"Perseverance, Pranks and Pride - Tales of the One Room Schoolhouse" by Joy Forbes
Welcome to the One Room Schoolhouse
Discover the History of Pioneering Education in these Wonderful Establishments of Yesteryear
Imagine a time when you didn't have to go to school - when your education was often regarded by your family as secondary to helping out on the farmstead. Imagine a school day without electricity or plumbing, where drinking water had to be brought from a neighbouring farm and the washroom was a hole in the ground in a shed across the schoolyard. Imagine sharing a classroom with students of all ages, with brothers, sisters and cousins, and being taught year after year by the same teacher. It seems a far cry from the modern school world of today, but as recently as 50 years ago it was the reality of the rural pioneer education system, which was so dependent upon the one room schoolhouse.
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E-Book now available!Exciting news! The 3rd edition of my book entitled Perseverance, Pranks and Pride - Tales of the One-Room Schoolhouse, is now available as an e-book. It details the stories of many individuals who attended one-room schoolhouses in Canada, both as students and teachers, and is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of education. Go to Amazon.ca to purchase it for $9.99 CAD or Amazon.com for $7.60 US. It includes ten new stories and free shipping! There was a book launch in Ottawa, and now I'm continuing a book tour which includes a Power Point presentation (see my blog for regular updates). Please do come out and join me. If your group would like me to speak about one-room schools, please contact me and I'd be happy to oblige.
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Learn about One Room Schoolhouses
Stories from Students of a One Room Schoolhouse
One Room Schoolhouses in the Ottawa Valley
Teachers Then and Now
Rules for One Room Schoolhouse Teachers in 1872
Yard Games in a One Room Schoolhouse
A Day in the Life of a One Room Schoolhouse Student
Stories from Students of a One Room Schoolhouse
One Room Schoolhouses in the Ottawa Valley
Teachers Then and Now
Rules for One Room Schoolhouse Teachers in 1872
Yard Games in a One Room Schoolhouse
A Day in the Life of a One Room Schoolhouse Student
Hello and welcome to the home of The One Room Schoolhouse, your online resource for information about the enchanting history of education in one room schoolhouses in the Ottawa Valley and beyond. My name is Joy Forbes, creator of the one room schoolhouse website and author of "Perseverance, Pranks and Pride - Tales of the One-Room Schoolhouse". Within these pages you will find a host of information related to these wonderful pioneer establishments of yesteryear, the foundation of the modern school system. You will discover the history of education in the rural one room schoolhouse and the crucial role it played in the community, as well as learn about the trials and tribulations experienced by both students and teachers alike during their often incident packed time within a one room schoolhouse environment.
As a teacher and hobbyist historian, the significance of the history of education in the one room schoolhouse is of great interest to me, not only as an educational facility but also in the role it played as the central hub of the local community. As its name suggests, the one room schoolhouse was set up very differently from the schools in which I and other modern-day teachers are used to, and the role of the teacher and the school were quite different from today. However, the prerequisites of the teacher have changed very little: exemplary organisational skills, the ability to multi-task, a passion to convey knowledge to open minds, and a lot of patience.
Many a one room schoolhouse in the region is still in existence, used as libraries, community centres, private residences, and even pubs. The one room schoolhouses of the Ottawa Valley, on which most of the stories in my book are based, are listed here together with school photographs and a description of their history. I have also given their current address (if they still exist) so that you can go and see them for yourself. Some are now museum pieces which allow you to experience first hand what one room schoolhouse life was truly like around the turn of the century. The Admaston Bromley Living Museum (formerly S.S. No. 2 Admaston) even takes parties of young schoolchildren and teaches them about the history of education and the highs and lows their ancestors experienced within a one room schoolhouse of the 1890's. The short story, A Day in the Life, is a fictional account of a boy called Charlie Watson who went to a one room schoolhouse during the 1940s.
So please take a seat at your desk, and join me as we go on an intriguing adventure into the past; an adventure where the threat of corporal punishment was commonplace and computers were a thing of the future.
As a teacher and hobbyist historian, the significance of the history of education in the one room schoolhouse is of great interest to me, not only as an educational facility but also in the role it played as the central hub of the local community. As its name suggests, the one room schoolhouse was set up very differently from the schools in which I and other modern-day teachers are used to, and the role of the teacher and the school were quite different from today. However, the prerequisites of the teacher have changed very little: exemplary organisational skills, the ability to multi-task, a passion to convey knowledge to open minds, and a lot of patience.
Many a one room schoolhouse in the region is still in existence, used as libraries, community centres, private residences, and even pubs. The one room schoolhouses of the Ottawa Valley, on which most of the stories in my book are based, are listed here together with school photographs and a description of their history. I have also given their current address (if they still exist) so that you can go and see them for yourself. Some are now museum pieces which allow you to experience first hand what one room schoolhouse life was truly like around the turn of the century. The Admaston Bromley Living Museum (formerly S.S. No. 2 Admaston) even takes parties of young schoolchildren and teaches them about the history of education and the highs and lows their ancestors experienced within a one room schoolhouse of the 1890's. The short story, A Day in the Life, is a fictional account of a boy called Charlie Watson who went to a one room schoolhouse during the 1940s.
So please take a seat at your desk, and join me as we go on an intriguing adventure into the past; an adventure where the threat of corporal punishment was commonplace and computers were a thing of the future.
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The photo in the first paragraph is of S.S. No. 1 Huntley one room schoolhouse (now the ever-popular Cheshire Cat Pub in Carp). Courtesy of Doreen Sample.
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