In colonial times schools were very different. The seating arrangements were different. The punishments were different. The lessons were different. The building was different. Almost everything was different. Things were very interesting. You want to find out about it? It's all right here. We brought the past to the present. Just read this, and find out more about school during colonial times.
Here is a picture of the North Amherst School during about the 1880's which is about 100 years after Colonial times.
The school building was different than the school buildings today. The school was one building, with one classroom, with one teacher, one fireplace, and desks and benches in the classroom. The teacher had a hard time because there were different kids at different ages in the school room.
When you say that a boy and a girl are friends it's not like they're boyfriend and girlfriend, but during the 1880's it was considered that. On one side of the room the boys sat and on the other side the girls sat.
There were certain punishments if you did not listen or behave appropriately. There was always a stick in the classroom for hitting the palms, the knuckles, and the bottom. There was a knob on one wall that if anybody behaved badly they had to bend over and touch their nose on the knob. During a lesson if either a boy or a girl talked , whispered, or giggled maybe a boy would have to sit on the girls side or maybe a girl would have to sit on the boys side. The punishments were very harsh.
During the colonial times the school lessons were different then the school lessons today. They had tongue twisters, they had spelling words, they had math, they had science, they also had writing and homework. During the colonial times they didn't have pencils, they didn't have paper, and they didn't have lead and other stuff that we have today in school. To substitute these things, they had a little piece of chalk that was made out of ashes. They also had quill pens.