Just down the road....around the bend,
Stood the one room schoolhouse; victim of a trend.

A distance away was another that looked much the same.
Readin', writin' and 'rithmatic were their claims to fame.

Way back on the lot, the outhouse stood,
Now just a memory of childhood.

There were blackboards to clean and erasers to dust.
Lunch carried from hime was an absolute must.

Water in a bucket, from the pump outside.
For some misbehavior. a ruler might be applied.

A stove in the corner and a box of wood;
Near the teacher's desk, a flag staff stood.

The "Pledge of Allegiance" followed the morning bell;
Students received gold stars for doing well.

Recitals and songs once filled the air;
There were no rules against morning prayer.

Most walked to school, in all kinds of weather;
Older children, with siblings, down the road together.

That school once flourished...grades one through eight,
But consolidation eventually spelled its fate.

The need for that school gradually came an end,
Just down the road.....around the bend.

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