What began as a short reading comprehension passage about a One-Room Schoolhouse quickly turned into a memorable learning adventure for Mrs. Davis’s second grade class at Mintonye Elementary. The students were fascinated by what school was like “back then,” which inspired Mrs. Davis to reach out to her father to see if he would share some of his own experiences.

Her father, Roe Wrede—a retired high school math teacher—briefly attended a one-room schoolhouse near Fairfield, Illinois, in 1951. Over the course of a week, he wrote several one-page stories about his time as the only third grader in Wagner School District 101. Mrs. Davis read one story aloud each day (and sometimes more when her class begged for another!) until all of them were shared.

Even after hearing the stories, students still had many questions. During writing time, they wrote out what they were curious to know. On January 30, Mrs. Davis’s parents, Roe and Linda Wrede, joined Room 14 via Google Meet. Each student had the opportunity to personally ask Mr. Wrede a question. He was impressed by their curiosity and wrapped up the visit by sharing one final story. During the last few minutes of the call, students were also allowed to ask about Mrs. Davis’s childhood—thankfully, her parents didn’t embarrass her too much!

As a side note, these second graders could hardly imagine school without running water, Chromebooks, or a nurse. They were amazed to learn that Mr. Wrede once left class with an eighth grader—and an ax—to cut down the school’s Christmas tree, and that he was allowed to leave school to help push a stalled car down the road. This experience was truly eye-opening for a group of seven- and eight-year-olds and left them with a greater appreciation for the many advances in education they enjoy today at Mintonye Elementary.