Lucy Townsend, a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Foundations and curator of NIU’s Blackwell History of Education Museum, was a presenter at the annual conference of the Country School Association of America.
Townsend explained how to use a country school museum in creative ways, particularly as places to honor teachers and hold public exhibitions of children’s art and showcase their musical talents. She also suggested re-enacting the Christmas play, a staple of the holiday programs staged in one-room schools.
Held June 16 to 18 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, the conference offered 25 presentations that covered new ground in country school preservation, interpretation and programming. Attendees arrived from as far away as Alabama, New Hampshire, New York, Texas and Norway.
Conference attendees also visited the Williams Holmes McGuffey Museum, which displays multiple editions of the most popular country school textbooks, and took a bus trip to area country schools. Betsy Butler, of the King Library Special Collections Division at Miami University, introduced attendees to the William Holmes McGuffey Family Papers and the McGuffey Reader Collection.
The CSAA was formed in 2006 at the Blackwell Museum in response to a growing interest in country schools. The group promotes the preservation of the programs, buildings and histories of country schools. Townsend serves as executive director.
Visit http://www.countryschoolassociation.org for more information.