Youngsters visiting a one-room school house in Farmers Retreat learned about more than reading, writing and arithmetic.

The third- and fourth-graders from St. John Lutheran School, Aurora, learned what their ancestors' educational experiences might have been like.

Dressed in period clothing, the students were separated by gender, had to stand to address their teacher, and were required to call her ma'am.

Some, including fourth-graders Kashmir May, Lawrenceburg, and Rachel Kittle, Aurora, found that surprising. Cady Lawrence, a third-grader from Hidden Valley Lake, was surprised by the German text books at the historic site, where children of German immigrants were taught.