| Most of us are familiar with the old one room | | | | trigonometry student. What does this mean? A |
| school house. | | | | studentwill have heard a subject taught multiple |
| We probably never attended a one room school; | | | | times before he may master thelearning skills |
| however,we have probably all viewed "Little | | | | needed. This one room school model had another |
| House on the Prairie." | | | | asset thatis not being adequately utilized today. |
| There is a special magic in the ideal of teaching in | | | | This asset is the tutor, or fellowstudent. When |
| a one roomschool, I will attempt to explain it. | | | | you have students of varying accomplishment, |
| Today's public school does things that the "Old | | | | you haveothers who can help and assist their |
| One Room | | | | fellow students acquire new skills. |
| School House" could not do. Today's school | | | | This helps both the struggling student and the |
| separates ourchildren by age and accomplishment. | | | | tutor. How often have youheard a teacher of a |
| Generally, all the five,six, twelve, fifteen year olds | | | | Sunday school class say they have learnt more |
| are taught with others their sameage. If school | | | | byteaching than we, the class, will learn by being |
| has society's goal of educating and socializing usto | | | | taught the lesson. Workingto teach and clarify a |
| take our role in the community. Where in a | | | | subject to a student causes the teacher to gain a |
| healthy community,other than our public school | | | | fullunderstanding that may not have been required |
| system, are we able to find ourcommunity | | | | to just master the skill. Ourone room school |
| divided by age? I question whether it is a | | | | house teacher becomes a supervisor of student |
| healthysituation for our youth to be segregated in | | | | teachers. |
| this fashion. | | | | Our community is a mixed age population. Have |
| Let's take a close look at the "Old One Room | | | | you seen today's kidsostracize other children due |
| School House" model. | | | | to age differences of only a year or two? Iam |
| This form of schooling initially came about because | | | | not discounting the fact that a teenager would |
| the communitywas limited in funds and could not | | | | not want tocongregate with a ten year old. Our |
| build multiple structures or roomsto segregate the | | | | community needs us to learn tosocialize ourselves |
| students. A five year old might sit next to a | | | | with groupings of people from all ages. The skill |
| tenyear old who in turn may be sitting next to a | | | | ofsocial involvement with others from different |
| fifteen year old. Theone room school house | | | | spheres is required by ahealthy active growing |
| school's produced children that had a | | | | community. A young child, a toddler in |
| fullunderstanding of reading, writing, and arithmetic. | | | | today'ssociety is often put with other toddler's to |
| In manycommunities the school may have had as | | | | play. Watch these toddlersplay. Most of the time |
| many as forty children inthe class. This number of | | | | the toddlers are NOT interacting with oneanother, |
| students we are told by today's teachersas being | | | | they are playing with a toy while removed |
| too large to adequately teach or assist each | | | | emotionally fromtheir surroundings. Take the |
| student inmastering skills. Yet, the teachers a | | | | same toddler and have them play withtheir |
| hundred plus years ago did justthat. They taught, | | | | parents and siblings, you will see active interaction |
| they supervised the individual student inmastering | | | | between thetoddler and siblings, parents. |
| the skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Our | | | | Homeschooling returns us back to a system that |
| history asa country, state, city, and communities | | | | has workedsuccessfully for centuries. The |
| is evidence of the fact thatthey were taught. | | | | historical past of the United States andthe world |
| Why were teachers one hundred years ago able | | | | as a whole document our growth and |
| toteach where today's teachers say they cannot. | | | | accomplishments ofmixed age socialization. It has |
| In the old school house model, the teacher taught | | | | been a recent social experiment tosegregate our |
| subjects as needed. | | | | youth by age. What is and has happened since |
| If you had one student who needed to grasp an | | | | itsadoption into our society shows its failure. |
| advanced mathconcept, say trigonometry, the | | | | Home schooling our children is a correct choice for |
| entire class was exposed to theinstruction. The | | | | them individuallyand society as a whole. A home |
| majority of the class may have been active doing | | | | schooled child learns to take onresponsibility for |
| theirparticular level of math, while listening to the | | | | their lives. As in the one room school model, |
| lesson the teacher waspresenting to the | | | | theytoo become involved with helping others. |