The Victorian classroom was also known as the schoolroom. Students in the Victorian era sat at iron-framed desks. Typically, these were anchored to the floor in rows facing the front of the classroom. The teacher had an inkstand and quill pen on a stand next to him or her. Books were kept on shelves or in cupboards behind the desk.
Children went to school from around the age of five until they reached 16. They spent half the day learning academic subjects such as reading, writing, arithmetic, and grammar. The other half of the day was spent playing games or doing exercise. Sports such as cricket, football, and rounders were popular with students. Art was also taught in school. Children learned how to draw human figures, paint landscapes, and make models out of wood, clay, or wax.
Schools were usually located in towns or cities. Therefore, transport was one of the issues that needed to be considered when designing a Victorian school. Buses would come straight into the school building and drop off students. Trains were also used to travel to schools outside of town. These often ran on fixed routes between certain locations during set times per day.
Victorian schools were generally not very modern or innovative. They used hand-copied books written by famous authors such as Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare.
Every class had more than 100 students at times. A Victorian school's walls were frequently devoid of any decoration. There were no textbooks as such - rather, each student had their own copy of a standard reference work called a dictionary. These were published by definition-by-word and often contained illustrations that could be used as learning tools.
The teacher of the school wore a black gown with a white collar. They were usually men but from about 1820 there were more female teachers than male. They too wore black dresses with white aprons or collars.
School began at 8:00 a.m. and ended at 1:00 p.m. During this time, students did not leave the school building except for meals and bathroom breaks. When they returned from lunch, students would begin studying again for the next hour and a half session. Some schools allowed students to stay after school for vocational training but most families could not afford this option so it was not available to many children.
There were two types of classrooms in Victorian schools. The first type was called a "form". This meant that the class was divided into equal parts called "forms" for teaching purposes. For example, one form might be taught spelling while another form was taught how to read.
A one-room schoolhouse classroom was most likely similar to your own. The teacher's desk, on the other hand, may have been on a raised platform at the front of the room, and there would have been a wood-burning stove because there was no other source of heat. The bathroom would have been in an outhouse outdoors. Students would have taken their seats in rows of wooden desks or chairs.
There were only about 8,000 schools in America in 1820. So if you went to school then, you probably learned in a one-room schoolhouse. The rooms could be small -- some were only 20 feet by 30 feet -- but they usually had a window and a door. Some had loft spaces where teachers could store materials that could be used during class time such as books or puppets.
Almost all children in early America attended school until about age 12 when many parents began sending them to learn a trade. Children who didn't work outside the home often got a practical education from their sisters or mothers. There were very few colleges in America before the 19th century so most people learned through trial and error or by watching others.
Schools began to close their doors in the 1880s due to low enrollment and high costs. By 1900 only 350 schools remained open across America. But by 1920 those numbers had more than doubled to 755 schools. And today almost every child in America is educated in a school building built since 1980!
Victorian schools were rigid and had many restrictions. Every time an adult entered the class, students had to stand up, and they had to write with their right hand, even if they were left-handed! Boys and girls received separate lessons as well. Children were taught via copying, writing, and frequently chanting. There were very few books available to readers at this time, so teachers made their own materials to teach children how to read.
Books were expensive and rare, so parents wanted their children to learn how to read. When a child could read, his or her parent(s) would be able to read more useful information about how to care for their health, find good jobs, and make more informed decisions about politics, religion, and education.
Children went to school from early in the morning until late in the evening. They usually started out with a prayer service at 8:00 A.M., followed by a breakfast of bread and milk. After that, they spent most of the day sitting in a chair, listening to the teacher.
There were no computers or video games at this time. If a student got bored or tired of learning, he or she could go outside and play. However, due to poor sanitation facilities, many schools had a high rate of infection with tuberculosis and other diseases. This is why children only attended school for part of the year. The rest of the time, they worked on their parents' farms or in factories.
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