Isn’t it amazing just how much schools have changed over the years? At one time, all grades worked together in just one room, and now we have gigantic, state-of-the-art campuses for elementary students alone. To give you a better idea of just how much schools have changed, check out these pictures of early 1900s Kansas schoolhouses taken in both the early 20th-century and today:
1. "Lower Fox Creek Schoolhouse: You can't photograph in the Flint Hills and not take the time for at least one photoshoot here."
7. "Abandoned Schoolhouse, Nicodemus, Kansas: There are no longer enough children in the area to hold classes in the town of Nicodemus, a National Historic Landmark. Nicodemus was one of the towns on the Kansas prairie settled by freed slaves from the south in the 1870s and 80s."
14. "Stoves—where gas is not available—for use by the pupils in pre-paring warm food for the midday meal. A movable partition or folding doors should separate the workroomfrom the classroom. During the quiet work the teacher can oversee thework of both rooms at the same time, and extra seating can be providedfor entertainments and other special occasions. With but little additional expense a well-lighted basement may be pro-vided for play in inclement weather. With proper construction it couldalso be used as the workroom and serve as a substitute for a separateworkroom. For graded schools the workshop for boys and the modelkitchen for girls will occupy separate rooms in the basement. A well-arranged school building will always provide a closet for theexclusive use of the teacher. The uses for such a closet are various, suchas a private cloakroom, a private library, and storage for examinationpapers and other written or constructed school work." (1911)
