 Recently, I was organizing my collection of schoolhouse related "stuff" and came across a large lined writing pad, a "Big Chief Tablet." It came to me as a gift at CSAA's 2014 Annual Country School Conference tucked into our conference swag bags. Now this wonderful conference was held in St. Joseph, Missouri at the Pony Express Museum under the direction of Cindy Daffron and it was unforgettable. As for the tablet and the city's connection?
From Wikipedia: In 1906, William Albrecht established the Western Tablet Company in St. Joseph, Missouri, which later became the world's largest paper tablet producer. In 1947, the company trademarked the Big Chief tablet. The tablets were crafted with newsprint paper and widely spaced lines—perfect for young children learning to write—and featured a bold cover with an American Indian head in full headdress, which inspired the name “Big Chief. Production of there tablets ended in St. Joseph, MO from 2001-2004, but relaunched in 2012 under American Trademark Publishing. I think everyone at the conference but me knew the significance of this bright red tablet with the image of a stately Native American on the cover.They genuinely enjoyed owning one again! It flooded the attendees with memories of their elementary school days and what it meant to most schoolchildren of the 50's and 60's (my vintage), but I have no recollection of ever owning one. Possibly it was more of a midwest staple as I attended school in a large city in Massachusetts. Help me out on this one. I use ChatGPT sparingly, but I made a simple request for information on the Big Chief Tablet like this... "Please find information on Big Chief school writing pads. History?" AI graciously filled in the blanks as to the history and evolution of the Western Tablet Company, but more interesting was a blog they cited written by one Kristy Darnell Battani in 2021, entitled, No Big Wahoo. I will gladly share her link because she tells the wonderful history of the Native American image on the cover of the tablets. Battani skirts the issue of cultural sensitivity with references to Ralphie's use of his Big Chief Tablet in the movie, A Christmas Story, etc. But the public comments at the end of her article assure the reader that childhood memories of the tablet were dear and her historical information about the image is well done. Take what you like and leave the rest.
0 Comments
 Little Welsh Schoolhouse on the Prairie - 1906 In 2018 The CSAA Annual Country School Conference was held in Beatrice, Nebraska and hosted in part by the National Park Service at Homestead National Monument. On our Wednesday coach tour of area country schools we had the pleasure of visiting the "Little Welch Schoolhouse." With our thanks, CSAA is proud to re-introduce the Pleasant View Schoolhouse to our members and readers, one of our listees on the CSAA National Schoolhouse Registry! The videos below were submitted as programs in our 2021 VIRTUAL CONFERENCE held during the year of COVID closures. Pleasant View, also known as the "Little Welch Schoolhouse-District #81" displays a fabulous restored advertising curtain, while our hosts take you on an informative tour of the other artifacts in their schoolhouse. BTW...Note the CSAA Registry plaque on the schoolhouse! From the curators in 2021: "We're excited to share the first of our virtual tours of the Great Plains Welsh Heritage Project, featuring the historic District #81 Schoolhouse built in 1906. Board vice president Janey Rudder tells the history of the schoolhouse attended by the children of Welsh and German immigrants. Board president Gwen Colgrove and volunteer Dean Cole, who were among the last students to attend the school before its closure in 1960, recall their memories of growing up in the “Little Welsh Schoolhouse on The Prairie.” From their website: The Historic District 81 Schoolhouse is a fully furnished 1900-era one-room schoolhouse museum. The interior of the schoolhouse has been restored to its original appearance. Thomas J. and Elizabeth (Rowlands) Humphreys held the first local school in their home until George U. Jones donated the land in 1878 and School District 81 was established, three years before the town of Wymore was established. The present schoolhouse was built in 1906 and was originally located about two miles south of Wymore at the north end of the Welsh settlement centered on the Bethel Welsh church. This was the first school to be built by the Welsh community for the education of their children. At first, many children only spoke Welsh. Therefore, it was important that teachers come from the Welsh community, and many teachers were recent graduates of Wymore High School. The school was closed in the fall of 1960 and relocated to McCandless Park in 1967. Twice a year volunteers from the Great Plains Welsh Heritage project offer “A Day at Country School” event at the schoolhouse for local 4th graders. Students experience a day of authentic 1929 lessons and learn a little Welsh. They also learn about the history of country schools and the significance of this particular school in the Welsh settlement. The Pleasant View Schoolhouse is open to visitors Memorial Day weekend, Sam Wymore Days in June and on request.  Can Our Schoolhouse Participate?
Of course! It is all about community engagement and getting the word out about having fun. Schoolhouses are fun, aren't they? This year National Night Out will be held nationally on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, (and in Texas, the first Tuesday of October.) From the NNO website... "National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances. Millions of neighbors take part in National Night Out across thousands of communities from all fifty states, U.S. territories and military bases worldwide on the first Tuesday in August (Texas and select areas celebrate on the first Tuesday in October). Neighborhoods host block parties, festivals, parades, cookouts and various other community events with safety demonstrations, seminars, youth events, visits from emergency personnel, exhibits and much, much more." In addition to meeting the police departments, many civic groups will have tables and displays set up to introduce families to the various opportunities available in their area. The Merrimack Historical Society in New Hampshire, for example, will greet families and get the word out about the schoolhouse being restored with a planned opening this fall. They will give each family a 1800's reproduction reader, a flyer, alphabet cookies, and have a fun photo op sitting at a schoolhouse desk or dunce stool. You can think of oodles of ways to "bring your schoolhouse" to this fun event! For more information for this year or next... website below:  Make Your Schoolhouse a Destination Where DO I start? I had never heard of the Clio app until I attended the 2025 CSAA County School Conference at Marshall University in June. Just one more reason to attend a conference...theclio.com Clio is your ultimate "tour by locals." People and institutions who like a historical place enough to create a walking, video, or audio tour of an interesting site find their niche on Clio! This app allows you to share your passion for fascinating places...for FREE. There are thousands of them already created and ready for your enjoyment. Here is the description from the Marshall University website where the app was created by Dr. David Trowbridge. "Clio is a mobile app and website that connects thousands of people to historic and cultural sites around the United States. Created by Dr. David Trowbridge of Marshall University, Clio is driven by a nationwide network of contributors from communities and institutions—including classes at universities and colleges—who know their history and want to share it with the world." This post will put you in touch with all the information you need to highlight your schoolhouse or historic village. You will find instructional videos on how to create your site on YouTube and detailed information on the Clio website. Rosenwald School Voices Sometimes a relevant post finds us and this one is priceless! The Virginia Museum of History and Culture in Richmond recently featured an exhibit entitled,"A BETTER LIFE FOR THEIR CHILDREN: JULIUS ROSENWALD, BOOKER T. WASHINGTON, AND THE 4,978 SCHOOLS THAT CHANGED AMERICA." Although it was a limited time photographic exhibition, the story lives on in a number of video interviews with alumni who attended those schools. The museum continues to share those stories with us on their website, and what a treasure. (Find the link below.) From the VMHC website: "This exhibition explores the history and legacy of one of the most transformative educational initiatives in American history forged by Booker T. Washington, a Black educator, and Julius Rosenwald, a Jewish businessman and philanthropist. Between 1912 and 1937, their program provided seed money to build thousands of schools for Black children across the segregated South. These schools countered the deep educational disparities during Jim Crow and had a profound and lasting impact on our nation. Inspired by this remarkable story, contemporary photographer Andrew Feiler traveled around the South to document Rosenwald schools and their communities. This exhibition showcases 26 of his photographs and stories. In addition, there is a VMHC-organized section devoted to Rosenwald schools in Virginia with historical artifacts, images, oral histories with alumni, and interactive elements. Feiler’s powerful photographs, combined with the Virginia-specific contents, provide a testament to the power of education and interracial collaboration." Do Not Miss This Video...Begin here! The story told by the photographer Andrew Feiler is fascinating. This video offers more valuable information on the Rosenwald story and highlights notable civil rights leaders who attended these schools including Congressman John Lewis. This is a great place to start your journey through this fascinating website!  The Report Card Needs You! When I look back at the program guides from at least 20 CSAA annual conferences I find a wealth of schoolhouse related titles presented by VERY well researched members. Conference topics have rarely if ever repeated or overlapped and every one of them has offered a unique perspective and fascinating information. Like most conference schedules our programming offers concurrent presenters, so you have to make a difficult decision in choosing which topic you will attend. That leaves you wondering what you missed. A number of our members have allowed their work to be posted here on The Report Card. I often wonder if our presenters shared their programs with historical societies or libraries after our conferences were over. Did they spread that wealth to other interested parties? Or are all those programs hiding in a thumb drive just waiting to amaze another audience? The Report Card offers another opportunity to share....here. Readers' FAQ's (TRC...The Report Card) Why would I attend a conference if I can access the presentations on TRC? Do I have to be a former conference presenter to offer a submission to TRC? Can I submit a post?
Do you have a country school related program you would like to share with THE REPORT CARD readers? Histories, Commentaries, Videos, Slide Shows, PDF's, Artwork, Schoolhouse Curriculum Guides, Schoolhouse Tours, Restoration Stories, etc? Send your program description and we will arrange for a drop box delivery. Your post will be most appreciated and enjoyed! Thanks, Susan Fineman
Where Did it All Start? Time flies when you're having fun supporting the preservation of our country schools! Thanks to Dr. Mary E. Outlaw, Emeritus, of Berry College in Rome Georgia, and longtime board member of the CSAA, we have a narrative of our beginnings in her recent booklet, "CSAA: Twenty-Five Years of History, Preservation, Restoration and Programming." You'll find her informative booklet readable here in one sitting. Dr. Outlaw tells CSAA's story that began in 2001 when a group of schoolhouse enthusiasts began meeting on college campuses to share presentations on their preservation efforts. From there we have grown to a national organization offering an annual conference, grants and awards in a number of categories, a schoolhouse registry, and a network of programming support for those involved in saving and sharing their country schools. The story is a tribute to our founders, Dr. Lucy Townsend and Iowa schoolhouse preservationist, Bill Sherman, whose enthusiasm spurred our very existence. We urge readers across the country to familiarize themselves with our website and with the many benefits of membership envisioned by Lucy and Bill. Here we share Dr. Outlaw's reflections and hope you consider joining our membership in saving our nation's country schools. Click on the cover photo below for the full PDF article.   CLICK PICTURE TO VIEW SLIDE SHOW Saving and Sharing Our Country Schools - Video
Across the nation there are many historical societies and civic groups who are restoring country schools as museums. Without doubt, they have to convince a lot of locals that the effort is worth while. Expensive and time consuming, the process can be daunting. For those of us who are involved in preserving our remaining one and two-room schoolhouses, the reasons for restoration are always obvious. First and foremost, these historic schools represent the beginnings of our public school system supported by taxation and a local citizenry. The schools themselves hold the story of a population dedicated to creating moral and patriotic citizens, while education, the reformers argued would help eliminate social problems, poverty, and crime. Whether the goal has been totally achieved changes with the complexities of each succeeding generation, but the dream remains for those who continue to invest in the hopes of our ancestors. Share this video slide show with your group! Hear about the reasons country schools were promoted, a bit of their history, current condition of preservation efforts, and prospects for the future. The video is on YouTube and available for viewing and forwarding below. You may wish to try it on your own group or share it with another. The video can serve to show volunteers that restoration is worthwhile for many reasons....one being that it is a rewarding experience! Congratulations and Admiration for a Job Well Done! When you need to hear a story of a community's "can-do" spirit, just turn your attention to Canby, Oregon and the restoration of the Mark Prairie School. When a devastating ice storm in 2021 felled a number of trees near the schoolhouse, one came crashing through the roof to cause near irreparable damage. The story of the resurrection of the 100 year-old school is so well documented by the Mark Prairie Historical Society that you need only witness the process on their fascinating and graphically beautiful website. (LINK BELOW) See scores of inspiring photos of their journey through hard work and resilience. It is a story of disappointment in the ravages of Mother Nature, hope for renewal, and determination to rebuild what was a center for community activity for a century. Volunteers worked for four years from debris clean-up, through reconstruction, to the Grand Re-opening Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on May 14, 2025. It is an amazing and inspiring story of countless community donors and legions of volunteers. The schoolhouse restoration features carefully recreated elements that are true to the original design and build. The results are an inspiration to behold. Here we provide the link to the whole story submitted by Erin Nelson for The Report Card readers. In the tradition of highlighting restoration stories like the Cole School in Boone, IA, and the Forest Grove Schoolhouse in Bettendorf, IA, we offer kudos to a job well done to Canby, Oregon for their preservation of one of our remaining country schools. And...in celebration of the restored Mark Prairie School a family reunion is planned for July 26th and 27th at the schoolhouse. (From their Facebook Page): Mark Family 100th Reunion July 26 & 27! We’re so excited to share the details of the Mark Family's 100th Annual Reunion on July 26 and 27. This milestone honors generations of family, friends, and the rich pioneer history rooted here at Mark Prairie. All are welcome to share in our special day and join us in celebrating the legacy that continues to bring our community together. Hope to see you there!   West Virginia 2025 Conference Wrap-up Isn't it amazing that we can look forward to so many celebrations this year (and next) as our beautiful country will celebrate 250 years as the United States of America? Coincidently, CSAA also celebrated a milestone this month with an appropriate gathering of schoolhouse preservationists at the 20th Annual Country School Conference held at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. We sincerely thank Dr. Teresa Eagle and Dr. Isaac Willis Larison of Marshall University for serving as this year's coordinators... and what a program they put together from June 8-10th, both on and off campus. This year we previewed a more compact event using our time more efficiently while maintaining the high quality we've been enjoying for the past 20 years. Enthusiasm was contagious and we made many new friends, as well as a new appreciation for the rugged individuals who settled this gorgeous state. 50 participants converged from all over the country to hear keynote speakers, schoolhouse curators, historians, educators, and schoolhouse enthusiasts in some 19 presentations over two days. The third day was dedicated to the annual coach trip to WV heritage sites and schoolhouse museums enriching us with history and spectacular scenery along the way. Interesting to note that after 20 years of conferences like this, our CSAA presenters have offered completely new topics for their presentations all relating to the world of country schools. Every presenter was refreshing and informative and our attendees left once again with a renewed vigor for ramping up their own country school involvement. We will post a video slide show soon so you can see how we fill a conference with the "sites" and sounds of early American education. Having said that, we urge you to consider attending the 2026 conference to be held in Geneva, New York on beautiful Lake Seneca, June 21st to 23rd at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. For a wonderful experience in history, preservation and schoolhouse restoration topics, this is the summer trip for you! Information will surely follow...  Two Versions Could Not be More Different! Well, sometimes you just get lucky and hit the jackpot! While aiding a local schoolhouse to get their new visitor program up and running for the fall, I volunteered to search out some 30 hard cover copies of McGuffey's Eclectic Third Readers to create lessons for their 4th grade "scholars." William H. McGuffey's readers may not have been widely used in New England, being mostly sold in the midwest and the south, but the prospective schoolmarms felt his stories and lessons were perfectly appropriate for their version of living history. Accuracy can be elusive when budgets and time are looming over you. It was the oral reading experience they were seeking, "toeing the line," and reading aloud with expression that seemed more important. They also felt contemporary children could use of few of these lessons! Together we decided that for cost-saving, (since brand new reproductions are expensive in quantity), we would consider good, tight reproduction copies from online pre-owned book sites. So, the search began. Who knew that there would be TWO editions of this title for sale with no details as to content? Two of us owned copies of the REVISED EDITION of 1879, but not the earlier edition from 1836/1837. As a matter of fact, the descriptions on numerous used book sites were vague and photos didn't reflect any helpful information. So we were left wondering which edition we should buy. It wasn't the publication dates of the two editions alone that would aid in the decision, but a terrific video we stumbled upon, right on YouTube. A homeschool mom named Cassie Deputie has used McGuffey very successfully with her own children and has provided us with a comprehensive, well-researched, and articulate 22-minute explanation entitled, "What's the Difference Between the Two McGuffey's?" Exactly what we needed! Her analysis is delivered with confidence and clarity as to which edition she chose to fit her children's needs, which she called the God-centered edition. To save your group the same dilemma we faced, heres's the link to this very interesting talk even if you're not in the market for the Eclectic Readers. It is the story of one man's mission to enhance children's character and remind them of their moral duties through the stories and poems he published for school use in 1837. The 1879 edition is less McGuffey, more secular, and possibly less controversial for today's public school visits. See for yourself...  Down on the Farm When we offer our schoolhouse living history experience to visitors, most of us cover lessons in reading, writing and arithmetic, memory gems, spelling, geography, patriotism, and penmanship. Some of us might play up a particular historical context in the life of the schoolhouse. If sufficient time is allotted, we may even mention the rigorous schedules of farm children, their long walks to and from school, and their responsibilities in and out of school that far exceed those of today's students. Here I will offer suggestions of two wonderful resources that bring those farm chores and youthful responsibilities to life. Both are written from the child's perspective and the two authors offer not a mere glimpse, but detailed narratives of what farm chores required of such a young generation. Always Plenty to Do, by Pamela Riney-Kehrberg A Book of Chores as Remembered by a Former Kid, by Bob Artley Presenting a list of "chores" accomplished by children of the 19th century and early 20th century is usually met with shock and awe by our visitors and rightfully so. That kind of work is alien to children of the 21st century. Even the walk to school is met with disbelief. And as Pamela Riney-Kehrberg reminds us, "For most farm children, their help was absolutely essential to their families survival, and families managed because everyone contributed." She also pays homage to the country school in a her chapter, Going to School, reminding us how not all farm children remained on the farm adding that, "with a good education, young people could choose many different jobs." Bob Artley's narrative is like a how-to on farm chores, adding delightful cartoon illustrations that portray the rigors and the humor of completing his jobs. You'll learn HOW to milk a cow and clean a cow barn! Now....If we could just get our "kids" to read these books! In the meantime, they serve as wonderful compendiums of knowledge about the life of farm children that we can share with them (at the very least). Both books are available at AbeBooks.com, alibis.com, and Amazon, at good pre-owned prices.   Webster in Your Classroom "Skool-mas-ter to A-mer-a-ka" by Susan Webb, "The Traveling Schoolmarm" Presented for CSAA's 2021 Virtual County School Conference This entertaining yet informative presentation will introduce Noah Webster, Jr. (1758-1843), the unknown Father of American Scholarship and Education. Webster was an American lexicographer, textbook pioneer, English language spelling reformer, political writer, editor, and prolific author. His blue-backed speller books taught five generations of American children how to spell and read. The dictionary we use today is a newer version of the one first written by Noah Webster. He started his dictionary in 1801 and finished in 1828. It gave meanings of more than 70,000 words. What took so long to complete the Webster dictionary? Webster did extensive research. Because the new world of America represented immigrants using diverse languages, Webster learned 26 different languages so he could evaluate the origins and meanings of thousands of words. Born on a New England farm, Webster studied to be a minister then attended Yale College. Not having the means to study law, he became a teacher. His experience as a teacher in a one-room school made him aware that school books were not well-written. In his quest to improve school textbooks, he completed his “Blue-backed Speller” in 1783. The well-known speller helped students learn to read, spell and pronounce words. Webster was a patriot who believed that American subjects and styles should be included in books to make America more independent from England. This presentation will inform through delightful colorful images and authentic textbook lessons. Lessons from the 1867 and 1880 Blue-back Speller and Webster’s first dictionary will also be displayed. *Note: We are offering this program once again in honor of our dear friend and long term CSAA board member Susan Webb, who passed away in 2023. She was the consummate schoolmarm in living history presentations across the country and a friend to all country school enthusiasts. A How-To Book for District Schools If you want a book that covers all the bases of operating a 19th century district school written by a giant in education of his time, this is the tome for you. You can a locate a Classic Reprint or if lucky, a surrendered/discarded copy from a library. Abebooks (linked below) has a number of offers. Oh, what a different world it would be today, if only... If your library has a subscription to Cambridge University Press...here's a link on a terrific article called, "A Forgotten Educator: John Orville Taylor." "John Orville Taylor was one of many prominent educators of the eighteen thirties and forties who labored continually to win public support for popular education. One can safely infer that his efforts to muster common school support were comparable with those of his more publicized contemporaries; yet today he receives little recognition from educational historians for the part he played in laying the groundwork for the American public school." ...From Cambridge University Press History of Education Quarterly , Volume 9 , Issue 1 , Spring 1969 , pp. 57 - 63 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/367129  I know, I know. We're still registering for the 2025 CSAA Annual Country School Conference in Huntington, West Virginia! It's never too soon to let you know how to plan for next year, 2026, in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. Hobart and William Smith College will be our host venue and Ralph Buglass will be our conference coordinator. What a beautiful and historic region Ralph has chosen for our 25th Annual Conference. Details will follow in the weeks ahead, but start your folder now and plan to meet us on spectacular Seneca Lake. We know you'll enjoy the restored schoolhouses, friendship, and quality programming we promise each and every year. A copy of the ad below is accessible as a PDF, the perfect reminder to plan ahead for travel. See the tab below the photo.   Norman Borlaug, Statuary Hall, U.S Capitol Norman Borlaug: Country School Boy- Oregon #8 A curious young boy, born on the family farm in Cresco, Iowa in 1914, would grow up to the smell of baking bread and ask why grass grew better in some spots on the farm than on others. Witnessing starving and struggling people during the Depression and the Dust Bowl of the 1930’s, Norman Borlaug would follow his destiny to perfecting the genetic modification of wheat. He dedicated his life to saving starving people around the globe, from Mexico, to India, Pakistan and China. Norman Borlaug would be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970, as well as the Congressional Gold Medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and be hailed as the Father of the Green Revolution by developing a high yield dwarf wheat that would resist insects, diseases and fungus. It has been noted that, “Borlaug saved more lives than anyone else in the history of mankind”… and had a full size bronze statue placed beside noted American heroes in Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol Building. Norman’s story is long and inspiring from his childhood on the farm to his world-wide agricultural accomplishments, but his childhood schoolhouse, New Oregon #8, stands on that birthplace and farm today as part of the Norman Borlaug Heritage Foundation, “Dedicated to future generations of Normans who can walk and learn on these sacred grounds.” The Norman Borlaug Foundation holds annual educational events each spring and fall for school children, hosts tours, while also including adult education days. The foundation says they are committed to providing a learning environment rich in unique opportunities. Norman Borlaug, that curious little farm boy, the product of a one-room country school, serves as a testament to the educational commitment of his parents and his rural community in Cresco, Iowa! Norman would be awarded a number of titles during his career in agricultural research. "The Man Who Fed the World" "The Father of the Green Revolution" "The Man Who Saved a Billion Lives" "The Apostle of Wheat" *Note: Each of the United States is allowed two statues to be placed in Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol Building. Borlaug replaced a 1910 statue of Sen. James Harlan that was sent back to his home town of Mount Pleasant, IA. The other Iowan is 1913 Gov. Samuel Kirkwood. For more information, click on the black button below to access the Norman Borlaug Heritage Foundation website!  The Month Poem for Your Schoolhouse
We memorized it as children and never forgot the words. We referred to it over the decades to organize our personal calendars. We retrieved the rhyme to teach it to our own children. We repeated the words out loud, but really only needed the first four months to set us straight. "Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November..." Known as The Month Poem, this memory gem hath served us well over the decades, but little did we know how many variations existed. An obscure website called leapyearday.com lists 98 versions, but after a closer look you might discount a few due to some questionable poetic license! Below is the version I learned somewhere along the way, but others are much more poetic, memorable, or clever. Thirty days has September April, June, and November. All the rest have thirty-one, Except for February, which has twenty-eight, In a Leap Year, twenty-nine. We know you want to check out the other 97 versions, so here is the link to the website. Rosenwald National Historical Park Campaign
The National Park Service is right in there pitching when it comes to the preservation of our country schools. There are at least six better known national parks or historic sites that include a restored one-room schoolhouse: the Fruita School at Capitol Reef National Park (UT), the Junction School at the Lyndon Baines Johnson National Historic Park (TX), the Greenbrier School at Great Smokey Mountain National Park (TN), the Freeman School at Homestead National Historical Park (NE), the Abiel Smith School of the Boston African American National Historical Site (MA), and the District #1 School at the Nicodemus National Historical Site (KS). All of them have a fascinating history. The Report Card will offer their stories in future posts, but there is good news on the horizon for adding another national historical site to this roster. The Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park has been making headway since 2021 and work continues to make this dream a reality. The park is to be dedicated to Rosenwald, president and part owner of Sears Roebuck Company, who collaborated with Booker T. Washington to bring new schools to the south. Rosenwald offered partial funding toward the building of one-room schools where local citizens would contribute the remainder to the effort. According to the National Park Service, "From 1917 to 1932, more than 5,000 Rosenwald schools were built in African American communities in fifteen states. During the 1920s, one in five schools for African Americans in the rural South was a Rosenwald school. By the time the last school was built in 1932, more than 600,000 African American children in the south had attended a Rosenwald school." The campaign offers the prospect of honoring Julius Rosenwald's philanthropy and the determination of black communities throughout the south to bring quality education to underserved children through the building of those schools. Notes: Many schools being restored today are indeed Rosenwald Schools. CSAA posts articles from southern newspapers about these efforts on our Facebook page. If you want more information about the national historical park campaign, follow the links below. For a definitive book about Julius Rosenwald and his friendship with Booker T. Washington we recommend, "You Need a Schoolhouse" by Stephanie Deutsch, linked below.  Union School- "Punkin Center School"- Marshall University, WV Details for the 2025 CSAA Country School Conference, June 8th-10th, are nearing completion and here we offer the list of our presenters and their programs for our 20th year anniversary celebration! We're piloting a 2.5 day conference format with a busy schedule, numerous activities, and the coach tour of area historic sites, (this year the tour is included in the conference registration price.) Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia will host our conference coordinated by Drs. Teresa Eagle and Isaac Larson. We thank them for their hard work and dedication to schoolhouse preservation. General conference information is available on this website at the following links and REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN. Join us for friendship and a shared love of the history, restoration and preservation of our remaining country schools. A full conference schedule will be provided soon. Information on dorm availability and hotels will be included. Registration form supplies many details. Presentation List for the 2025 CSAA Country School Conference Marshall University Huntington, West Virginia “Freedmen's Bureau Schools in West Virginia” Presenter: Ralph Buglass “University of Hard Knocks: West Virginia's College of Blood, Sweat and Tears” Presenter: Dr. Veronica I. Ent “Moving Mt. Pleasant School” Presenter: Dr. Douglas Sturgeon “Path To National Register of Historic Places” Presenter: Dan Hawley “Leading a One-Room “Country” School in the Heart of Remote Queensland, Australia” Presenters: Dr. Meegan Brown & Dr. Isaac Willis Larison “Ranger Mac and the Wisconsin School of the Air” Presenter: Robert Frenz “Saved - What Happens Now?” Presenter: Sarah Bent “The History and Travels of Two Rural Schoolhouses in West Virginia” Presenters: Dr. Teresa Eagle & Kimberly Brownlee “Achieving a Dream” Presenters: Dr. Paul Lutz & Dr. Teresa Eagle “Readers Theatre - My Great-Aunt Arizona “ Presenters: Dr. Isaac Larison and Marshall University Student Performers “Memories of a One-Room School Teacher in Poverty-Stricken Appalachia” Presenter: Chip Brabson “A History of Crafts in Danish Country Schools and The Flax Weaving Museum at Krengerup” Presenter: Lone Bodekaer “Roots of Education: How Communities Shaped the Curriculum of Historical One-Room Schoolhouses” Presenter: Magan Walters "Teaching History with Dolls" Presenter: Debbie Schaefer-Jacobs “It Started with a One-Room Log Cabin: Lutheran Schools in America” Presenter: Dr. Pam Stover "Approbation" for Good Work Time flies unless you're in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. In 2020 the CSAA was forced into lockdown with the entire country and had to postpone its annual national conference. We took a different route for 2021. We offered a VIRTUAL CONFERENCE on our own website that actually turned out to be both popular and productive! Twenty-one presenters submitted video and live-streamed programs to share with attendees who watched from the comfort of their home offices and iPads for a nominal registration fee. This fee went to fund numerous small grants for 2022! As I look back, it might not be a bad idea for the future to hold another VIRTUAL CONFERENCE those who are unable to travel. Attendees had almost two weeks to watch and enjoy the presentations! To give you a glimpse of what we offered in the 2021 VIRTUAL CONFERENCE, we've posted a few of those programs here on The Report Card since we started our blog in 2023. This month enjoy a program from one of our favorite all-time CSAA members and a CSAA director from 2006-2023, Susan Webb. Sadly, Susan passed away in November of 2023, but left behind a legacy of country school programs and publications that her husband, Bill Webb, is proud to allow us to share. Rewarding the Merit Susan Webb, "The Traveling Schoolmarm" See, Father, Mother, see! To my Brother, and to me, Has our Teacher given a card, To show that we have studied hard! To you we think it must be pleasant To see us both with such a present. Summary: This presentation will explore early American citations issued by teachers to young scholars, rewarding them for their good behavior and academic accomplishments. Numerous authentic Reward of Merit examples will be viewed as their origins are explored and their artistic and motivational value measured. Suggestions will be offered as to how Rewards of Merit can be adapted for current historical schoolroom interpretations and reenactments. The awarding of prizes and rewards for achievement can be traced back as far as those given by kings to loyal aristocrats, by civic rulers to worthy citizens, and by organizers of sports competitions to the best athletes. By the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, parents in England and the newly established New England colonies were encouraged to make certain their children could read and write. Grammar schools developed a system by which scholars received praise and commendation for academic achievements, even in theological truths and instruction in Latin “Grammar.” Teachers rewarded students with encouragement, not punishment, issuing items such as medals, pens, books, thimbles, knives, and even kits and toys. The most common eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth century Rewards of Merit in America were made of paper. They varied in size, physical characteristic, and color. Some were large enough for framing while others were merely slips of paper. Whether imprinted from a crude carved wood block, an artful pen, or by other means of lithography, Rewards of Merit were all treasured papers which declared “merit”, “approbation”, and “esteem” to the deserving scholar. |
