By Mike Hill
What was it really like to attend a one-room school? Find out in Vicksburg Aug. 21.
A few years ago, the Michigan One Room Schoolhouse Association asked one of its board members, Warren Lawrence, to develop a light-hearted program dealing with education in a one-room school. The board felt that such a program could be given at the organization`s annual state conference. Lawrence accepted the challenge. He entitled the program, “What We Really Learned When We Attended a One Room School!”
He will present it at the Vicksburg Community Center at 7 p.m. Aug. 21 as part of the Vicksburg Historical Society’s series.
Lawrence said education in a one-room school has been romanticized over the years. Many folks believe that all that students did was spend most of their academic day concentrating on the three R’s, reading, writing and ‘rithmetic, and little else. Based on Lawrence`s experiences as a student and his research as an adult, he found that former rural students were involved with much more during the day then mundane, academic recitation.
In the Aug. 21 program, Lawrence will enlighten the audience with his tongue-in-check findings about our nation’s noble, one-room schools. Lawrence said based on past experience there usually will be one or two in the audience that with an unusual tale to tell about an interesting, educational experience in one of the nation`s rural schools. Lawrence designed the program to be both fun and educational at the same time. The public is encouraged to attend.