Book description
In an educational era defined by large school campuses and
overcrowded classrooms, it is easy to overlook the era of one-room
schools, when teachers filled every role, including janitor, and
provided a familylike atmosphere in which children also learned from
one another. In Tales from Kentucky One-Room School Teachers, William
Lynwood Montell reclaims an important part of Kentucky's social,
cultural, and educational heritage, assembling a fun and fascinating
collection of schoolroom stories that chronicle a golden era in Kentucky.
The firsthand narratives and anecdotes in this collection cover
topics such as teacher-student relationships, day-to-day activities,
lunchtime foods, students' personal relationships, and, of course, the
challenges of teaching in a one-room school. Montell includes tales
about fund-raising pie suppers, pranks, outrageous student behavior
(such as the quiet little boy whose first "sharing" involved
profanity), and variety of other topics. Montell even includes some of
his own memories from his days as a pupil in a one-room school. Tales
from Kentucky One-Room School Teachers is a delightful glimpse of the
history of education.
""Montell draws from interviews with former one-room
school teachers and pupils to paint a colorful portrait of education's
humble start."--Appalachian News-Express" --
William Lynwood Montell, professor emeritus of folk studies at
Western Kentucky University, is the author or editor of twenty-five
books, including Tales of Kentucky Ghosts and Tales of Kentucky
Doctors. He lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
