Ode to the One Room School

Thompson Grade School
(Photo taken in 2006)

In this age of consolidation and large schools, even at the elementary level, it's hard to imagine that all four Thompson boys received their grade school educations in one room schools. The quality of education was excellent! Each year Superintendent Dorothy Nelson administered achievement tests. The boys always scored at least two years above their current grade level.

Schools

Darrell started first grade on his sixth birthday in 1939 at Storla School. His teacher was Viola Scott. He went to Storla School for two years. In 1941 the family moved to the home place. From then on Darrell, Oscar, and David attended Thompson Grade School, one mile east and one mile north of the farm. Thomas attended Thompson Grade School for grades one and eight, Storla Grade School for grades two through seven.

Teachers

Cousin Evelyn Johnson taught Darrell for five years, David for three. Pearl Olsen taught all four boys. Thomas also studied under Lulu Selland. All were excellent teachers! Then there was Norma Steffen, a 1944 six week wonder. When she left the room, the students would walk on the desks.


Daily routine:

The Thompson boys walked to school, rode bikes, and sometimes caught a ride. By eighth grade they drove to school. In the winter Thomas packed along his shotgun to pick off a few jack rabbits on the way home. The pelts sold for 50 cents to a dollar.

Duties were posted on a YCL board:

• Hang the flag
• Pump water into crock for drinking water.
• Cloak room monitor for boys, one for girls
• Clean the blackboards, dust the erasers
• Take down the flag and fold it properly.
  

Thawing out: The teacher read from the Bobsie Twins, Darrel’s book of Billy Whiskers, etc.
Pledge of Allegiance
YCL Pledge (song)
The day also included classes, lunch, morning and afternoon recess.

The front row was reserved for recitation. Students were called by grade level to the front for lessons, to present their assignments, and receive new ones. Most of the day was spent in independent study.

There were usually two to four students in each grade. The boys took advantage of learning as older students recited their lessons with the teacher.

Students brought lunch from home. During colder months, a pan of hot water was provided. Students left their jars of food in the hot water so it would be warm at lunchtime.

YCL

With the goal of improving citizenship and character education in the elementary school child through learning by doing in the form of a school-based club, the Young Citizens League (YCL) appeared in rural South Dakota early in the twentieth century, introduced by Michael M. Guhin and developed by E.C. Giffen. By 1930, at its peak, it had an estimated 75,000 members in 4,000 chapters. Following its motto "Help Uncle Sam" and through its standing committees for Information and Programs, Health and Sanitation, Physical Training, and Patriotic Aid, the YCL focused on patriotism, personal health, and doing things each day to help the country. Beginning in 1926-27, state-wide projects were recommended to local chapters and included endeavors such as beautifying school grounds; recataloging, reconditioning, and building up school libraries; music appreciation and the purchase of musical instruments; art appreciation and placing good pictures in classrooms. Beginning in 1926-27, the YCL became an official state program, supported by budget appropriations. However, most project money was raised through club efforts such as traditional box socials. Annual student speech and essay contests offered trips to county and state conventions for winners.

Basket Socials

Sandwiches, pie, cake, cookies...Yummy! But basket socials weren't really about food. For the school they were about raising money. For the boys they were about bidding on your girlfriend’s basket. For the girls...well, now we're back to the delicious guy-catching food.

Games

• Older children would trick the younger children into sticking their tongues out to touch the frozen pump handle. Their tongue would freeze to it. OUCH!
• Post office – Students wrote notes to each other, put a stamp on their letters it, and "mail" them in the classroom mailbox.
• Fox and geese -This game requires four or more players and a large, open area of unspoiled snow. Stomp a big circle in the snow and two intersecting paths through the middle of the circle. Where the paths meet, stomp out a small safe zone. The figure should look like a circle with an x in it, with a stomped-out circle in the center. Choose one person to be the fox; all other players are geese. The fox chases the geese and tries to tag one of them. All players must run only on the paths, and geese can't be tagged when they're standing in the safe zone. As soon as the fox catches a goose, that goose becomes the new fox.

Field Trips

• Leibors Trees

Competitions

• Darrell read 50 books to win a reading contest.
• Art contests (Who won what?)
• Track meets - Thomas won several county awards in kitten ball throw and standing broadjump. (Who won in what events?)

County Spelling Contests
"Mother was an excellent speller and she constantly drilled us in spelling."

• As a 7th grader, Darrell won the county competition competing against John and Katerine Knudson, both 8th graders. He would have represented Aurora County in the SD state contest, but the polio epidemic was at its peak, so the contest was canceled. Because of the scare, that year no one could swim or cool off too quickly in the stock tanks.
  
• David competed with Nova Sue Gerken at the county level.
• Oscar was the county spelling champion when he was in 7th grade. He competed in Minneapolis at the Upper Midwest Spelling Bee sponsored by the Minneapolis Tribune representing Aurora County. This would be a trip of many firsts. Pearl Olsen, Mother, and Oscar rode a commercial bus to Minneapolis. This was Oscar’s first bus trip and probably Mother’s also. When they arrived, they took a taxi from the bus depot to the hotel, but were surprised to discover that it was only a block away. They could have walked, but had no idea where it was. A bellman met them at the door, escorted them in, and helped them up to their room. Norma Stephon, Oscar's second grade teacher, met them there. There was a banquet with a negro entertainer who did a tap dance on the stage very near Oscar. He remembers the smell of his sweat. Oscar bought his first baby Brownie camera. He remembers taking pictures out of the bus window and around Minneapolis. A highlight of the trip was going to the top of the Foshay Tower, the tallest building in Minneapolis at 32 stories tall. It was out of this world!