Students' attendance was carefully recorded daily in a book called the register. The register was shown to the inspector when he visited the school. A school could be judged by its attendance, and parents were able to see whether their children were attending school.

Girls sat on one side of the room, boys on the other. In 1897, the Deputy Minister of Education in Ontario required furniture for students to be comfortable, with seats that were neither too high nor too low. Previously, the dangling feet or cramped limbs of students resulted in restlessness and disturbance. With children of so many ages and sizes, it was not always possible to have desks that fit each student.

Many schools had double desks and often older students sat next to smaller children to help them with their lessons and keep them quiet. Desks at this time were sometimes ordered from a supplier, but otherwise had been made by someone in the community. There was often a groove at the top of the desk to lay pens and a place for a bottle of ink at the top right-hand corner.

Students were required to stand up every time they were called on to recite a long poem or story or read from their reader.

Some blackboards were just wooden surfaces painted black. Other blackboards were made of smooth slate. Over time, the boards would get worn out and it would be harder and harder to read what was written on the board.

By 1900, harsh punishments were less common as they had been earlier, though discipline was still very strict compared to today. The strap, a strip of leather about 38 centimetres long and 5 centimetres wide, was still used when necessary. A yardstick or pointer also delivered blows for various offences. Other punishments might be writing lines, standing in the corner, having your ears or hair pulled, being slapped, being called names or being belittled in front of classmates.

Students were expected to memorize and recite long poems and stories. They also studied grammar, arithmetic, spelling, history, and geography. More textbooks were becoming available, but most schools had few books. Sometimes the school could only offer the students readers, some classics and a few contemporary stories. These books could be borrowed to take home, were read over and over, and were very well looked after. Books were given as prizes or Christmas gifts and they were treasured.

The ringing of the school bell was a regular part of every student's day, whether the bell was mounted at the entrance to the schoolhouse or more often, one with a handle for the teacher to hold. After the bell rang and the children filed in, the day began with the recitation of the "Lord's Prayer," singing the anthem, Bible readings and taking attendance.

Obtaining clean water for the schoolhouse remained a problem. Though some schools had a well, usable water was not guaranteed. Well water could have a strange taste, smell or colour. It might even be contaminated. Some school districts arranged for water to be delivered to the school. Sometimes students had to bring their own water from home or fetch it from a nearby creek, stream, river or other source.

Buckets of water were heavy and awkward to carry, and sometimes it was a long trip. In the winter, it was at times so cold in the schoolhouse that a layer of ice formed on the top of the water that had been brought in.

Slates were still being used, but now if families could afford them, students also wrote in copybooks. Unlike today's exercise books, these had no lines, just blank pages. The students had to draw their own lines on each page with a ruler. Many schools, however, still used slates and the sound of slate pencils scratching slates could be very noisy!

Globes in the one-room schoolhouse would often be nibbled by mice that enjoyed the glue that was used to make them. Occasionally, students used globes as a ball. When this happened, the globes were soon ruined and often there were no funds for a replacement. Later on, globes were sometimes kept near the ceiling on a system of ropes and pulleys.