Old-time school in session

Allaire Village Inc. will present "School Days at the 1830s Howell Works" on July 15 from 1-4 p.m. Children ages 5 to 12 and curious adults will get a taste of what it was like to attend school in 1836 at the historic village carriage house. Three separate 45-minute sessions will be conducted.

A volunteer in period dress, using the Lancasterian method, will instruct students. This course of instruction included a system of reciting the lessons of the day. Led by an older student, a group of younger children would repeat the lessons for a chosen subject, and by using their slates, pencils and lesson books, would make notations to help them remember that which they needed to learn.

A maximum group of 30 boys and girls may participate in each 45-minute session by donning a cap or neckerchief of the period. In addition, they will experience the use of authentic school materials of the 1830s at each 45-minute session. There will be room for parents to observe.

The use of humiliating punishments such as the wearing of a log around one's neck, walking around the class with manacles about one's ankles, or suspension from the classroom ceiling in a metal "bird cage" were employed with varying degrees of success to control disruptive behavior and provide "negative reinforcement."

For more information about "School Days at the 1830s Howell Works," call the Allaire Village office at (732) 919-3500. Historic Village at Allaire is in Allaire State Park, Route 524 (Atlantic Avenue), Wall Township.