The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.



Memories of School Days

2000-01 Project of Henderson County Retired Teachers Association (HCRTA)

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 who produced, between Nov. 13, 2000 and March 12, 2001, a storybook of “Memories” from retired teachers in the HCRTA organization.

Ms. Huntoon asked HCRTA members to share things they remembered when teaching. She also included any articles from the last ten HCRTA newsletters where people had shared “Teacher Spotlights” or articles about “Graham School $1.00”.

This series began in The Quill on 12/29/2021, (thanks to Ms. Huntoon).

HCRTA Members Included in the Memories Project

Memories

Evelyn Bunt

The following write-up is a summary of Evelyn Bunt’s experiences of teaching in a one-room rural school.

In August of 1960, at the age of forty-four I began teaching sixteen pupils in a one-room rural school near La Harpe, Illinois in Hancock County. The year before I had written the teacher’s examination and had received a provisional certificate to teach. I was also attending classes at Carthage College to finish my B.S. degree in elementary education. My husband had had a heart attack in 1957 and I needed a job. In August of 1960 I was hired to teach Bradshaw, a one-room school. I had confidence in teaching at the school as I had attended a one-room school for eight years. I was so grateful for this job.

There was a furnace in the school, also venetian blinds to keep out the sunlight, a good piano and several books. I carried in water daily from a well at the school. All the children came in by bus with their lunch buckets about eight o’clock.

Some days, I served hot lunches of hotdogs. One day the children brought in vegetables and we made a stone soup like the soup in the story in the third grade reader.

I tried to make school fun by introducing creative art and writing to go along with the assignments, we forgot afternoon recess.

In rural schools, it was the custom to present a Christmas program for the parents and people of the community. I wanted the pupils to do something special so I wrote to the Lorang Publishing Co. and asked for a musical program suited for sixteen pupils of all ages. The company sent me a Santa Clause Cantata entitled “The Dolls’ Christmas Eve”. This was perfect for an evening Christmas program. All the children were doll characters except two — the storekeeper and Santa. The seventh and eighth grade boys wanted these parts. The others were paper dolls, sailor dolls, a walking doll, a colored mammy doll, an old doll, and rag dolls. The mothers made the costumes. In the story, the storekeeper closed his toyshop for the evening and then the dolls came alive and spoke and walked. The dolls were waiting for Santa to come and get them to give to children all over the world.

All the pupils had solo voices and soon learned their parts. Of course, they wanted to practice every day. As soon as classes were over, we did practice.

The day of the program soon arrived. My husband went with me and was so pleased with the musical production and was happy to meet parents and people of the community. During the program, there was standing room only as every family in the Bradshaw community came. Invitations made by the pupils had been given out to everyone. Refreshments of cookies and drinks were served. It was the most memorable event of my twenty-one years of teaching.

After Christmas on December 29, 1960, my husband died of a heart attack at the age of fifty. The pupils and the entire community were sad and were grateful they had met my husband, Don Bunt.

The next year 1961-62, all schools in the La Harpe area were consolidated and Bradshaw School District 14 and all teachers were taken into the La Harpe Unit 335. I was the last teacher and my eighth grade boy was the last graduate.

In May 1961, I marched into the La Harpe gymnasium with the graduates and other eighth grade teachers for the service.

I taught twenty more years, teaching in Unit 335 and I retired in May 1981.