In one way, this is a typical one room Amish school. In another, it’s not.
The school is plain white, as is the custom among the Amish. This particular one was once a public school until the school consolidation wave hit Ohio in the late 1950s and early 1960s. When the local schools were closed, the Amish often bought them and started their own schools. That way their students weren’t far from home and could walk to school.
The atypical aspect of this school, at least structurally, is that it has a metal roof. Most Amish schools have shingled roofs. A metal roof would cost substantially more than a shingled one.
Another point of interest is that this school was closed yesterday, a Wednesday, when I took the photo. Why? It’s harvest time, and the school was closed for three days so the youngsters could help husk corn at home. Apparently most of the students who attend this school live on farms. Otherwise the school board, made up of five fathers of the students, wouldn’t have closed the school in the middle of the week.
“One Room School” is my Photo of the Week.
© Bruce Stambaugh 2015
Roadkill Crossing 
I’m curious about how many students one teacher manages in an Amish school like this. Also, what is the curriculum like? I imagine it stresses the basics since educational careers are so brief. Are there qualifications for the teacher? I would love to visit and watch a school like this in session. Managing all the grades must be challenging.
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Linda, The answers to your questions are in my book that I haven’t finished writing yet. 🙂 Usually, an Amish school has 25-40 students, grades 1-8. There may be two teachers. Most teachers are females and young. Their qualifications are that they like to teach and be with kids. No college degrees are required. The curriculum is indeed basic. Some schools use math books from 1920 and geography books from 1940. Let me know if you have other questions. For safety reasons, they are pretty careful about who visits the school.
Bruce
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