What is a one-room school?
Early Johnson County settlers built schools shortly after their arrival. In the 1800s and early 1900s, most of Johnson County was farmland and people did not live close together. There were no cars or buses, so travel to and from school had to be done on foot, horseback or by buggy. For this reason, small one-room schools were built in these rural areas. The schools taught grades 1st through 8th in one room with one teacher. Schools were built every four miles. Students attended the school that was closest to them and usually had to walk about one to two miles to school each way. How did one teacher teach eight grades at one time? Teachers worked with one grade at a time. Students from each grade would come to the front of the room for lessons at a special seat called the recitation bench or with chalk at the blackboard. While one grade was with the teacher, the other students worked at their desks on assignments. Older children helped younger children with their lessons, and the young
