Sarah buttoned her coat against the cold October wind. It was barely light outside, but she had a long walk ahead. Every morning, Sarah walked two miles down the dirt road to the one-room schoolhouse. Her older brother Jacob used to walk with her, but now he worked on the farm with Papa. Sarah made the journey alone, carrying her lunch pail and slate board.
The schoolhouse was small and simple, with wooden benches and a pot-bellied stove in the corner. What made it special was that students of all ages learned together. Sarah was eight, but she sat near children as young as five and as old as fourteen. Miss Baker, their teacher, was only seventeen herself, but she knew how to teach everyone at once.
"Sarah," Miss Baker called after morning lessons. "You've been doing excellent work with your reading. Would you help the younger children practice their ABCs this afternoon?" Sarah felt her cheeks grow warm with pride. She nodded eagerly. Being a helper was an important job!
At noon, all the students ate lunch outside when the weather was nice. Everyone shared what they had. Sarah's lunch pail held two biscuits with butter and a small apple. She sat with her friend Emma, who had cornbread and molasses. "Want to trade?" Emma asked. "I'll give you half my cornbread for your apple." Sarah agreed. Tommy Johnson offered her a bite of his dried venison, and she shared one of her biscuits with little Amy, whose family didn't have much.
After lunch, Sarah helped the youngest students trace their letters on their slate boards. "You're a good teacher, Sarah," five-year-old Willie told her. Sarah smiled. She loved learning, and she loved helping others learn too. Even though school was just one room with hard benches and no fancy supplies, it was Sarah's favorite place to be.
When the sun began to set, Miss Baker dismissed class. Sarah packed up her things and began the long walk home. Her feet were tired, but her mind was full of everything she'd learned. Tomorrow, Miss Baker promised to teach them about the stars. Sarah could hardly wait.