This book explores the country schoolhouses of Texas' rural past. Sources include interviews with dozens of former country schoolteachers and students and first-person narratives collected from written works. Chapters cover the following topics: (1) history of public education and country schools in Texas; (2) distance travelled by teachers and students, usually on foot, to get to school; (3) the political issue of location of the school; (4) reminiscences by teachers of the first day of the school year and the first day of teaching; (5) types of school buildings, and problems in obtaining water, heat, and toilet facilities; (6) daily schedules, subjects taught, and teaching strategies; (7) provision of food at school, recess activities, and sports; (8) discipline; (9) the school as a center for community entertainment; (10) teacher credentials, teacher role, and requirements of trustees; (11) consolidation of small rural schools; and (12) the advantages of small, rural schools. Contains numerous photographs, notes, a selected bibliography, and an index. (KS)