Visiting it recently filled my mind with questions and made me want to know more! Some of my fondest one-room schoolhouse stories were those written by Laura Ingalls Wilder in her "Little House" books. I'm sure her stories had an influence upon me and my decision to become a teacher when I grew up. Look at this schoolhouse. Why are there two doors on the front side? Why does one have a porch and not the other? And note the windows that you see through the large windows on the side of the schoolhouse. Can you see how they are so high up? I decided it must be because a chalkboard is below them, so they needed to be high enough to accommodate it. They couldn't be eliminated because the light they let in was probably a necessary commodity of nature.

If schoolhouses could talk, I'm sure this one would have many stories to tell!

Schoolhouse, Clouds, & Dreams

The skies in spring are beautiful and interesting to observe. There is so much contrast with color, light, and clouds. On a recent leisurely drive on a rural highway, we passed by the farm my friend, Toni. The farm itself is picturesque with all the buildings painted brown and a windmills that twirls in the wind. But my favorite thing on Toni's farm is this old, deserted schoolhouse. Set against the drama of a changing sky, it seemed to sparkle in the twilight. Set in a wheat field green with new shoots, its painted white walls and framed windows speak of countless children who learned within its walls. Imagine a rural schoolteacher in a flowing skirt and long hair pinned into a tidy bun. Apples, rulers, slates and chalk, baseballs, jump ropes, and lunch boxes lined up in a row --- I can visualize them all if I close my eyes and dream awhile. Toni and husband have moved to town, but their children and grandchildren carry on the family occupation. Although she no longer lives next door, I know that Toni still treasures this little schoolhouse and the dreams it contained in by-gone years.

Do you remember your grammar school years? Peanut butter sandwiches and little cartons of milk? An apple, sometimes mushy in the winter months? And how your grade school always had the homey smell of ink, chalk, paper, and peanut butter?