"Learning by Doing"

Henry Ford established a one-room schoolhouse for children of workers at his nearby Nankin Mill village industry plant producing automotive parts. The rural school operated from 1937 to 1946 as part of Ford's Edison Institute School System, encouraging "learning by doing." Beyond the basics like reading, writing, and math, subjects included vocational skills, health classes and etiquette. Students maintained garden plots, and they enjoyed swimming and skating on the nearby Nankin millpond. In addition to building the school, Henry Ford paid teachers salaries, school taxes and student medical and dental expenses. During the 1930s, Ford operated 23 rural schools, some as far away as Massachusetts and Georgia.

Westland, Michigan · United States