Saturday, January 28, 2012

Crossroads School

I always see her in the morning around 6:45.  It's the time of day when the sky is filled with a beautiful glow of pink and purple ribbons as the sun starts to spread across the sky.  As I open my car door, before I climb inside and start the 25 mile drive to work, I pause and look out over the fields. 

As I gaze at the quiet landscape and breathe in the cool, crisp morning air, I see her coming.  She's walking steadily, and quickly, with her skirt swishing about her legs.  A book is tucked under one arm, and a lunch pail is swinging by her side.  I blink, and just as quickly as she came, she's gone. 

Who is this beautiful lady, and why is she walking across our field at 6:45 in the morning? The answers to those questions, lie in a time many years ago. 

The beautiful lady is Joey's Great-Great Aunt Bea.  She was the school mistress at the Crossroads School.  The Crossroads School is a beautiful, old, one-room, rock school house.  It stands right next door to our farm. 

Of course, it hasn't functioned as a school for many years, and is currently serving as a house for an older couple.  It's been added onto over the years, but the basic structure still remains.  When you drive by, on the way to the farm, you can easily point it out as an old school.

Back many years ago, almost every little community had their own one room school.  The teacher personally knew each student and their family.  The school was the heart of the community.  From spelling bees to box suppers, it was a cherished place.  Over the years, these tiny schools and communities disappeared as transportation and roads improved.  Many folks stopped farming and began to find work elsewhere.  Students moved away.  "Progress" moved us forward into modern times. 

I often think about the one room school, and wonder about that word, "progress".  Has it been progressive to bus children for hours each day instead of letting them walk a mile down a gravel road?  Has it been progressive to take away any mention of Bible stories or prayer, but to try and teach character and values?  Has it been progressive to legislate and mandate when, where, and how every single idea must be taught?  Has it been progressive to not use multi-age groupings, where each child can learn at their own pace in each subject?  

Sometimes, I think that progress may have progressed a little to far...

If you are sitting on our front porch, you can look through the woods, and just catch a glimpse of the old rock school.  A part of our garden was the baseball field where the kids played ball at recess.  I think about all the little feet that made their way down the road in front of the house; all the lessons the children learned next door in reading, arithmetic, and real-life; the spelling bees and community events that were held; the families that came together to fellowship and celebrate education.  Most of all, I think about Aunt Bea, and what it would have been like to teach at the Crossroads School. 

If you've read my other articles, you know that many times, here on the farm, the past and present blend together in an old fashioned, modern way.  That's probably why I have to ask myself this question:  "Could the old, one room, Crossroads school, still function as a modern one room school today?".  While many eschew the one room school house as a thing of the past, I believe that it could function now - in a delightfully old-fashioned, modern way!

For the old-fashioned part, I still would have a multi-aged grouping of students.  This type of grouping allows students to learn at their own pace.  As a Christian, I also love the idea of a Bible story and a prayer each day.  Since play and fresh air are vitally important for children, three recesses a day would be a must.  Traditional subjects, such as arithmetic, reading, and spelling, would still be sticking around.

And then came "progress"... Only this time, it's in a good way!  For the modern part, you wouldn't find any old blackboards or slates in this one room school.  Instead, students would use beautifully colored workbooks, paper, and of course, digital tools!  Computers would be a big part of the modern, one room, school house.  With computers, virtually any subject area a  student might wish to learn about, could be easily explored. 

Another beautiful thing about my old fashioned, modern, one-room school would be the location.  If we were studying about animals or Earth Science, an immediate field trip could be taken, simply by stepping out the door, and over to the farm!

I know, I know...I need to come back down to Earth.  Some of you are probably turning pale, contemplating insurance and legal issues with my old fashioned, modern school, that I've never even thought about.  Don't worry.  My little school is only a dream in my imagination. 

Speaking of imagination, just in case you're wondering, I haven't really ever seen Aunt Bea walking across the field in the morning.  But sometimes, I'd like to.  If I ever do, I think I will stop her, and ask her, just what she would think about an old fashioned, modern, Crossroads School. 

I think, she would highly approve! 


Besides being the school mistress at the Crossroads School, Aunt Bea was also a very talented seamstress. She sewed many beautiful wedding dresses for the young brides around the area.

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