It’s that time again! We are so excited about Aug. 19, when students grace our hallways and classrooms for the new school year! In a few weeks, I will focus on how the first few weeks went and special things happening in the building; however, for this article, I thought we would step back in time and realize how fortunate we truly are in today’s schools!
How many of our readers remember the days of the one-room schoolhouse where children of all ages sat and listened to a sole teacher who did her best to teach to the masses in a dim, drafty, and uncomfortable classroom? Most of the time, the teacher was usually a single woman barely older than some of her students. The one-room schoolhouse had only the basic resources of chalk, slate, and a few books. The main subjects taught were reading, writing, arithmetic, penmanship, and good manners. Oral quizzes from the day’s drills and recitation were normally given at the end of the day in public school classrooms across the nation.
In the 1800s, school was set up to accommodate the farming schedule. Often the school would be open for a few months when children were not needed to help on the family’s farm. If you really think about it, our schedule has not changed much from the nineteenth century. Schools operated largely in part based on an agricultural economy. That was the primary reason for dismissing school for the summer months and reconvening in the fall. Farmers would also supply the wood or other fuel for the stove to keep the school room warm in the winter. Families valued public school education and it was common for parents to build desks, take turns cleaning the school, take turns cleaning and stocking the stable for the horses that children would ride to and from school. However, most students walked to school because there was no such thing as a school bus, or an automobile, for that matter. So, to our students who have heard someone say something along the lines of the following: Kids today don’t know how lucky they are!When I was your age, I had to walk ten miles to schoolin the dead of winter…it’s true-every bit of it! Also interesting to note is that teachers would live with local families and households would take turns having the teacher stay with them while providing food for the teacher.
Speaking of food, in schools of the past, students sported a lunch pail that might hold bread with homemade jelly, a sandwich, pickles, or leftovers from the night before. My mother once talked to my oldest daughter about a teacher in the Richwoods community who would ask students to bring fresh vegetables from the farm to school on Fridays. The students really looked forward to that day because they would combine all of their ingredients into a simmering pot on the wood-burning stove to make a delicious, veggie soup to share among class members. Today, most students eat lunch in the cafeteria. Ham and cheese pockets and pizza will forever be favorite meals at Gurdon. Also, I am told that our students truly look forward to chicken strips or chicken nuggets with mashed potatoes and gravy. Since nutrition is extremely important in schools today, federal food programs provide financial assistance in schools of today, which did not exist in schools of the past.
The classrooms of today are vastly different from the classrooms of the past. Teachers must have college degrees and earn sixty hours of professional training each school year. Students are separated by grades. Classrooms are abundantly filled with books, maps, learning centers, activity supplies, and technology. Technology is truly a blessing in Gurdon’s schools. Our classrooms house interactive SmartBoards, computers, interactive clickers for student response systems, and a multitude of technology components. Also, classrooms are connected. A classroom in Gurdon Arkansas can connect to classrooms across the United States and other parts of the world, all with the click of a mouse. Teachers can download video clips to enhance instruction. Students can participate in distance learning in a lab type set-up. Schools have a multitude of opportunities for students to participate in sports, extracurricular activities, and a myriad of events.
What would schools be like without a bell? Well, the bells from the past were small, handheld bells that teachers would ring to signal the beginning of school, breaks, and the end of school for the day. Some schools had bell towers. Today, public schools across the nation have a bell system to allow for a uniform schedule. Such a bell system does not allow for any deviation because classes must end, regardless of the value of what is happening in the classroom at the moment the bell rings. That is one thing that is different about Cabe Middle School. The only bells you will hear at Cabe are to begin the day and to signal the end. Teachers dismiss classes in a very calm, quiet, way.
How do we feel about the amount of testing that takes place in today’s public schools? I remember taking standardized tests in school, but in today’s world of education after the federal mandate called No Child Left Behindunder the Bush administration, schools face the challenge of meeting something called adequate yearly progress. The goal is that across the nation, 100% of our students will be proficient or advanced on state exams by 2013. In schools of the past, the first major standardized test was given in the 1870s. In order to attend high school, students from rural schools were required to pass the Eighth Grade Examination. The two-day exam was administered at the county seat. In today’s public schools, across the nation, students begin taking tests as early as kindergarten through their last year of high school. Under No Child Left Behind, schools are held accountable by political pressure to increase the number of students who pass state exams from year to year. The number of students who pass state exams has increased dramatically since the enactment of No Child Left Behind.
Whether we are thinking about schools from the past compared to schools of today, I can assure you of one key ideal that will never change. It is the fundamental belief at the core of every teacher’s heart that we will do whatever it takes to prepare your child for a bright future. We want to create a partnership with our community and parents to work together to give your child everything they will need from their education to be successful in the real world. I want to assure you that at Cabe Middle School, we strive in every way to provide the best educational opportunities for every child in every classroom. And as always, as our motto reflects: At C.M.S., we will stay Committed to excellence, Motivated to learn, and continue Striving to Succeed. In order to achieve our vision of building your child up for the future together, please feel free to contact me with questions, concerns, and suggestions at Cabe Middle School by calling 870-353-4311.
