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Second-graders visit Little Red Schoolhouse
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Second-graders Michael Peretti (left) and Dom Sabrin smiled as they studied a poem during their day at the Little Red Schoolhouse on April 24.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Phyllis Jeswald's second-graders posed for a class photo during their day at the Little Red Schoolhouse on April 24.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Union second-graders Lydia Davis-Keramidas (left) and Caroline Schneidmiller enjoyed simple recess activities like jumping rope during their day of living simply at the Little Red Schoolhouse on April 24.
By SARAH FOOR
Union Elementary second-graders explored Poland’s history in-depth as they spent a day at the Little Red Schoolhouse on April 24.
Each classroom had its own day to explore school life in 1858, and dressed in Civil War-era garb, Phyllis Jeswald and her students visited the home of the Poland Historical Society.
The project is the culminating activity for a social studies unit comparing life long ago to the conveniences of today. During their day at the schoolhouse, the second-graders focused on reading, writing, and arithmetic, and explored McGuffey readers to point out the skills and life lessons that they teach.
Together, the students explored the moral of a short poem that read, “Work while you work/ Play while you play/One thing each time, that is the way/All that you do, do with your might/Things done by halves are not done right.” Each student found a message in the poem that was universal for any time period.
After many years of visiting the schoolhouse, Jeswald said her students’ reactions still manage to surprise her.
“Seeing their excitement is what makes me happy every year. It’s so great to see them happy about exploring a simpler time, that doesn’t include many of the comforts we have now, even if it is just for a day,” Jeswald said.
When not doing schoolwork, the second-graders tried on the dunce cap that sat in the corner of the schoolhouse, or played games outside.
During recess, the students jumped rope, played with marbles and started a game of stickball.
Although they gained a new appreciation of history, many of the second-graders said they prefer the year 2012 much more.
“I couldn’t live in olden times. I mean, where could we go without cars? One day is fun, but I like modern stuff a lot more,” Angelina Rotunno admitted.