Fourth Grade Field Trip to the Outdoor Learning Center (OLC) by Tatiana R.

Editor's Note: Thanks to Tatiana for sharing her learning at a recent field trip to the OLC!

We were at the schoolhouse at Katy ISD’s Outdoor Learning Center for a field trip. At the school house the girls were expected to wear a bonnet and a skirt, and the boys had to wear a tie. The school only had one room and one teacher.

Students entered the schoolhouse each day by saying, “Good Morning, Mrs. Hunzeker.” Or whatever their teacher’s name was. Then, if you were a boy you would give a bow, and if you were a girl you would give a curtsy.

One of the schoolhouse rules was if you were late to class you had to stay in for the whole recess.

Students were disciplined by missing recess, cleaning the classroom, getting locked in the closet for an hour, and getting a sign hung around their neck. The sign said things like “Fidgety Boy” or Fidgety Girl.” Students also got hit with a switch if they had bad behavior, and they were also made to get firewood for the stove as a punishment.

If students needed water they had to get the bucket and drink with a ladle. All of the students drank from the same bucket and the same ladle. Students pumped the water pump at the well.

There were only a few subjects back then such as arithmetic, reading, writing, and science. Also an outside subject was recess.

Teachers had rules too. They were not allowed to ride in any carriage or automobile with men unless it was their father or brother. They were also not allowed to hang around downtown in the ice cream store!

The school house didn’t have any air conditioning or heat back then so the students who sat near the fireplace were too hot, and the students that sat in the back of the room were too cold. Lucky for the people that sat in the middle – they were just perfect!

The students used slates, writing sticks, and McGuffy readers. They sat on long skinny benches, with boys on one side of the classroom and girls on the other. The students couldn’t be fidgety because it was a disruption.

I had a good time at the Outdoor Learning Center and learned a lot.