SCHOOLS IN ALEXANDRIA

BARNES SETTLEMENT SCHOOL

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By Lillie (Babcock) Herrick, this is part of a series which appeared in The Thousand Islands Sun, used with permission of its editor, Jeanne Snow.

The trustees of Barnes Settlement school asked me to teach for a term in my home district. I hesitated about doing this as some of the students were former classmates, and some I knew were difficult to manage. One of the families definitely objected to my teaching there, but the majority seemed to want me, and I finally consented to take the school.

This was in a summer term of four months, starting in May of 1876. The pupils varied in age as was usual in those country schools. One of our first tasks, after our daily routine was established, was to clean the school house,--a task which teacher and children were expected to perform. One of the trustees, John Overacker, brought us a large round kettle, placing it in the front yard. We then filled it with water, built a fire under it, and soon had hot water. That, together with some sand, soap, and plenty of "elbow grease" from one and all furnished us with the means to scrub. The floors, walls and desks had no paint; they required "arm power." This took one full day. A couple of outsiders with kind hearts stopped by to help. We were proud of our cleanliness. I asked the children to bring unbleached cotton, and we made curtains for the windows. Later, we went to the woods and gathered cedars from which we made a large motto, "Knowledge is Power," and placed it over the blackboard. The children loved doing all this, and it gave them an interest in, and sense of responsibility for the building. Our next project was the school yard. Soon we had that clear of rubbish. We raked and swept the ground. Nice green grass came up as a reward.

The family which objected to my teaching in Barnes Settlement had taken this attitude, I was told, because they felt I was too young for the position and probably could not manage the children. The mother said emphatically that if I punished one of her children, there would be trouble.

After I had been teaching a while, I received a note from this mother, stating that, if her childen did not "mind" in school, I had her "permission to punish them." The note puzzled me, as her children were among the best behaved of my pupils. However, when I found that this was the family which protested my teaching there, I understood. I answered in a courteous manner, and thanked her for her interest in the school. I explained that her children had been orderly and obedient, but that if they had not been they certainly would have been punished according to my judgment, and without her permission. A few weeks later, this mother visited the school for an afternoon, listened to all that went on, and later became one of my supporters and best friends. I heard of no complaints, and we progressed on our schedule, aided by the old National Readers and Spellers, the Wells and Quackenbox Grammar, and McNally's Geography. We used three arithmetics: the Davies Highest, the University Arithmetic and the University Practical.

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If you have additional information, comments, pictures, or suggestions, please contact:
Nan Dixon Can you remember names of families, students or teachers for any of these schools?

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