Amish Schools

The horrible shooting at the Amish school in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, in 2006 made the public painfully aware of the fact that the Amish have their own schools. Many people wondered why the Amish have separate schools. The reason is that Amish life is so different from life in modern American society that public schools cannot adequately teach Amish children the life skills they will need for adult life.

Amish schools don’t overtly teach religion, and they don’t normally have classes pertaining to the Bible or to Amish beliefs. The responsibility for spiritual instruction is with the parents and church. Instead, the goal of Amish schools is to prepare children for usefulness in this life by preparing them for eternity. The Amish concept of an ideal school is one where children’s God-given talents are encouraged to develop and where children will learn the necessary skills for adult life.

In one sense, Christianity is taught all day long at an Amish school. It is taught on the playground, by learning to be fair in dealing with others and to respect them. It is taught in language class by the children learning to express themselves clearly. It is taught in music by the children learning to singing praises to their Creator.

Amish Schools: How Are They Different?

Just as public schools teach the values of modern society (or at least a segment of modern society), Amish schools teach the values of Amish society.  Amish dress codes are reinforced. Children are discouraged from developing a highly competitive nature. Cooperation, rather than competition, is encouraged.

Amish children receive many years of education in basic arithmetic, in writing, and in reading.  Their English needs are different from those of most children in that English is not their first language. Rather, the first language of most Amish children is low German, often referred to as “Pennsylvania Dutch.” In addition to English, most Amish schools also teach their students how to read and write in German.

Amish Schools: How They Came to Be

For nearly two centuries in America, Amish children attended the same schools as did other children.  These were normally one-room school houses (as in Little House on the Prairie) with grades 1 through 8 all in the same room.  The schools were within walking distance of home and the subjects taught did not normally conflict with Amish beliefs.

But then in the 1940’s, things began to change. The age of compulsory school attendance was raised in many states.  The subjects taught in high school often conflicted with Amish culture and beliefs. Older children were needed on the farm, and high school took them away. As a result, the Amish began to form their own schools so they could preserve their own special way of life.
    – Adapted from The Amish School by Sara Fisher and Rachel Stahl