Art
This 1880 illustration shows William Corbett's School, a small private academy where children of modest means learned reading, writing, and arithmetic. For ordinary families without public schools nearby, private schoolmasters like Corbett were the gateway to education—and opportunity.
Art · Full story
You step into the schoolroom on a winter morning. Thirty children of different ages sit crowded on hard benches, sharing worn primers and slate tablets. The schoolmaster stands at the front, ruler in hand, while weak light filters through tall windows. Some students squirm; others lean forward, hungry to read.
Reflect
What was your own school like? Did it feel like a place of hope, struggle, or something else?