The dominance of one-room schools in South Windsor ended a century ago with the construction of the Union District and Wapping Grammar Schools, which consolidated most of the remaining schoolhouses at the time.
The June 11 program of the South Windsor Historical Society, “The One-Room Schoolhouse: What was it really like?” will explore the operation of typical district schools. Guest speaker Michael Day uses a variety of firsthand accounts and other primary sources to show what education was like in the 19th century, addressing many of the typical questions people have about curriculum, discipline, class size, the school day and school year, and teacher training, pay, and living arrangements.
The program will be held at Unity Church, 919 Ellington Rd., at 7 p.m. Admission is $5 ($3 for Society members). Refreshments and a tour of the Society’s nearby Pleasant Valley Schoolhouse Museum will follow the program. The former one-room school is the only one in South Windsor not destroyed or converted to a home. At one time, there were a dozen district schools here, including three operated jointly with neighboring towns.
A former elementary school teacher and principal from Barkhamsted, Day is the author of four books and numerous articles about 19th century education and one-room schoolhouses. He is also the owner and publisher of Clippership Publications, which produces replicas of early schoolbooks for museums around the country.
For more information about the Society, 860-289-7837, or visit www.southwindsorhistory.org.
