VANISHING AMERICAN EDUCATION--PART 2

I'm so excited to finally be able to share more of the pictures we took the day we had our little "field trip" to the Nottawa Stone School--one of the best kept destination secrets in our county! The first picture is of Huxley, my grandson, who wore his brown-striped overalls for this old-fashioned day of school! Even a little one like Huxley enjoys the old desks!

Here's Sophie, almost three years old, trying out her slate. She loved the old school too. Her favorite part of the day was "cleaning" the front desk up on the teacher's platform. She wiped it down several times with the cloth erasers provided for the slates!

Next is Emma, in her green prairie dress. She is the oldest and already is learning to read. She went into "teacher mode" almost as soon as we arrived and she gave her Granny an assignment to do on Granny's slate!

Emma enjoying the opportunity to write on the big blackboard up in front. See her prairie dress and bonnet? Granny made prairie dresses for her and Sophie with bonnets to match, especially for this day.

                              Both girls up near the teacher's desk. They LOVED ringing the bell!

Two contemplative pictures of Emma. First, she is at the teacher's desk loving her chance to play "old fashioned" schoolmarm. I love the one where she is reading under the big windows where the light fell in from the west!

Two little prairie girls shivering in the wind at the front doors of the school! Sophie looks so sweet! Emma's bonnet got shoved a bit forward and hid her big smile! We hurried to take this picture!

I know this post was a bit more lighthearted than the previous one. I intended it to be so, for I think it simply reflects the innocence we've lost in our culture since the days that this school was built (1860's?). I was talking to a friend the other day who is in her sixtie's and she was reminiscing about being able to walk a country mile as a child to visit cousins without her parent's supervision. We were a different people at the foundations of this country. Have we lost our freedom with all of our "progress?"

I am reminded of part of the prayer of King David of Israel, noted in Psalm 144...."That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store: that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets: That our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets . Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord." (Italics and emphasis, mine)

This condition is true freedom!

Blessings, LORI