Hobbyhawk Reflections: Back to School Then and Now

Historic Maysville School, Colorado Postcard by catherinesherman See more Maysville Postcards

Longfellow Elementary School Salida School District R-32

It is that time of the year where children in America prepare to go back to school. Going to school has changed in many ways in the last one hundred years. In the early 1900's many children were educated at home or attend school in one room schoolhouses. An example of a one room schoolhouse is still found in Maysville, Colorado. It was built in 1882 when the town of Maysville was a booming mining community at the base of Monach Pass. While the town of Maysville is now a ghost town, the near by community of Salida grew. Today approximately 1100 students attend one of six schools in the same mountain area. One of those schools is Longfellow Elementary where over four hundred students in grades Kindergarten thru 4th grade attend each year. It is ranked as one of the best elementary schools in Colorado.

One hundred years ago only one teacher was in charge of a schoolhouse.

The teacher, often known as the Schoolmarm was usually an unmarried woman. She was responsible for preparing and teaching individual lessons in a variety of subjects for several children of different ages and education levels. The children all sat together in the same classroom sharing a bench or desk.
Today school buildings have many classrooms where both men and women are teachers.In the elementary grades they teach basic subjects to only one grade level of students at a time. Teachers in middle and high schools teach one subject per class that may have a mixed grade levels of students. The children in schools today sit at their own desk or table space.

Desks in a One Room Schoolhouse
These small desks were made of wood as the children sat close together in the small room.

Old School by Agrofilms

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Modern desks and classroom Salida High School 2013 Desks in schools today are made of plastic, metal and wood. They are easier to move around in the larger classroom that is often has carpet on the floor to reduce noise.

Old School Books and Slate

by SusanSavad

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School Supplies in the 1900's

The school supplies list for students one hundred years ago was very short. The cost for these items also seems very inexpensive compared to the cost of school supplies today.

Pencils (dozen) .15

Tablet (100 sheets) .05

Crayons (1 dozen ) .15

Book Straps ( 1 pair) .05

School Bag .05

School Supplies in 2015

Today students have a never ending list of supplies needed for school. They also need backpack, bags and containers to keep items organized. Depending on the grade level and subjects students many also be required to purchase various technical items as additional school supplies. These include calculators, scientific instruments, ipads and lap top computers.

School Supplies & Tools Collage by Iggys_World

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Public and Private schools create extensive lists of required school supplies each year. These lists do not include the backpacks, lunch boxes and containers that the student may also need. School Supply lists for older students in the Middle and High School grades vary based on each subject they are enrolled in.

School Clothes

One hundred years ago school clothes for children were hand sewn by their mothers, or ready made outfit could be purchased for about $5.00. The girls had school dresses and the boys had suits, they both wore long black stockings. Mothers could purchase wool flannel, gingham check and calico fabrics costing .05 cents to .12 cents per yard. Children shoes ranged in price from .43 cents to $3.15 a pair and stocking cost .25 cents. A boys waist shirt and trousers could be purchased for a combined cost of $1.50.

Today the style and cost of school clothes vary depending on the age of the student and if the school they attend has a dress code or require uniforms.

One hundred years ago the cost of clothing and school supplies for each child was $20.00 or less.

This year the estimated cost for each child going to school in America for the 2015 school year has been estimated as follows by Huntington Banks.

$649 for Elementary School children

$941 for Middle School children

$1,402 for High School student