There was great resistance to the introduction of the Folkskola (Elementary School) and schoolhouse in each parish, with a trained teacher and governed by a school board. In smaller rural parishes there was no financial support for this. Parishes were now obliged to provide education for all children. Parishioners also had to contribute taxes to the new institution, which caused even more resistance. In other words, it was not easy to get the new elementary school up and running. In many homesteads, people did not want to send their children to school because they were needed as laborers on the farm. Graduated teachers were also hard to come by and many schools had to be made ambulatory because of the great distances between villages. In the early days, schools consisted of a single class with children of different ages grouped under a single teacher, and often monitorial teaching was used.At the Riksdag of 1856-1858 (Parliament meeting), it was clear that the Elementary School Charter (Folkskolestadgan ) was failing and that the government had to take a firmer grip on the school; the elementary school (folkskolan) had to be rescued from its crisis. In the 1850s, therefore, small schools (småskolan) and so-called lesser elementary schools (mindre folkskolan) were introduced, a kind of elementary school for sparsely populated areas (glesbygdsfolkskola). In 1858, a decree was issued announcing that small schools, as the first preparatory measure of knowledge, could be established anywhere in the country regardless of distance from the elementary school. The important thing was to get the elementary school accepted. Local, cheap, unqualified talents among the peasantries’ own ranks would be employed, thus breaking down resistance to the school and gaining legitimacy for the school system. Furthermore, as a rule, no special schoolhouses needed to be built for small schools; they could be housed on any farm in the countryside.
Småskolan - Small School or Junior Elementary School (Grades 1 & 2)
In 1858, the so-called småskolan (the Small School) was introduced, which became a two-year school in the 1882 elementary school plan. The Small School was thus a name for grades 1 and 2 of the elementary school. It was taught by “small school” teachers (småskollärare), who were also class teachers and were trained at special small school seminars (småskoleseminarier). The small school was made a subordinate stage for the first learning of reading by young children. This facilitated the teaching of the elementary school proper, which in this way achieved a more uniform level of knowledge among elementary school children.It was women who were considered to be the cheapest labor force and they increasingly took over the teaching of small schools, even though there were also male small school teachers in the beginning. Thus, the elementary school had two different types of teachers: elementary school teachers and small school teachers.It was not until the 1919 curriculum that the small school and the elementary school proper were unified into a single 6-year school. From the 1930s onwards, in some places, grade 3 was also included in the small school. The small school began to be replaced by the junior stage (lågstadium) with the introduction of the Uniform school (Enhetsskolan) from 1949 and the Compulsory school (Grundskolan) from 1962 onwards.Count Torsten Rudenschöld of Läckö Castle was an enthusiastic supporter of the introduction of small schools. The important thing for Rudenschöld was that the small schools should be close to the children's homes and that they should be cheap to get approval in the rural villages. His school program was quickly accepted by those who would finance and politically take responsibility for the small schools. Nor did they call for special schoolhouses.From 1878, it became compulsory for rural municipalities to employ graduated small school teachers who had been trained at special seminaries, otherwise, the government subsidies introduced in the 1860s were not paid. A large number of seminars for small school teachers now sprang up in Sweden, usually under the auspices of the county councils. The fact that government grants to schools were conditional and earmarked meant that municipalities had to meet a certain standard to benefit from them, which accelerated development.After completing the small school, the pupils could then continue in the proper elementary school. This often meant that the children would get a longer way to school compared to what they had had to the small school.
Mindre folkskolan - Lesser Elementary School
In the 1850s, so-called mindre folkskolor - lesser elementary schools - were introduced, which were a kind of elementary school for sparsely populated areas, hence the name "mindre folkskolan" (lesser elementary school). It was a less costly and simpler version of the proper elementary school. With local, cheap, unqualified teachers, employed among the peasantries’ own ranks, resistance to the school would be broken and greater legitimacy would be gained for the school system as a whole.It has been assumed that the lesser elementary school will be organized only where local conditions, as specified in paragraph 3 of the Elementary School Charter, make it justified, and that it will have only a comparatively small number of children.In 1864, a new government agency, the Elementary School Inspectorate (Folkskoleinspektionen), was set up with special school inspectors who would visit schools at regular intervals and report to the then Ministry of Education. The aim was to obtain information on how the parishes were carrying out their school commission.
•Från folkskola till grundskola 1842-1962 av Christina Florin 2010.•Gamla småskolor och deras lärare, Sven Ekwall. Levnadsminnen och miljöbilder samlade och kommenterade av Sven Ekwall. Årsböcker i svenska undervisningshistoria.•Folkskolor och småskolor år 1900. Normal plan för undervisningen.•Wikipedia Top of Page
Wiggestaberg small school, Huddinge, school class and schoolmistress in 1912. The schoolmistress Maria Andersson is standing in the middle.Image: Wikipedia.In Vistaberg, there was a schoolhouse already before the turn of the century 1900. It was called Wiggestaberg School after the farm Wiggestaberg, later called Vistaberg.
There was great resistance to the introduction of the Folkskola (Elementary School) and schoolhouse in each parish, with a trained teacher and governed by a school board. In smaller rural parishes there was no financial support for this. Parishes were now obliged to provide education for all children. Parishioners also had to contribute taxes to the new institution, which caused even more resistance. In other words, it was not easy to get the new elementary school up and running. In many homesteads, people did not want to send their children to school because they were needed as laborers on the farm. Graduated teachers were also hard to come by and many schools had to be made ambulatory because of the great distances between villages. In the early days, schools consisted of a single class with children of different ages grouped under a single teacher, and often monitorial teaching was used.At the Riksdag of 1856-1858 (Parliament meeting), it was clear that the Elementary School Charter (Folkskolestadgan ) was failing and that the government had to take a firmer grip on the school; the elementary school (folkskolan) had to be rescued from its crisis. In the 1850s, therefore, small schools (småskolan) and so-called lesser elementary schools (mindre folkskolan) were introduced, a kind of elementary school for sparsely populated areas (glesbygdsfolkskola). In 1858, a decree was issued announcing that small schools, as the first preparatory measure of knowledge, could be established anywhere in the country regardless of distance from the elementary school. The important thing was to get the elementary school accepted. Local, cheap, unqualified talents among the peasantries’ own ranks would be employed, thus breaking down resistance to the school and gaining legitimacy for the school system. Furthermore, as a rule, no special schoolhouses needed to be built for small schools; they could be housed on any farm in the countryside.
Småskolan - Small School or Junior
Elementary School (Grades 1 & 2)
In 1858, the so-called småskolan (the Small School) was introduced, which became a two-year schoolin the 1882 elementary school plan. The Small School was thus a name for grades 1 and 2 of the elementary school. It was taught by “small school” teachers (småskollärare), who were also class teachers and were trained at special small school seminars (småskoleseminarier). The small school was made a subordinate stage for the first learning of reading by young children. This facilitated the teaching of the elementary school proper, which in this way achieved a more uniform level of knowledge among elementary school children.It was women who were considered to be the cheapest labor force and they increasingly took over the teaching of small schools, even though there were also male small school teachers in the beginning. Thus, the elementary school had two different types of teachers: elementary school teachers and small school teachers.It was not until the 1919 curriculum that the small school and the elementary school proper were unified into a single 6-year school. From the 1930s onwards, in some places, grade 3 was also included in the small school. The small school began to be replaced by the junior stage (lågstadium) with the introduction of the Uniform school (Enhetsskolan) from 1949 and the Compulsory school (Grundskolan) from 1962 onwards.Count Torsten Rudenschöld of Läckö Castle was an enthusiastic supporter of the introduction of small schools. The important thing for Rudenschöld was that the small schools should be close to the children's homes and that they should be cheap to get approval in the rural villages. His school program was quickly accepted by those who would finance and politically take responsibility for the small schools. Nor did they call for special schoolhouses.From 1878, it became compulsory for rural municipalities to employ graduated small school teachers who had been trained at special seminaries, otherwise, the government subsidies introduced in the 1860s were not paid. A large number of seminars for small school teachers now sprang up in Sweden, usually under the auspices of the county councils. The fact that government grants to schools were conditional and earmarked meant that municipalities had to meet a certain standard to benefit from them, which accelerated development.After completing the small school, the pupils could then continue in the proper elementary school. This often meant that the children would get a longer way to school compared to what they had had to the small school.
Mindre folkskolan - Lesser Elementary
School
In the 1850s, so-called mindre folkskolor - lesser elementary schools - were introduced, which were a kind of elementary school for sparsely populated areas, hence the name "mindre folkskolan" (lesser elementary school). It was a less costly and simpler version of the proper elementary school. With local, cheap, unqualified teachers, employed among the peasantries’ own ranks, resistance to the school would be broken and greater legitimacy would be gained for the school system as a whole.It has been assumed that the lesser elementary school will be organized only where local conditions, as specified in paragraph 3 of the Elementary School Charter, make it justified, and that it will have only a comparatively small number of children.In 1864, a new government agency, the Elementary School Inspectorate (Folkskoleinspektionen), was set up with special school inspectors who would visit schools at regular intervals and report to the then Ministry of Education. The aim was to obtain information on how the parishes were carrying out their school commission.
•Från folkskola till grundskola 1842-1962 av Christina Florin 2010.•Gamla småskolor och deras lärare, Sven Ekwall. Levnadsminnen och miljöbilder samlade och kommenterade av Sven Ekwall. Årsböcker i svenska undervisningshistoria.•Folkskolor och småskolor år 1900. Normal plan för undervisningen.•Wikipedia Top of Page
Wiggestaberg small school, Huddinge, school class and schoolmistress in 1912. The schoolmistress Maria Andersson is standing in the middle.Image: Wikipedia.In Vistaberg, there was a schoolhouse already before the turn of the century 1900. It was called Wiggestaberg School after the farm Wiggestaberg, later called Vistaberg.
