The way we learned : rural schooling in Nebraska (1915-1925)

The purpose of this study was to gain understanding about children's schooling experiences within rural or one-room schools through the narratives of persons who attended them. This research project was conducted within the qualitative paradigm using narrative methodology. The context of narrative methodology, the place of memory within that context, and the feminization of the teaching profession are also discussed. The narratives of five persons who were schooled in one-room schools during the second decade of this century (1915-1925) were collected and analyzed. The "little red schoolhouse" has established a unique place in the history of the United States and in the history of American education. As the country was settled, rural schools dotted the landscape and became critical to a community's sense of permanence, with the number of rural schools reaching a numerical peak in the last two decades of the 19th century and steadily declining in the 20th century. The country school has been portrayed as an extension of the family, a place where children were expected to learn, to mind, and to become good citizens. While questions continue to be asked about the quality of the country school experience, the narratives analyzed in this research present that experience as very positive and motivating