Jennifer Cain Bohrnstedt Views from My Schoolroom Window

Annotation

CONTENT:Views From My Schoolroom Windowis the truecoming-of-agestory of a 19thcentury schoolgirl who became a teacher upon turning 15 years old.Laurentine'snonfiction, historical account, in the form of edited diary and supplemental writings, was based in Janesville, Wisconsin 1856 -- 1870. BecauseLaurentinewas a prolificwriter and an insightful chronicler of changearound her, readers are provided, through the lens of her "father confessor" (her diary), with an engaging, richly detailed and unique set of views of family life, social relations, community debates, education standards, and the face of war -- the Civil War.Laurentine, a surprisingly modern young woman for her time,challenges us to reconsider what we think we know about 19th century women, their expectations in life, and their attitudes towards roles and duties.Laurentine's humor and escapades help us shedmisconceptions of the dark and dour cloaks of thisera in history. While it may be difficult to imagine,Laurentine's descriptions of prairie life as a schoolteacher in Janesville, Wisconsinprecededthose many of us have known fromlives in theLittle Housebooksby more than a generation! [396pp., 12 Photographs, 1 Map, Appendix, 133 Notes, Bibliographic Resources, Index]