Student Leadership

With no separate classrooms based on age, the one-room schoolhouse was a unique learning environment where a six-year-old practicing the alphabet might sit next to a teenager working on algebra. Because of this setup, students had to become more independent, and teachers often relied on older students to help the younger ones. As Lodi Eshe, a former student of Jefferson School, recalled, “I was pretty much the oldest at that time. As I progressed then I could hear the first graders read and the second graders, that type of thing. I helped the teachers, because they didn’t have that much.”[1] This system not only reinforced what older students had already learned but also created a sense of responsibility and teamwork among classmates.[2]

By tutoring younger students, older children strengthened their own understanding while also developing leadership skills. Many who took part in this system later found themselves well-prepared for roles as teachers, mentors, or leaders within their families and communities.