General day for a colonial student

My name is May White. I am a upper class girl going to common school. I feel lucky that I am a upper class girl. I am 13 and will soon have to learn at home and I will not be able to go to college or boarding school. My mother will have to teach me skills at home. I can’t wait to go for school. I have a brother and a sister, and of course my parents. My sister goes to dame school and my brother is in England at a boarding school. Common schools are just schools for more older children. My sister is younger than me, so she goes to dame school. Dame school is for younger children and little children. When I go to school I wake up at 7 in the morning,  I don’t think school is hard, but I don’t like the teacher. He is very mean and there is never fun. I wish we would learn about different subjects in school, but we don’t. I worry about my brother, he has not written in some time and he is not a very good student. The school is very dim lit and dark. I don’t like school, because of the teacher. I like learning, but it is not fun when someone gets beaten every hour or so. The school is very dark and there’s basically no light. It is very dusty and not very nice.

         In the morning I wake up at 5:00. School starts at 7:00 and it takes me about one and a half hours to get there. My mother packs me a breakfast every night. I eat it on the way to school. My father wakes me up, because he also has a long way to go before he can get to his shop. The school takes a long time to get to. Sometimes I can’t go to school in the winter because it is so cold and icy. The snow is everywhere and I would march through the thick snow to collect wood. The school room is always cold, I don’t know why. I think it is because the school room is dark and gloomy and no light peeks through the window, that is layered in dust. I remember dame school. I was very small and I loved to learn there. It was always so sweet and cozy. Everything was warm, and it was in a townhouse and so it only took me 10 minutes to get there. I remember that she was a kind lady, she made food for us and she was the best teacher that anyone could wish for.

         Right now it is raining, It is 5 in the morning and I just woke up. I love the rain, but not on a school day. I quickly wash my face and hands. I put on my everyday dress and bonnet. I put on my shoes, knowing that they would dripping wet by the time I got to school. I loved my room. It had a very big window right by my bed, and two shelves above it. They are a fine wood and I had many of my favorite positions on it. my dresser was at the end of my bed. I got my bag out. I took my bag and I quickly ran out of my room and into our kitchen. I grab the breakfast bag and run out the door. I quickly look on the church clock and……… no! I say to myself I better run fast. I ran to school and quickly entered the door.

“You are almost late.” said a harsh voice

“Sorry sir,” I say

I quickly take my seat and look around. Everyone is sitting down and class begins. I sit in my seat, looking at the teacher, but my thoughts are far away. I think about the rain pounding in every corner. After school I went back home. At home I learned from my hornbook. This is a general day for me.