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Union students experience one-room schoolhouse
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Second-graders Madison Genova (left) and Serena Studzinski try to memorize a poem from the "McGuffy Reader" as they recite it over and over. The class visited the Little Red Schoolhouse and conducted class there April 27.
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Second-graders Steven Berchtold (left) and Ethan Sicafuse packed their lunch using a bandana and a stick since plastic lunch boxes weren't available in 1858 when the Little Red Schoolhouse was built. Union Elementary took its students to visit the old schoolhouse to make comparisons from times long ago and current times.
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Rachel Wolfe (left) and Serena Stezinski (center) watch as Ashlee Barth plays Jacks. Union Elementary students were only allowed to play games that were associated with the era when the Little Red Schoolhouse was used for school classes.
By SHAIYLA HAKEEM
Bonnets, aprons, suspenders and slacks were part of the dress code for second graders for a field trip through history.
Union Elementary second-graders visited Poland’s Little Red Schoolhouse April 27-29. Each day was allotted to one of the three second-grade classes. The students dressed in late 18th century fashions as if they had stepped back in time.
The historical Little Red Schoolhouse, located on Center Road, was built in 1858. The land was purchased by the Board of Education for $85. It served as a schoolhouse until 1915 when it was no longer large enough.
Second-grade teacher Linda Watts said her students have been learning about the history of Poland and the Little Red Schoolhouse is a good tool to help them understand the differences of today and long ago.
She conducted class as normal, teaching math, spelling and reading, but did it the way it was done back in 1858.
“Poland has a rich educational history and they have valued education for many years,” she said. “We want the students to compare the classroom from long ago to today’s classroom.”
Chalk and slate boards were used as writing materials instead of pencils and paper. There was no playground with swing sets available for these students to play on at recess. They had to rely on their imagination. Several played stick ball, while others played Jacks, jump rope, kick the can and tag.
For many students, this was their first time in the old schoolhouse. Second-grader Natalie Rizzo said the building wasn’t the way she imagined. She thought that it would be more similar to Union Elementary.
“I wasn’t expecting just one room,” Rizzo said. “I don’t see how everyone fit.”
Poland Historical Society trustee Sue Halloway has been attending the Union Elementary schoolhouse visits for the past four years. As a Poland native, she believes it is important for the students to be educated on the history of their hometown.
“It’s good for kids to know about their backgrounds and customs that have been used for generations,” she said.
Halloway enlightened the second-graders on Poland’s infamous white saddle pony, who died at the age of 37 in 1940, and the many century houses located throughout the township.
The tradition of visiting the old schoolhouse has been going on for more than eight years. Watts said the visits teach the students about history and they will continue to visit the historical site each year.
“This is usually their favorite field trip,” she said.