School Days, School Days..Dear Old Golden Rule Days...

Well, school started in our area Monday for the most part.  We used to start school after Labor Day and it always seemed like fall was in the air.  We chose fall plaids and prints for our school dresses. Everyone had to put their new school shoes on after a whole summer of going barefoot and the boys had new stiff blue jeans and fall shirts.  Getting new clothes, shoes, school supplies, and a new lunch kit complete with Thermos bottle and a new book "satchel" was so exciting.  We could hardly wait for the first day of school to wear the new clothes and carry our new items to school. We often sang snippets of the old song "School Days" as we walked to school. 

School days, school days
Dear old golden rule days
Readin' and 'ritin' and 'rithmetic
Taught to the tune of the hickory stick 

You can see the rest of the song Here.  I don't remember singing any but the first part and knew it was old, just not how old. 1907, Wow!

The ESN scavenger hunt this week is "Back to School"  I have always had a fascination with life in the 1800's.  I   tell my kids that in my previous life, I was a pioneer settling the American West. I don't really believe that, but my not too distant ancestors on my dad's side were pioneer settlers in Texas and my mother's family tree springs from Germany.  Those people settled in South Texas. Anyway, I am intrigued with the concept of the one room school house,  the McGuffey's Readers, the BlueBack speller and when I found this Stoddard's Practical Arithmetic at Comyc Gyrl Collectibles, I just had to include it. 

Antique Stoddard's Arithmetic

Now, I am a private tutor.  I love working with the students one-on-one.  I am always looking for something that is fun but basic. This Everyday Mathmatics workbook from Eccentric Thrifter just might have some pages that I could use.

Everyday Mathematics

And this book "100 words every high school freshman should know" from Bargain Express, looks like some thing to recommend for every high school freshman as a must have reference book

100 Words

Even though school rooms have changed over the years--From slates to blackboards to green chalkboards to dry erase (white)boards, from one room schools to huge school facilities, from simple books that may have been shared or passed down from student to student to overhead projectors to computers and kindles, from carrying lunch in a syrup bucket to lunch kits with Thermoses to hot lunch served at school each day, and many other changes--the basics are still the same:  Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic (or Math) and how to get along with your classmates and follow the rules. 

It seems the more things change, the more they stay the same. 

Be sure to shop the stores at ESN for whatever you are looking for--for back to school, up coming holidays, home decor, good books, jewelry, clothes, toys, what-have-you.  You'll be glad you did!