Back in March I got to accompany the 3rd Graders on a field trip to the One-Room Schoolhouse. It's local, original, beautifully adorable and quaint, and the kids had a great time!
We all dressed up in period clothes with aprons and bonnets and straw hats...
The kids were able to experience a true school day from the 1800's complete with old wooden desks, ink writing with quills, using slate boards, and reading from the McGuffy Reader. They had to raise their hand and stand when called upon and curtsy or bow saying the teacher's name. So cute!
My favorite part was the wonderful sayings all around the room. Little lessons in morality...
Aren't those fabulous?!? I think I'm going to start posting these kinds of sayings every week in my house. I feel like teaching morals in the classroom is a lost art!
Here's some more...
Here they are practicing with ink...
And some excerpts from a book I found in the back of the room...I LOVE THIS!! Hilarious! (You can click on them to view them larger)
I cracked up when I read one of the rules of "Civility and Decent Behavior in Company". It reads, "In the presence of others, sing not to yourself, nor drum with fingers or feet." See this post about my 9 year old. I have a son who loves to hum!
This also cracked me up...
It's hard to read. It's says
"The Model Husband--Stature above the medium; chest broad; face full and limbs well-rounded; expressions lively, frank, and good-natured; fond of good living, play and outdoor life; social affections strong." (All great, but what happens to the chances of the small chested men, I wonder?)
"The Model Wife--Well-proportioned frame; eyes large and expressive; a happy combination of mental and bodily activity; features regular and expressing intelligence, sympathy and sincerity. A fine type of all womanly grace and attractiveness." (Lovely! But again, what about the too tall, pear-shaped girl who laughs too loud and can be a little inappropriate sometimes? ;)
Favorite from this page...
"Never will a gentleman allude to a conquest he may have made with ladies"
followed with...
"Never pick the teeth in company."
Fabulous!
And another favorite...
"Above all, no lady should allow herself to correspond with a intemperate man with a view to matrimony. She may reform him, but chances are that her life's happiness will be completely destroyed by such a union." I love the frankness of that. Ain't that the truth?! See the red flags ladies! If he's mean and foul-tempered now (or worse even abusive), he'll always be mean and foul-tempered and abusive!
Also, "young women were urged to be cautious, lest they be swept into the arms of a besotted heavy smoker who also used profanity."
Isn't that the best!?! You better believe Hannah will be hearing these precautionary words from her mama when the dating age begins!
And for the boys, "A man is known by the company he keeps. He is also known by his language. No amount of good clothes or outside polish can prevent a man from being regarded as vulgar and low-bred who is addicted to the use of profane words." And my absolute favorite, "The use of profanity plainly indicates that the person employing it has such a limited knowledge of words suitable to expressing ideas, that he is compelled to use vulgar language to convey his thoughts." Ha! Tru dat.
Here are the kids practicing what they learned...
bows...
and curtsies...
The class...
Lovely day...
I was inspired after this trip to check out from the library Emily Post's The Gift of Good Manners; A Parent's Guide to Raising Respectful, Kind, Considerate Children. I also checked out The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise. Both fabulous (and thick) with great insights so far!
Hopefully it's not too late and I can brush up on our Morals and Manners in my house!
