"Omgangs skole"

"I started school when I was seven years old. At that time there was "omgangs skole," that is, a few days at each home. There was no school house. The school term was from October 14 to April 14, which was considered winter. The circuit was too big for all, so it was divided into two districts so that the attendance was divided. And besides, there was a lot to be done at home, so school attendance was irregular for the short time we had. It was all right for those who were fairly good to read, as we said. But even if we were home from school during the day we still had our lessons to memorize in the evening, and Mother and Father heard them. That is the way school was in those days."

-- excerpt from Tosten's autobiography, written in 1917