Going old-school

Students get glimpse into 1920s education

ANDERSON, Mo. — Home- schooled students from McDonald County had the opportunity to live the life of students from 1929 at the New Bethel School on Feb. 9 during Historic School Day.

Students were encouraged to dress in the attire of the time and play games that were popular in that period.

The New Bethel School, at 722 New Bethel Road, was one of 70 rural schools in McDonald County, and from 1915 to 1948, it educated its students.

The day started with students walking a half mile to the school, an attempt to help them follow in the footsteps of students that preceded them 100 years ago.

Once they arrived at the school, the first thing they saw was the natural stone walls. As the school was being built, local farmers had brought these stones from their properties, and after 100 years, the structure still stands strong.

In keeping with the times, the New Bethel school has no indoor plumbing or electricity. Students must draw water from an outdoor pump and wash their hands in a basin. They also must carry firewood for the wood stove and learn the same curriculum by the same methods students would have had to learn in 1929.

Inside the school, there is a table that displays a whole assortment of tools.

“Over here, on a table, there are antiques … and we talk about how they were used; what they were used for, and what replaced them,” Karen Almeter said.

Almeter was a teacher that taught adult education and English as a second language for many years. She is one of the educators at the school.

The students also sang with Lee Ann Sours, a local musician. She came and performed classic songs, such as “Oh, Susanna,” “Froggy Went A-Courtin’” and “Skip to My Lou.”

Linda Patterson was also a teacher for McDonald County but now teaches part-time. At the New Bethel School, she helps educate students about the days before the electronic age.

Although students enjoy having fun living life in the old days, for Patterson, it goes deeper than that.

“History is important. We need to know where we come from and what life was like. It makes us appreciate the things we have now and can make better use of,” Patterson said.

Patterson said the school gives students hands-on experience to learn about life and how people still enjoyed it without the technology of today.

In 1948, the school was closed down when the county decided to consolidate rural schools and send students into larger town schools.

But the New Bethel School still stands to this day as a memory of what it takes to stand the test of time.

(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Daniel Bereznicki) Children engage in a game of tug-of-war Feb. 9 at New Bethel School in Anderson, Mo.

(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Daniel Bereznicki) Students were encouraged to pack a lunch with items that were available during the 1920s, such as glass jars, wicker baskets and wax paper. One student’s parent baked oatmeal sandwich cookies.