One Room Schools: Stories From the Days of 1 Teacher, 1 Room, 8 Grades

In One Room Schools, Susan Apps-Bodilly chronicles life in Wisconsin’s early country schools, detailing the experiences of the students, the role of the teacher, and examples of the curriculum, including the importance of Wisconsin School of the Air radio programs. She describes the duties children had at school besides their schoolwork, from cleaning the erasers and sweeping cobwebs out of the outhouse to carrying in wood for the stove. She also tells what led to the closing of the one room schools, which were more than just centers of learning: they also served as the gathering place for the community.
 
Susan Apps-Bodilly drew from the research compiled by her father Jerry Apps for his book, “One-Room Country Schools: History and Recollections“.  To learn of a one room school while sitting in one is quite an interesting experience!