The old country school

Zogman

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I attended for 8 years through the 50's into 61. Seems like I got a well rounded education. One of the things I remember was English class where starting in the early grades and thru 8th grade we studied/learned poetry. I still remember a few.

Here is a couple.


https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45321/crossing-the-bar


https://www.hwlongfellow.org/poems_poem.php?pid=62

https://poets.org/poem/paul-reveres-ride
We learned the shorter version.

Any of you old country coots have to learn some classic poetry at a young age?
Worst part of this I can
remember a lot of it but don't remember what I did yesterday.
 


Zogman

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1684878652466.png
 

LBrandt

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I remember learning poems and then having contest's with other schools in reciting them. Went 6 years to a rural school where I was the only kid in my class. One large room with an entry way and a little kitchen built off to one side. Out houses out back and in the winter the boys had to shovel paths to each one if snow got deep. Only live 2 miles from where that old school once stood. I guess I am not much of a world traveler. Suits me just fine. LB
 

Davey Crockett

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Our country school closed the year that I started school so I missed out. I did get to go a couple times for the last day of school they had play day and a picnic. My dad wanted to keep his team of horses in shape so I remember getting bundled up and taking the 2 mile cross country trip in a bobsled to pick up my sisters at school. Not much of a world traveler either , the old school is gone but I'm still here.
 

CAH

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My favorite is Rudyard Kipling’s “If”
 


Retired-Guy

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I attended grades 1-6 in a one room country school in the 50s. It was about a mile away when the lake that separated us was frozen over. Otherwise, it was a 1-1/2 mile walk through cow pastures along the lake shore. There were about 25 to 30 students. My sister is 2 years older than me and was the only one in her class. There were 5 in my class - all guys. It was a great experience and I feel that I received a good education. I had 3 different female teachers over the 6 years. They were all great. During recess we played lots of softball when the weather permitted. During the winter we built snow forts and had snowball wars between the different clans and castles. Always had a fun Christmas program.
 

NDbowman

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My parents both went to country school till about the 6th or 7th grade, then had to transistion to going to a bigger school in town. They were in different schools in different towns and both had the same experience of being bullied by the town kids. Both liked country school, both hated school in town.
Both told many good stories of country school. Mom has a picture of all the kids at her country school lined up on their ponies they'd ride or drive to school.
The best story I heard from Dad was they had a one legged teacher with a wooden leg, and one of the neighbor boys tripped her on purpose for some reason, not knowing she had a wooden leg. I met him probably 15 years ago and mentioned that story and he still felt bad for doing it.
 

Davey Crockett

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My parents both went to country school till about the 6th or 7th grade, then had to transistion to going to a bigger school in town. They were in different schools in different towns and both had the same experience of being bullied by the town kids. Both liked country school, both hated school in town.
Both told many good stories of country school. Mom has a picture of all the kids at her country school lined up on their ponies they'd ride or drive to school.
The best story I heard from Dad was they had a one legged teacher with a wooden leg, and one of the neighbor boys tripped her on purpose for some reason, not knowing she had a wooden leg. I met him probably 15 years ago and mentioned that story and he still felt bad for doing it.

A picture worthy of framing. A good horse back then was comparable to the modern day kid and his fancy car. My Dad rode his horse bareback with a halter to school in the morning and his horse would walk back home and be waiting in his stall when Dad got home after school.
He went to 3 days of 9th grade then his Dad passed away so he quit school to care for the farm.

My Mom grew up dirt poor and walked up hill both ways snaring rabbits along the trail for food and fur. She was the oldest of 6 kids and one day her dad just walked away from his wife (who was in poor health). Mom quit school (8th grade) to take care for her Mom and siblings.
 

LBrandt

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Never knew what bullying was until we ended up going to town for school, Found out in a hurry being the class runt was not fun. LB
 


BrokenBackJack

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I think I said before how my Dad bought 2 of these old country school houses and he moved them to the farm and gutted them, then slid them together and framed rooms inside them. Made for a heck of a nice house and those old school houses already had 2x6 walls. He started this project in 1959 and finished it in 1960.
Only thing is those suckers were haunted. Nothing bad just foot steps going down the hallway on the hardwood floors, things falling off of shelves and cabinets, things getting moved, and an occasional dark mass moving from one room to another. Had some buddies in my class that didn't believe it until they spent a night. They became believers after that.
Some people said they heard voices now and then but I never did or never paid any attention to it. Our dogs that we had in the house would be sitting or laying down and then they would be following something with their eyes and then they would bark at whatever they saw.
Forgot to add, every once in a while lights would turn on if we had them off. No rhyme or reason to it, but seemed like my bedroom it happened the most. Be sleeping and all of a sudden you would hear the light switch click and the light would come on. Dad changed the switches in that room many times and it just kept happening in there the most. Other rooms also but just not as much.
My folks thought I was crazy until they spent a few nights in there, sometimes the light in the closet would come on also and that was on a pull string/chain.
 

johnr

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I think I said before how my Dad bought 2 of these old country school houses and he moved them to the farm and gutted them, then slid them together and framed rooms inside them. Made for a heck of a nice house and those old school houses already had 2x6 walls. He started this project in 1959 and finished it in 1960.
Only thing is those suckers were haunted. Nothing bad just foot steps going down the hallway on the hardwood floors, things falling off of shelves and cabinets, things getting moved, and an occasional dark mass moving from one room to another. Had some buddies in my class that didn't believe it until they spent a night. They became believers after that.
Some people said they heard voices now and then but I never did or never paid any attention to it. Our dogs that we had in the house would be sitting or laying down and then they would be following something with their eyes and then they would bark at whatever they saw.
Forgot to add, every once in a while lights would turn on if we had them off. No rhyme or reason to it, but seemed like my bedroom it happened the most. Be sleeping and all of a sudden you would hear the light switch click and the light would come on. Dad changed the switches in that room many times and it just kept happening in there the most. Other rooms also but just not as much.
My folks thought I was crazy until they spent a few nights in there, sometimes the light in the closet would come on also and that was on a pull string/chain.
Is this cobbled together school house, house still around?
Would be interesting to visit it.
 

db-2

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Play marbles was a bitch as nothing was level. db
 


Eatsleeptrap

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No poetry in school for me. Thank God because they tried to kill us farmboys with Shakespeare. Which of course I use all the time in life, or at least when watching Jeopardy. The people that owned the farmstead we bought in 1978 had moved the township school about a mile and three quarters to their yard after it closed and everyone went to town for school. The vestibule had already been removed and It had the chalkboards and eraser holders and woodstove up until we gutted it to wire it and insulate. Great little building for a fur shed/utility building.
full-52252-427400-3.jpg
 
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Zogman

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Is it listed in the book Ghosts of ND?

Also I was passing by Sykeston today. Is it close to the town?

Agree with Jr be nice to see and maybe stay the night.
 
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