School

A typical day at an Amish school starts with the teacher reading a chapter from the New Testament followed by everyone reciting the Lord's Prayer and then three songs are sung. Four mornings a week this is all done in English, on Wednesdays it was done in German.

First up was always penmanship, as everyone was busy doing their best handwriting the teacher would begin calling classes to the front of the room to check the math they had done the previous day and go over the lesson she assigned them for the day. We used to have to exchange our books and check each other's work as the teacher read the answers. She usually started with the eighth grade and worked her way down to third grade, first and second graders didn't have to check each others work and their classes were always much more fun to watch.

The day would continue with all our assignments given and work checked in the same manner, we did English, Geography, History, Vocabulary, Spelling, and Reading. For those that did their work fast the rest of the day was spent reading books from the small assortment provided in the school library.

The only language spoken on school property was English. Most first graders could understand and speak broken English before starting school, but there were two families that had a much harder time since they weren't ever allowed to speak English at home. It didn't take them long to catch on though and after the first few weeks in school they were happily speaking English as well.

Amish schools are quiet, speaking to each other is strictly prohibited when school is in session, whispering would result in loss of recess privileges. No one wanted to spend recess at their desk and write lines instead of getting to go out to play. There were two fifteen minute recesses and a thirty minute recess at noon.

Right after the noon recess the teacher would read a chapter or two out of a book. And a short discussion would follow before we resumed our lessons.

Teachers were allowed to spank if they thought it was necessary, but that hardly ever happened. In fact I can only remember it happening twice while I was going to school.