Early Education in Washington County

By Rebecca Pratt, Washington County Historical Society & Museum Education Coordinator

Long before Oregon became a state in 1859, school bells were ringing in Washington County.

Rev. and Mrs. Harvey Clark established the county’s first school in 1842 at Glencoe to serve Native American children. The Rev. J.S. Griffin also opened a church and school near Hillsboro in 1842. In 1848, Tabitha Brown and the Clarks opened a school for orphans. Established as Tualatin Academy in 1849, it later became Pacific University.

The Organic Law of Oregon, adopted in 1844 under the provisional government, stated, “Schools and the means of education shall be forever encouraged.” However, until Congress established the Territory of Oregon in 1848, there were no public funds to create and operate schools. Communities built and ran them with voluntary taxes, subscriptions or mission funds. At an Oregon City meeting in mid-1849, citizens voted to establish a system of public instruction as one of the first enactments of the territorial legislature. A law passed on Sept. 5, 1849, provided for an education system with public funding, a board of examiners for each county, locally elected school boards, and free admission for all students, regardless of religion. It specified that sections 16 and 36 in each township would be set aside for educational purposes.

Subscription schools sprouted up throughout the county. By 1851 the West Union, Jackson, Hillsboro, Cornelius and Greenville public school districts were established. The West Union School, built in 1852, holds title as the county’s first public school, although public money was slow in coming. Others quickly followed and the rush to educate the county’s youth was on.

The first Oregon schools, their contents and curricula varied little from what pioneers had known in their home states to the east. The sound of children’s earnest recitation was alike from Vermont to Kentucky, Kansas and Montana, and westward to Oregon. Emphasis was on memorization, penmanship and the three R’s – reading, ’riting and ’rithmetic. Frontier schools here, as in the east, served many purposes, such as providing a center for social life and a nucleus for community growth.

Oregon’s earliest schools were built of logs, often by the entire community in just one day. The schools were generally set in central locations on donated land. A small wood stove occupied the middle of the single room. Parents supplied firewood, and the teacher chopped kindling and hauled water from a nearby stream or well. Floors were sometimes earthen, and windows might be covered with a blanket or paper until glass could be purchased. Desks were simple tables made of split logs with matching benches. Families shared the few books and supplies they had stowed in their covered wagons, and perhaps a spare lantern, bucket, dipper and basin. The outhouse was a short distance from the school, and the playground was often an obstacle course of fresh stumps. Students ranged in age from 4 to 20, all learning together in one room. Weather and families’ need for assistance with farm labor often dictated the length of terms, enrollment and attendance. Teachers, most with no more than a high school education, were usually young and poorly paid.

Picturesque frame schools with belfries, white paint and plentiful windows replaced log structures as communities prospered and sawmills rose in the wilderness. There were new store-bought desks, more books and blackboards. Almost every school had a flag, a clock, maps and presidential portraits, as well as a donated piano or organ. These schools were better attended, and terms were lengthened as children had more time to pursue studies. Curriculum expanded to include subjects such as geography, health, history and music.

In 1853, school districts were authorized by the Legislature to levy and collect property taxes. This advance was followed in 1857 by the adoption of a “uniform
and general system of common schools,” open or common to all children of the community on equal terms. Teachers trained at normal schools and colleges
received higher wages.

With forethought and diligence, Oregon’s pioneers had set the course towards public education as we know it today.

Bibliography for early education in Washington County

• Varner, Gerald H. School Days. Published in cooperation with Beaverton School District 48 by Gerald H. Varner. Portland, OR, 2000.
• Anthony, Susie and MacKinnon, Jerry. Early Public Schools in CPO #8. WCM Collection, 2000.
• Members of the Extension Study Groups of Washington County and others. A Centennial History of Washington County, Oregon, 1959. WCM archive 979.543
• History of Pacific University. Pacific University. http://www.pacificu.edu/about/history/
• Wells, Pat. Tabitha Moffatt Brown, 1780-1858: A Biographical Sketch. Pacific University http://mcel.pacificu.edu/history/herrick/brownbio.html
• West Union Community Club. West Union Centennial 1851-1951. Hillsboro Argus, 1951. WCM archive 979.543
• Fulton, Ann Ph.D. Banks: A Darn Good Town. Sponsored by the Oregon Council for the Humanities and Friends of the Banks Community Library , 1995. WCM archive 979.543
• Mapes, Virginia. Chakeipi “The Place of the Beaver”: the History of Beaverton, Oregon. City of Beaverton, 1993.
• Mooberry, Lester. A Brief History of the Elementary School of Washington County, Oregon 1851-1958. 1958. WCM archive MSS-236

The Importance of History Education

By Scott Brown, Education Manager

Humans have long shared a passion for history. While the methods used to do so have varied throughout the course of human history, the desire to educate future generations about past experiences is universal.

Evidence shows that humans have been preserving their past for thousands of years. From cave art to story telling, cultural traditions have passed through the generations. We learn an enormous amount about the human experience from our history. The stories of our predecessors give us a sense of place and time in the world. We can better prepare for the future when we recognize our past mistakes and the results of cause and effect relationships.

From a young age, children acknowledge and become acquainted with the past. Whether participating in a formal classroom setting, listening to elders remember, reading a book or visiting a museum, children are surrounded with opportunities to learn about history.

The Washington County Historical Society, along with regional school districts, takes history education to heart. WCM augments formal classroom learning with a variety of hands-on experiences that bring history to life for the younger set.

The Washington County Historical Society and Museum is a key provider of local history education. Incorporated 50 years ago to preserve and interpret the county’s heritage, WCM offers a window into Washington County history through exhibits, research collections and educational programs.

Scout Saturdays, Mobile Museum in the Classroom and Mobile Museum in the Community are WCM programs that use hands-on approaches to connect people with our local history. These programs take in-depth looks at historic topics such as the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Kalapuya Indians, Mountain Men and life on the Oregon Trail. During the 2005-2006 school year, WCM staff and volunteers gave 300 presentations to schools and other community organizations.

Educators appreciate this partnership with WCM. Second-grade teacher Ms. Hopkins from Keizer Elementary School said of the Mobile Museum presentation: “Great presentations and activities! It is so nice for the students to have a hands-on experience with real items from so long ago in history.”

WCM’s commitment to history education is right in line with the best of contemporary museum education. According to “Learning from Museums” by John Falk and Lynn Deirking (2000), “Museums are developing intensive programs for children and youth that allow them to become involved in the activities in museums in meaningful and productive ways.” All of our education programs for children keep this goal in mind.

For additional information about these programs and to reserve a date for your presentation, please call Scott Brown at (503) 645-5353.

Teaching Children about Oregon’s Native Americans

By Rebecca Pratt, Washington County Historical Society & Museum Education Coordinator

The Kalapuya Indians of the Willamette Valley, which included the Atfalati band of Washington County, deserve special attention in our local history. Oregon’s story would not be complete without an understanding of the diverse traditions and rich cultures of the people who flourished here for thousands of years and still live among us today.

WCM’s Mobile Museum program provides two school presentations on local Native American history; one is on the Atfalati and another on their close neighbors and trading partners, the Chinook. The museum is currently preparing a major exhibit on the Kalapuyans, using the many artifacts housed in its collection as well as special objects borrowed from private
parties and public institutions.

When informing children about local Indian tribes, it is crucial to balance the historical viewpoint by teaching them that Indians still live in Oregon doing all the same things that we do. They go to school, shop, eat in restaurants, and drive down the highway right along with the rest of us.

People often use popular stereotypes from TV and movie images and story books when preparing curriculum or teaching young children about historic Native American cultures. Unfortunately, young children often believe that these images depict all Native Americans. For instance, if you ask young children what they know about Native peoples of the past, most will tell you that they carried tomahawks and wore feathers, face paint, and fringed and beaded leather clothing. Children might also describe Native Americans as all riding horses or paddling birchbark canoes. When asked to draw pictures of a historic Indian dwelling in Oregon, most children draw teepees. If you ask them what Oregon Indians ate, corn will be the likely answer. It’s often a revelation to children that American Indians varied between tribes and regions, in almost every aspect of their lives.

How did the misconception occur that all Native Americans are alike? For most children, the Thanksgiving story as traditionally taught is partly to blame. In her book, “American Indian Stereotypes: the Truth Behind the Hype” (1993), Esther Stutzman, a Kalapuya-Coos elder, suggests that we critically analyze a familiar picture of the first Thanksgiving. You will probably see that the artist has combined features such as clothing and hair styles belonging to different tribes into one generalized picture that fails to give accurate information about any specific tribe. This kind of composite takes place again and again in popular media.

In contrast to this myth, Native Americans are extremely diverse. They make up less than one percent of the total U.S. population, but Native Americans represent half of the languages and cultures in the United States. The term “Native American” encompasses over 500 different groups with their own individual languages, habits and customs. These groups live in extremely varied geographic locations.

If this number seems improbable, consider that American Indians lived and migrated across this continent for many thousands of years. Wherever a small group settled, it developed a distinctive lifestyle. We casually accept that travels across Europe will expose us to many languages, foods, dress habits and cultures; however, we seldom apply this same historical frame of reference to our own country’s past.

Children are eager and curious to learn about the differences that make Oregon’s Indian peoples unique. They love to build their own models of the semi-subterranean houses used by the Atfalati, and to see how these differed from Chinook-style longhouses, Great Basin wickiups and Plateau mat houses. Children enjoy learning that staple food crops such as camas and acorns were managed in the Willamette Valley through intensification by fire, or pyroculture. One of the most popular activities is an ethnobotany walk to study the plants that the Atfalati used. This activity is incorporated into the Science of Lewis and Clark Mobile Museum presentation, using pictures of local plants. Students are amazed that early people discovered what was good to eat and what was poisonous, what plants could be used for medicine or fiber, which trees made the best canoes and which made better bows. Instructions for brain-tanning – using the brains of a slain animal to soften its hide – is a favorite part of the Atfalti presentation! A hard-to-beat regional favorite for kids is a description of the annual grasshopper roundup performed by the Northern Paiutes of Oregon’s desert.

Many fun and educational activities help children understand the complex ways in which indigenous people once used this land. Picking berries, going fishing, or cooking a food that local natives would have eaten will make them aware of the resources that were available to sustain life. The reason that clothing in western Oregon was made of rot-proof pounded cedar bark rather than buckskin or fur is a subject for discussion with environmental and science extensions. Children may want to create jewelry like that worn by local tribes or make a model dugout canoe. They might play a trading game using shells and beads for money. Families can visit many area museums with special exhibits and displays of Native American artifacts.

This is a grand, culturally diverse state. The Kalapuya, Chinook, Atfalati and all other tribes and bands of native peoples in Oregon deserve recognition for both their differences and their similarities. Teaching about individual groups rather than leaning on generalities when educating our children creates for our Native American citizens dignity of place, and for all of us a much more fascinating world.

References

• Derman-Sparks, Louise. (1989). “Anti-bias Curriculum: Tools for Empowering Young Children.” Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children. ED 305 135.
• Reese, Debbie. (1996). “Teaching Young Children about Native Americans.”
• ERIC Digest: Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education.
• Grant, Agnes, and LaVina Gillespie. (1992). “Using Literature by American Indians and Alaska Natives in Secondary Schools.” ERIC Digest: Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education.
• Stutzman, Esther. (1993). “American Indian Stereotypes: The Truth Behind the Hype.”
• An Indian Education Curriculum Unit. Coos Bay Ore.; Coos County Indian Education Coordination Program. ED 364 396.
• Michaelis, Bernhard (3 Dec. 2001). “Teaching Kids the Wonderful Diversity of American Indians.” Article for Native Child, Inc. Santa Fe, NM.

Hands-on Learning

By Rebecca Pratt, Washington County Historical Society & Museum Education Coordinator

Hands-on learning has long been considered one of the most effective ways to educate. The Washington County Museum provides a variety of ways to get up close and personal with history.

For example, Mobile Museum educators travel to schools and community groups throughout the county, correlating their presentations with Oregon Educational Curriculum standards and benchmarks. The Saturday Scout programs give Tiger and Bear Cub and Junior Girl Scouts opportunities to earn important achievements for their badges.

These programs are gaining in popularity with educators and Scout leaders, not only because they present relevant historical information but because they are hands-on. Stories and facts of local heritage are augmented with kits of real artifacts or replicas that can be touched, examined and used as they were at least 100 years ago.

Activities give children a chance to manipulate objects such as dip pens, slates, old- fashioned toys, a coffee grinder, and a Native American stone mortar and pestle. The ever-popular History Mystery game introduces seldom-seen artifacts for students to explore and observe, and allows them to present their findings as the “experts.” Girl Scouts participate in a conservation project, and Boy Scouts add pages to a scrapbook in the research library archive.

Washington County Museum exhibits provide another avenue for interactive, hands-on learning. The term “hands-on” connects directly to high-tech history. That widely used expression is a relative newcomer to the English language. It first appeared in the late 1960s to describe the best method for learning how to use a computer – with hands on the keyboard.

Hands-on learning is defined as learning that happens outside the time, format, and place constraints of traditional classrooms. It can also be described as inquiry-oriented or activity- based. The importance of providing children with direct learning experiences rather than making them rely solely on memory and abstract thought is supported by current knowledge of how learning takes place.

Research shows that there are many benefits to this approach, including increased motivation to learn, enjoyment of learning, and independent, creative thinking and perception. As recognition of different modes of learning expands, we understand more fully that the ability to experience concepts and factual information through sensory, tactile and kinetic contact can help children absorb and retain more information then they would in a traditional teaching setting. By actually doing and experiencing, children are stimulated to participate, to develop critical thinking skills, and to be able to transfer their experience more easily to other learning situations.

Although history education techniques and materials that engage students in more enjoyable and stimulating ways are increasing, there is still a lot of work to be done to dispel the dry-as-dust stigma that has long been attached to learning history. WCM is doing its best to breathe new life into the “olden days.”