This article discusses the myth and reality of the ubiquitous one-room school in Canada. A marker of civilization, it bespoke a desire to spread the merits of education to the rugged laborers and their families in even the most remote areas of rural Canada. This historical vestige, particularly in the early-to-mid 20th century, painted a promising and reminiscent picture of a country where not even the most sequestered area was beyond the reach of sound British values. As education was a prime institution for acculturating individuals to the principles of Canadian nationalism, an effective form of social organization came into the wild that was embodied in the very structure of the one-room school. Throughout the 20th century, the one-room school was a proud and powerful national image, representing the north and the qualities of virtue associated with it. As part of the "wild" in Canadian identity, rural society in theory and practice was a rudimentary and intimate form of social organization. As a result, the one-room school remains an integral vestige of the Canadian heritage.