SCHOOLS FROM LONG AGO  

Sea Cliff Students Learn About Schools from Long Ago and the One-Room Schoolhouse

As an extension of the Social Studies curriculum, elementary students at Sea Cliff Schools Schools dressed up as students of long ago and participated in a virtual lesson about the one-room schoolhouse created by their second grade teachers.

As part of their lesson, the North Shore students had the unique opportunity to learn all about the one room schoolhouses built in the 19th and 20th centuries. They learned that students of different ages would all be in the same classroom. Their teachers would give lessons in writing, arithmetic, history and geography. Often the students memorized and recited their lessons. A wood-burning stove was located in the center of the classroom that provided the only source of heat.
School attendance usually took place during the winter and summer months, leaving the spring and fall semesters free for duties on their farms. The “girls often wore dresses,” and the teacher was often a women. Additionally, to protect the young students on their long journeys to and from school, family dogs were often allowed to come to school!

The students also participated in hands-on activities including writing with a feather and ink to practice penmanship (as they did in the 18th century) and playing hopscotch, baseball, and other outdoor activities.  Additionally, the SC elementary students learned about the North Shore Schools one-room schoolhouse, a historic replica of the one built in Glenwood Landing in the 1800’s that is located on the North Shore High School campus and was built by North Shore seniors in the Long Island Studies Program.

We thank everyone involved in making this virtual lesson on the one-room schoolhouse a success. Please ask your children all about schools from long ago and how they differed from today!
Article and photos by Shelly Newman