A touch of the past: rural one-class schools in Lafayette County

By Tammy Kilby

For the Times

LAFAYETTE COUNTY — With the start of a new school year comes conversations about when school started so many years ago. Longtime South Wayne resident Richard “Hook” Fernstaedt fondly remembers the simplicity of life in a rural, one-room school. He said his childhood in Blaisdell, a rural, one-room school, was a simpler time. He attended Blaisdell with his older siblings, Carol and Bruce.

“For me, school started in the first grade,” said Fernstaedt. “We didn’t have kindergarten back then. There were five children in my class, but all the other classes attended the one-class school. Each class was taught separately, but some classes were perhaps taught together.”

He can still remember how the classroom was set up and ready for lessons when the students arrived.

“There were chalkboards on every wall. They were green, not the chalkboards you would expect to see. There was a chalkboard where the teacher would write bird sightings,” Ferndstaedt said. “If someone saw a robin, the teacher would write it down and record that information. She liked to record things like that.”

When someone entered the building, it consisted only of one large classroom.

“The classes were divided by age, with the younger children sitting in the front row so they could see the teacher. The older children sat in the back,” Fernstaedt said. “The teacher’s desk was at the front of the classroom most of the time, although it was moved from time to time.”

Older students helped the younger students with tutoring, he said.

“Some of the older girls helped the younger ones with reading and math. Our readers, the English readers, had Ted and Sally stories. The cat was called Tuffy and the dog was called Boots. I’m not sure if we had history, but there probably wasn’t that much history back then,” Fernstaedt joked.

The teacher lists of the single-class schools in Lafayette County are long: there are usually one or two teachers per village school; there are several village schools scattered throughout the county.

“My teachers were Mr. Grant Dale and Mrs. Ruth Irene Lancaster,” Fernstaedt said. “(Dale) lived down the road from our farm. He taught first through third grade while she taught the older children. I remember her the most, although I’m not sure why she had the greater influence on me.”

The Blaisdell School was located in Wayne Township, Wisconsin 176. It is one of the few single-room school buildings still standing in Lafayette County. Most schools have fallen into disrepair and have been returned to their original state in one form or another. The Blaisdell School is now a private home.

“The way to school was usually a two-mile walk or we rode our bikes,” Fernstaedt said. “My bike was red and belonged to my brother. When it rained, Dad would drive us to school, otherwise we had to find our own way. Once we got to school, we would play until we heard the bell. Then we would go into school, one child at a time, and take our seats at our desks.”

The school day began with the Pledge of Allegiance, hand placed over heart and facing the flag. Recess and lunch seemed to be the reason for going to school, as socializing and networking are still an important part of a student’s day.

Fernstaedt remembers small details, like his lunchbox and what his mother cooked for him.

“My lunch box was made of black painted metal. The metal lid was locked so everything stayed in place. The handle was a metal piece that curved over the top,” he said. “Mother always made our lunch because there were no ready meals back then. My favorite lunch was a bread and honey sandwich. She would also pack some cookies or something tasty that she had baked herself. She was always baking treats and other things for our family.”

His father was also involved in his education, as Walter Fernstaedt served as secretary/treasurer of the Wayne School Board until 1967, when the village schools were closed. At that time, Richard Fernstaedt attended seventh and eighth grades at Gratiot – Black Hawk Junior High. He graduated from Black Hawk Schools in 1972.

Because records have deteriorated over time, a little information can be helpful in getting a better idea of ​​a school district’s makeup. For example, in the fall of 1951, Lafayette County was reported to have 85 one-teacher schools, two two-teacher schools, two three-teacher schools, and one four-teacher school. According to the Rural School Messenger for October through December 1951, with 1,559 elementary students, there were two integrated districts with 221 elementary students and 106 high school students.

In the decades since, larger school districts have taken the place of the former small learning centers. The two school superintendents listed include Paul Gleiter, who served until the early 1950s, and Howard Teasdale, until the rural school closed.