Blackwell Museum of Education

Education has been around for a long. Long time. The ancient Israelites were instructed to teach their children, and the nation was known as a highly educated one compared to surrounding ones.

In the United States, formal schooling began with the Puritans in the 16th century.

Today's FamilyFirst site explores the history of American education. It's the online presence of the Blackwell History of Education Museum at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL.

The Blackwell Museum was spawned from a sizable donation from Ruth and Harold Blackwell. Ruth was a teacher in various one-room schoolhouses in the 1930's and 1940's. Here's the museum's own words:

“Today the Blackwell has over 11,000 textbooks that were used in schools; some are more than 400 years old. We have large collections of hornbooks, battledores, primers, and readers as well as many other texts and reference materials. In addition, we have collections of slates, pens, inkwells, samplers, prints, student work, report cards, and a variety of documents. The Blackwell is currently involved in two major projects: the Oral History Project and the Country School Project.”

That's an impressive collection of America's past.

In 1996, a donation was made to the museum of a circa 1900 one-room schoolhouse that was abandoned in 1942. They restored the dilapidated structure, and today it's an immaculate example of the way many Americans received their educations.

The schoolhouse is the star of the museum, and you'll spend lots of time on its own homepage. I got a kick out of the official rules for teachers. Man, I wouldn't have lasted long with my sense of humor . . .

So enjoy today's FamilyFirst slice of American history. And remember, no whispering in class!

http://www.cedu.niu.edu/blackwell

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