AMISH SCHOOL DAYS
The Amish schoolhouse I pass when I’m out on a country adventure, created the desire to know MORE.
So I researched :
Since Amish children attend school only from first to eighth grade in a one room schoolhouse, it is a mystery to me how the classrooms work.
Although quite plain looking, there is much going on inside. A solid education of reading, writing, arithmetic and history are the backbone of the school day. There may be some science and geography included. Most are taught German since their everyday language is Pennsylvania Dutch with English added beginning in the early grades.
The teacher, usually a female, is hired to teach all grades in one room. She, herself, usually has only an 8th grade education with, perhaps, some supplemental training. She may have an assistant or one of the eighth grade students may help her.
Amish families usually donate the land upon which the school sits, paying for and maintaining the schoolhouse. I’ve seen school buildings set in a large fenced field where horses are grazed for ‘lawn’ maintenance. Of course, there are always the boys’ and girls’ outhouses — quite the chilly trip in winter.
If the class is split into 1–4th graders and 5–8th graders, often just a curtain is used to separate the two groups. Infrequently a male will be the teacher. A school board oversees the school, hiring and setting the teacher’s salary.
A school day, typically, begins with prayer and a Bible reading or Bible story. There are a couple of recesses and a lunch when outdoor play is enjoyed, especially softball.
Of course, education never ends for any of us, including the Amish. If they enter business for themselves, they may take correspondence courses to learn such skills such as accounting. If they want to farm with crops or animals (such as dairy cows), there is plenty of opportunity for practical, every day learning.
Lifelong learning takes place with the emphasis on agriculture as well as craftsmanship and manual trades. Manual trades would include buggy, wheel and harness repair, blacksmithing, sheep shearing and so much more. The Amish are well known for their wonderful woodworking abilities! Even owning and operating a greenhouse requires knowledge of science, agriculture and all that is needed for a smooth running family business.
Whatever learning the Amish obtain, practicality and usefulness are emphasized as we can see by their industrious endeavors.
