The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
This book continues from last week and was a project of the Henderson County Retired Teachers Association (HCRTA) by president Mary Alice Huntoon of Stronghurst where her plan was to make a storybook of “Memories” from retired teachers in the HCRTA organization.
The book was started November 13, 2000 and was to end by March 12, 2001.
Ms. Huntoon said that she asked their members to share things they remembered when teaching. She also included any articles from the last ten HCRTA Newsletters where people shared “Teacher Spotlights” or articles about “Graham School $1.00”.
This new Quill series, (thanks to Ms. Huntoon) began last week (12/29/2021) with teacher Hazel Hart of Stronghurst and her memories, who is now 102 years old and is a resident at Terraza of Cheviot Hills Assisted Living, 3340 Shelby Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90034.
My second graders were always encouraged to put their names on their papers. After checking a set of spelling papers there was one with no name.
Of course, I knew from the writing to whom the paper belonged. Repeated questioning of the entire class yielded no owner. Finally I called a sweet, bright, brown-eyed boy up to my desk and asked, “Neil is this your paper?” He replies, “No, I put my name on my paper.”
I responded, “Well, I know this is yours. If you put your name on it, what happened to it?” He thought for a moment and then replied in all seriousness “Well-it must have fallen off!”
So—the year is 1938-the county, La Salle in middle Illinois-and it’s time for school to start its eight-month session.
Sure I had attended the “2 miler” all my eight grades. Sure I knew about getting an education at the “2 miler”.
Wrong I didn’t realize I had to carry water from the neighboring farm. I didn’t realize I had to carry in the cobs and coal to furnish fuel for the furnace.
I didn’t realize after spending the day teaching first and second graders through eight graders. (which I did poorly by the way), so I wasn’t prepared to make plans for first graders, third or fourth graders, (no one in the other grades) teach, test, record grades and all the rest that goes with it and then stay and clean chalk boards, sweep the floor, be sure windows were secure and then go home and do my required chores there, since I was living at home and not paying rent. (I was paid $70.00 per month and trying to buy a car.) I was expected to help at home to pay for my room and board.
Then came the cold weather. Now, my Dad took care of the fires at home. What did I know about keeping a fire in the relatively new furnace?
So, when I built the fire at school in the furnace and turned the damper to keep the fire from burning too fast—how was I to know that there would be enough gas pressure built up to cause the furnace to “Puff” in the middle of class work scaring us half to death and not setting the school on fire.
But the Lord being with me—the furnace fire continued to burn, and aI got through the day and that near catastrophe okay.
The poor primary kids, my interest was on the seventh and eighth graders. That was where my priorities were, since they had to take final county exams at the end of the year and after all, it was important that they got good grades. “Wasn’t it?” Since that was a county wide reflection on my teaching, “wasn’t it?” (Right!)
Well, six years later, five of those years in the same district, I did get a job in the Streator Elementary grades, teaching fifth and sixth grades. Now the year was eight and one half months long and a much better salary.
At the expense of the poor education of those children the first six years of teaching I did help produce several who turned out well, attorneys, teachers, etc. (also one or two in prison.)
While to All of those first years primary children I do know one became an insurance rep., several farmers, etc. in spite of their poor beginnings.
Don’t you wonder what the following teachers’ thoughts were? Didn’t she teach those children ANYTHING?
It’s all water under the bridge but oh! How I’d like to go back and start over. How differently I’d do so many things—like learning to make a fire. Maybe?
This is a resume of Virginia Brown’s teaching experiences that spanned fifty years.
I was destined to be an educator. My mother taught at the North School, my sister Jeanne was a Title 1 teacher in the Moline, Illinois Public Schools and my sister Maxine taught at Peasley, Cox, Gladstone and Southern in Henderson county for fifty years.
My teaching career began at Millville and South Schools where I taught for eight years. In reminiscing I recall crossing the creek after a heavy rain in a wagon pulled by a team of horses to get to school.
Recesses were excursions to the woods to gather paw-paws.
At South School the outstanding musical programs and the ability instilled in the students by our county music teacher, Eulalie Campbell were recalled.
I married a chemical engineer and moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico, the atomic city high up in the mountains. Security was very tight and a pass was required to enter the city.
For four years my first graders were composed of children with a scientific background, Spanish migrant workers and native Indians.
Wind, rocks, and rattlesnakes were prevalent and it was necessary to have a snake bite kit with you on the playground. I never did have to use it but have a rattlesnake rattle as a souvenir. The snake was killed by my husband near our garage.
My husband was transferred to Kansas City, Missouri and the remainder of my teaching career was spent in Hickman Mills, a suburb of Kansas City,
I taught first grade, was principal of four kindergarten buildings and became principal of Dobbs, an elementary school with grades one through six. The district was composed of different nationalities whose parents were employed in Kansas City. The excellent black teachers and their supporting staff: Art, Music, Physical Education and a full time counselor gave the children many educational advantages.
I enjoyed the many outstanding musical and physical education programs given by the children with parent involvement.
I would encourage young people to enter the teaching profession. It is difficult to work with children when such an emphasis is placed on test scores and the parents declining role in the disciplining of their children.
My long teaching career has made me a broader person with fifty years of experience involved in educating children.