PBS Online: Only A Teacher: Schoolhouse Pioneers

John Dewey was the most important educational thinker of his time, and many would claim it in the 20th century. As a philosopher, social reformer, and educator, he changed the basic way of teaching and learning. His view on education comes from a practical philosophy and is at the center of school's educational progressive movement. Given his importance, it is ironical that much of his theory has been applied to and applied freely over the past 100 years.

Dewey's educational philosophy focuses on meaningful activities in mastering democracy and participating in classrooms. Unlike early educational models that rely on authoritarianism and fraud learning, progressive education claims that students must invest in what they are learning. Dewey thinks the curriculum should be closely related to the life of the student. He believes that he learns and develops practical life skills essential for children's education. Some critics believe that under the Dewey system students will not be able to access basic academic skills and knowledge. Others believe that classroom order and teacher's authority will disappear

For Dewey, the central moral requirement of education is democracy. As he wrote in school and society, all schools must "live in a vibrant community, are a variety of occupations that reflect the lives of the big society, and art, history, science The school acts as a member of such a small community, saturates him with the spirit of service, and in order to provide him effective and self-directed tools all children of society When we introduce and train ourselves, we have the deepest and bigger society's value, and the best guarantee, harmony. "

Children read, write, and learn math at home, or in a simple classroom where teachers can get all the results. Usually, the teacher is a single woman, she may only be 14 or 15 years old. Teachers may be women in the community that they teach, but as usual she lives with local families during the academic year. How do your teacher want to live in your house? The school building is usually located at the edge of a desk for teachers. The opposite end is a wood stove and the student desk is in between. In many cities, there are several school buildings in various places in the town, and the children go to the school closest to the place to live. Many times this means slate, one or two books and a box lunch, which means walking 2 or 3 miles to the school, there was no school bus at that time!

Many of the early schools had only coal stoves for heating, but the students in the oldest school building in the United States added a "gorgeous" large stone fireplace at the end of another building in the kitchen. The owner of the school and his family lived on the second floor of this simple wooden house. At least his commute time is short! Although there may be a break, children at the time have their own entertainment, so there is no playground outside the school. In the age of the oldest wooden school building it is difficult to find luxury goods.

In 1895, when the county built a school building, the group of "colored citizens near the Riviera" gladly made a donation. Conversely, if the petitioner finds the right building, the Board of Education is willing to offer teachers. The color school opened a Washington School in 1900 and was renamed Washington Grammar School in 1906. Currently I am a Washington elementary school. In 1894, a school and teacher, the authorities supplied buildings to the local people and asked them to keep the canal clean so that the teacher could move. The No. 4 color school is in the cottage of the straw roof on the east side of Fifth Avenue south of Northwest's First Avenue. By 1907 the cottage was replaced by the wooden structure of the room. It later became Spady Elementary School and Carver High School.