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Education as stated in Webster’s Dictionary is simply to “supply with training.” Training in what? Our environment determines the answer to that question. In most of America, education is a curriculum formally taught by educated instructors in public or private schools. The schools are usually divided into classrooms with the same age and grade level in each classroom. However, the Amish, known for their distinctive clothing, horse-drawn buggies, and simplistic way of life, have their own idea of education, which is very different from modern American schools. A typical American school has many classrooms divided by grade. Teachers, who come from many different backgrounds almost always have some type of college education. They teach with many help aids such as computers, overhead projectors, slide shows, and television. The latest technology is an integral part of the modern classroom. Unlike the rest of America, Amish children attend school in a one-room schoolhouse with no electricity. Without electricity, no visual aids such as overhead projectors are used. The chalkboard is their main teaching tool. Each Amish school has approximately 25-30 local students between grades 1-8. One teacher, who is almost always an un-married Amish girl with only an 8th grade education, is responsible for teaching the basic reading, writing, and arithmetic skills needed in their day-to-day lives. Amish classrooms only go up to 8th grade. It is extremely rare for a student who has completed the Amish elementary grades to enter high school and continue formal schooling. High schools and other schools of higher learning are not acceptable. The child who does continue formal education will not remain Amish and becomes a “drop-out” from the Amish way of life. By not entering high school, Amish children are all considered dropouts in public school statistics. Lack of formal schooling doesn’t hinder the Amish person who seeks employment. In many communities, both Amish and former Amish persons are in great demand as farm tenants, carpenters, painters, builders, house cleaners and baby-sitters. The Amish believe formal schooling in unnecessary because they teach their children what they need to know to make it in life. The men teach the life of farming and hard work to the boys. The women are responsible for teaching the girls how to cook, clean, and sew.
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