Classrooms of Change: A Look Back at Jackson County’s Evolving Public Schools

By Amanda Reynolds

Since the establishment of the Common School System in 1843, public education in Jackson County, Arkansas has undergone a remarkable transformation. From one-room schoolhouses with wood-burning stoves to brick buildings with bus routes and sports teams, the story of education in this corner of the state is one of perseverance, dedication, and community spirit.

In 1868, the Common School System gave way to a district-based structure, creating schools in rural communities such as Glaize, Breckenridge, Cache, and Cow Lake. These schools served as the heart of their communities, and over the decades, they evolved to reflect the social and economic changes of the times.

Buried in the pages of Stream of History, a publication dedicated to preserving Arkansas's past found online or in print at the Jackson County Library, are first-hand accounts that paint a vivid picture of school life in the early 20th century. Two women, Helen Deaton Shoffner and Lois Hunter McGough, shared memories that bring to life the joys, challenges, and changes in Jackson County's schools.

Helen Deaton Shoffner's earliest school memories date back to the Yellow School House along Highway 39, nestled between Tuckerman and Elgin Ferry. Just four or five years old, she was part of the Primer Class taught by Miss Oneal Jamison, the graceful daughter of Dr. O.A. Jamison. Discipline and structure ruled the school day. The "big room," overseen by Raymond Masters, was known for its strict spelling tests. Any student who missed more than two words during Friday’s oral spelling test could expect a switching.

Shoffner lived within walking distance and carried her lunch, usually a sausage biscuit and homemade cookies wrapped in newspaper, along with a folding tin cup for drinking water from the pump. At six, she moved on to attend school in Tuckerman, walking three miles with her brother unless bad weather necessitated a wagon ride. Around 1925, the town received its first school bus. The school itself, a two-story red brick building, stood in south Tuckerman until it burned in 1943.

As a young mother, Shoffner sent her own children to school in Weldon. Eventually, she began teaching first grade in Tupelo and continued her career at Gibbs Albright, retiring in 1982 after 30 years in the classroom. Over her decades in education, she witnessed the dramatic rise in teacher salaries from $1,140 annually at the start of her career to $12,500 at the time of her retirement.

For Lois Hunter McGough, teaching in the late 1920s and early 1930s came with its own set of challenges. Jobs were scarce, money was tight, and school terms were fragmented, usually two and a half months in the summer and another four or five in the winter, depending on tax funding. School days ran from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with just two 15-minute recesses and an hour for lunch, which was eaten from a tin bucket. Sharing lunch was a common and cherished practice among the children.

Most rural schools were simple, one-room buildings. While some used benches, others had two-person desks. Boys sat on one side of the room, girls on the other. In schools lucky enough to have two teachers, one taught at the front while the other worked from the back. Usually, though, a single teacher managed all eight grades with older students often stepping in to help younger ones.

Teachers were responsible not only for instruction but also for cleaning their classrooms and starting the morning fire in the stove. Students frequently helped by hauling in firewood. Salaries ranged from $25 to $50 per month in those early years and rose to $75 to $100 by the 1940s.

The 1940s also brought consolidation, larger school buildings, fewer students per classroom, and, eventually, higher pay. Despite the hardships, school life had its bright spots. Children played games like marbles, horseshoes, and “mummy-peg,” a knife game, and in later years, basketball made its way into the curriculum. Once a month, the entire school and surrounding community came together for a literary society meeting. Students performed songs, recited poems, and acted in plays, a treasured tradition that brought joy to families and neighbors alike.

McGough herself attended schools in Centerville, Battle Axe, New Home, Swifton, and Newport before enrolling at Arkansas State College in Jonesboro. She began teaching in 1924 and retired in May 1968, marking more than four decades in education.

The stories of Shoffner and McGough are more than personal memoirs. They are windows into the endurance and adaptability of educators and students alike. From humble schoolhouses with tin cups and wood stoves to growing institutions with dedicated facilities, the educational journey in Jackson County is a testament to the resilience of rural communities.

As we look back at the past, we’re reminded that education is more than a system — it’s a legacy passed from generation to generation. Thanks to the dedication of women like Shoffner and McGough, that legacy continues to shape the future.

Stream of History. Winter 1992, Volume XXIX, No. 4

Stream of History. Summer 1990, Volume XXVII, No. 2