What Is Amish in Old Amish Education.

13 Pages·2011·0.24 MB·English

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AUTHOR
Ediger, Marlow
TITLE
What Is Amish in Old Amish Education.
PUB DATE
87
NOTE
13p.
PUB TYPE
Reports - Descriptive (141)
EDRS PRICE
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DESCRIPTORS
*Amish; Cultural Background; *Cultural Isolation;
Educational Experience; Elementary Education;
Farmers; *Rural Farm Residents; Rural Youth; *Young
Farmer Education
IDENTIFIERS
Amish (Older Order)
ABSTRACT
The Old Order Amish society is unique among diverse
Mennonite sects. Their traditions and simplicity of lifestyle
are
evident in their manner of dress, non-mechanized farming practices,
and rejection of electricity or running water in their homes. In an
Old Order Amish education, children are taught the "four R's:"
reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion, designed specifically for
use within their culture. Responsibility for work is also an
essential ingredient in Amish education since an Old Order Amish
child has more work to do than a child on a modern farm. The lack of
modern farming practices provides opportunities for many chores for
the children. Old Order Amish eduction emphasizes caring for others
and sharing one's goods and services. All age groups participate in
barn raisings for other families and contribute to the farm and
househ:rld work if an Amish member is ill or dies. Religious beliefs
are the heart of Amish education. The entire social fabric is based
on Biblical teaching. (APG)
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WHAT IS AMISH IN OLD AMISH EDUCATION
by Marlow Ediger
OF EDUCATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT
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WHAT IS AMISH IN.OLD AMISH EDUCATION
Parochial, private, and public schools are in evidence in
Each has its unique f:Latures and philosophies.
educating students.
Parochial education alone, has its diverse schools of thought.
This
Diverse denominations support their own 7,arochial schools.
paper will focus upon The Old Order Amish and parochial education.
BELIEFS OF THE OLD ORDER AMISH
The Old Order Amish are unique among diverse Mennonite sects.
These
Traditions are emphasized as representing what is good.
Thus, clothing
traditions are defined in Old Order Amish culture.
Men and boys wear trousers with
worn identifies the Amish.
The shirt worn as well as the trousers contain no
suspenders.
Plain colors also appear on dresses for
stripes and no checks.
Blue, green, purple, brown, and black are
women and girls.
appropriate colors of womeriand girls/dresses, as well as of
Trousers are generally blue in color.
and boys' shirts.
mens
The womens' and girls' dresses have a very high neck line, long
sleeve length reaching toward the wrist, and the length extending
Old Order Amish women and girls wear prayer caps.'
to the ankles.
Bonnets are worn in the out of doors.
Horse drawn farm machinery is used in farming rather than
tractors and combines with air-ccnditioned cabs, power steering
With horse
and power brakes, as well as hydraulic lifts.
drawn farm machinery, binders are used to cut grain into bundles.
Threshing machines are utilized to seperate the grain from the
Draft horses pull the
stravrand chaff contained in the bundles.
They also pull the disk to till
gang plow in plowing the land.
the fields as well as a grain drill to sow'different crops.
Thus, no
There is no electricity used in Amish houses.
Electric
television, radio, or stereo sets are in the home setting.
ranges, dishwashers, and clothes washers are not in Amish homes.
With
Water comes from wind power when windmills are utilized.
gravity flow the water moves from barrels of water filled by
There are
windmills to the houses for indoor running water.
selected Amish congregations which do not permit running water in
Gravity flow water is used to water livestock.
houses.
Milking machines to milk cows may be powered by diesel fuel..
It is forbidden to have commercial milk trucks /3.ck up milk from
If an Amish farmer has cage laying hens
Amish farms on Sunday.
he.uses white gasoline to light carbuerators from Coleman lamps.
The valve for the fuel is turned on at the time a bunsen burner
Seventeen hours of daylight is
is ignited to do the lighting.
needed for laying hens to produce well.
Eggs, baked.productE, storm windows and screens,and fryers
may he sold by Amish farmers to provide needed income together
Self-sUfficiency is
with livestz,ck, grain, and milk produced.
Thus, they produce their own supply of
emphasized by the Amish.
Corn produced on the farm is
meat from farm animals raisee.
Large gardnns are raised to provide food for
fed to .livestock.
the family, as well as to sell selected garden crop items to others.
To further emphazize self-sufficiency, clothes for the family
Cloth ispurchased and then made into
are made by the housewife.
Quilting is an important skill
dresses, trousers, and suits.
Amish quilts are known for
retained by Old Order Amish women.
their beauty and quality.
There are Amish men who work in factories and yet retain
Seemingly, Old Order Amish values
the identity of the church.
can be maintained outside of a strictly rural farm setting.
Thus,
in Middleton, Ohio numerous Amish men work in factories, but the
Certain of these
ultimate.goal might be to become a farmer.
workers, however, prefer the.regular income accrued from factory
Even though factory work is performed,.Amish people live
work.
If they live in cities, the size of the city is
in rural'areas.
small indeed, such S six Old Order Amish couples livina directly
in Kalona, Iowa.
It is difficult to make statements about any culture which
Thus, in the Kalona, Iowa rural areas, tractors
holds true always.
with steel wheels only, can be used in farming.
But as Bishop
Elmer T. Miller at Kalona,Iowa mentioned, even though he owns
a John Deere 60 on steel wheels, he still prefers to farm using
draft horses to pull implements.
Old 07..r Amish can also own and operate grocery 6tores, Near
Kalona,.Iowa in the rural area, a small grocery store is operated
inere are selected differences of an Old Order
by the Amish.
Amish grocery store as compared to a supermarket.
Thias, no
The same
electrical appliances, light bulbs, or fuses are sold.
brands of cereal, flour, and ice cream, are sold as eaten by others
Amish food items sold in the country store, among other
in society.
differences, contain what full time housewives would emphasize
in meal preparation such as chocolate and butterscotch chips,
cocoanutland red hots'to put RS decoration and flavor on
hOmebaked cookies, cakes, and rolls.
written
There are numerous cookbooks developed from recipes
The following is an example of
by Old Order Amish housewives.
a unique recipe:
BUSHEL COOKIES
1 c maple flavored Karo
12 eggs
(green label)
5 c lard
2 lb raisins & 1 lb salted
5 lb sugar
peanuts, ground together
1 qt milk
2 lbs quick oats
6 tbsp soda
(about 18 c)
6 lbs flOur
6 tbsp baking soda
Mix in order given and drop by spoonfuls on greased and
Bake in 375 to 400 oven till
floured cookie sheets.
This is a chewy cookie, very good for Holiday
browned.
enough to
season baking, makes almost a bushel cookies,
too.1
eat your fill, and give away
AMISH EDUCATION
nUmerous unique
Old Order Amish parochial schools emphasize
A school for the.four r.s is in evidence.
goals,in the curriculum.
Reading, the first of the four r's, stresses word recognition
usinii.basal readers publishcd by a
and comprehension skills
Biblical subject matter is contained
religious publishing house.
Stories of Noah, Abraham, IsaaC, Jamb, and
in these readers.
Students learn to
David, among others, are then in the offing.
sight word methods.
use phonies, syllabication, context clues, and
Comprehension skills, such as
to identify new unknown words.
re4ding for facts, directions, and sequence of.ideas, are stressed.
ideas, spelling,
The other language arts areas, such as Writing of
handwriting, and punctuation a-ce streSsed in the curriculum.
Writing, the second of the four r s, is a baSic in the Old Order
In his office, the writer.has pictures
Amish 't;chool curriculum.
With each illustration
of Biblicul content drawn by Amish pupils.
of Buchanan County
1
Mrs. Chris Miller. Country Cooking. Amish
Edgewood Press, 1978, page IA-
Iowa:
,
For example a city set
dawn, there is related written content.
the illustration that
on a hill has been drawn and ideas underneath
A city that is set on a
state: le are the light of the world.
hill cannot be hid (Matthew 5:14).
Old Order Amish pupils also learn to write business and
friendly letters, parac,raphs, stories, and announcements.
Arithmetic (the third of the.four r's) is taught.by an Old
Order Amish teacher using a basal textbooX...The textbook is fibm:
As is-true
a leading publishing company and is secular in nature.
of reading and writing, pupils come to a recitation table to recite
The teacher generally starts a class by reading
lesson studied.
the answers to pupil's completed work in arithmetic.. Students
excelangepapes to check each other's work as the correct answers
The number of. answeis eachstudent.
are read by the teacher.
*Next, the teacher explains-
misses is then recorded by the teacher.
and tells how to work the new prOblems-.or computations of the
next lesson.
The fourthcr (religion) is essential to- Old Order Amish
Generally, the BP:le is studiedin the'German langUage.
culture.
German is the language of preaching services conducted every
Amish children are expected
other Sunday in Old Order Amish hornes.
Religious verses appear on paper atdifferent
to know much Bible.
Places in tho cliossroom, such as "God is not mocked,.whatsoever
a man Lioweth that shall he also reap."
Old Order Amish pupils in the clasE.room'are expected to
behave. The teacher may write lesson assignments on the
chalkboard for four or five minutes with the back turned to pupils.
if
The latter may continua their lessons diligently regardless
7
the teacher is observing student behavior or not.
Amish parents tend to back the teacher in emphasizing
Old Order Amish pupils
diligence, hard work, and responsibility.
Before
reveal their Participation in farm work at an early age.
attending school or after school, an Amish child helps to milk
(feed) to the laying hens, carry
cows, gather eggs, take mash
feed to the sows and pigs, as well as do garden work.
An Old Order Amish child has much more work to .do than one on.
Minimized mechanization on Amish farMs providec
a modern farm.
Thus,
opportunities for children to feed and water farm animals.
grain is carried in a bucket to feed laying hens or,.buckets of
Whereas, on a modern farm,
hen houses.
water are taken to the
There May be
six to eight laying hens are in a metal cage.
Mash
10,000 to 16,000 laying hens in cages arranged.in rows.
The mash is augurred .
company.
is brought to the farm by a feed
From the bin, the
from the tructr to a bin which hold the'feed.
augur powered by an electric motor automatically, gets the mash'
The mash then moves,along'the long rows of
to laying hens.
Water for laying hens.is also; automated in that
cage layers.
electric pumps pump water to keep the shallOw troughs filled.
On:Old Order Amish farms, each farm ranging from eighfirto
one'hundred twenty acres, school age pupils have', responsibilities'
It is very difficult ;.
in doing chores and farm wc-Ak in general.
to have purposeful work for students before and after school if
modern farm machines and equipment We utilized.
.4esponsibility for work is an essential ingredient of Amish
edw:ation. ork is good and essential,in that."in.the sweat of
. .
.
God intended that human beings
thy brow shalt thou eat bread."
should work and not be idle.
"Six days shalt thou rabor ad&:do
But the seventh day is the sabbath cf the Lord thy
all thy work.
God; in it thou shalt not do any work."
Old Order Amish education 2,.lso emphasizes that "we are our
Caring for others and sharing one's goods and
brother's keeper."
services is essential.
The individual is not an'island unto
As adults, Amish engage in barn raising for Amish and
itself.
non-Amish whose buildings were destroyed due to fire and natural
If an Amish member is ill or has died, other members
disasters:
of the faith will pitch in to do the farm or housework.
Relous beliefs, in many ways, are the heart of Amish
education in that "the wisdom of this world is foolishness in
based en
Whatever is done in.Amish society
God's sight."
Biblical teaching.
Religious services are held in homes and
not j.n church buildings due to "God does not dwell in a building
built by human hands."
Amish believe they ara pilgrims on this earth and are then
stewards of land owned and or farmed.
In being stewards of God,
preventing land erosion is important.
Using animal fertilizer
as well as comercially purchased fertilizer in selected
communities, keeps soil rich and productive.
Some of the best
farm land in the United States is farmed by the Old Order Amish.
Amish communities, such as Bloomfield, Kalona, and Oelwein, Icwa
as well as Gosheh, Indiana, Holiles County; Ohio, and Lancaster
County, Pennsylvania have productive farm communities.
Farm
land is not to he exploited but rather conserved and improved
Old Order Amish do have a reputation in being excellent
upon.
farmers.
Horse drawn farm machinery and its uses does not hinder
8
The stewardship concept and
grain productioyi on Amish farms.
improve the
philosophy.helps Old Order Amish to maintain and
grain to sell and to
quality of farm land, as well as produce
raising large
Home produced food is important in
feed livestock.
families which is an Amish ideal.
twelve children.
eightlb
The ideal sized Amish family has
offspring in the Old Order Amish
A further ideal.is to keep all
do not believe in
Old Order Amish, with few exceptions,
fold.
marriage
With the joys and privileges of
-birth control methods.
the
"Be fruitful and replenish
end result.
a large family is an
"Train up a child in the
earth" is important Am:.sh philosophy.
he is cld, he will not depart from
way he should go and when
that way."
children must harmonize
The,methods used to raise and train
'Thou shalt not make
values:
with Old Order Amish beliefs and
image or likeness of any thing that is
unto thee any engraven
beneath, or that is in
in heaven above or that is in the earth
be
No slides or snapshots are to
the water under the earth."
Models of real items are not to
taken of.the Old Order Amish.
animalsi.and wagons may
However, madels of tractors,
be made.
Amish children learn
children.
be purchased or made as toys for
The abstract is
farm work.
from the real world when engaging in
oral communication, and
learned in reading, writing, spellina,
reading,
use,till.as
The abstract, however, becomes
arithmetic.
utilized in society.
writing, arithmetic, and religion are
.Rather Amish life requires
advocated.
Developing theories is not
One
doing approach.
Amish farming methods require a
action.
build
Mil:1h learn .to
doing.
learns to farm by participating and