No school on Fridays

[Jo McDonald]

We walked to school  ALWAYS  but I didn't even know what a bus was when I was in school.

  ooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh sob sob sob   AM I OLD OR WHAT???   You  Betcha !!!

[frawin]

I did walk to school as well.  It was a mile to school when I was in the first grade.  I had 2 other girls to walk with for the first half mile and then walked on alone the second half.  When it got really bad, Dad would go to feed with a team and wagon and drive to the far end of the pasture, I would get off, crawl through the fence, take the edge of the field and crawl through the hedge row, cross the road and I was at school!  When it rained, of course, they drove me to school.  Then.....the school consolidated and it was 2 miles to school.  Usually we walked to school pretty much alone, unless you caught up to some of the others along the way, sometimes the folks would drive me, and on occassion, the drifts really were deep and Dad would take me horseback.  Going home after school, there was often quite a group for the first half mile,  then some others usually along others would be dropping off to go to their homes and I would walk the last half mile alone.  After my freshman year in high school, I couldn't get a transfer so had to meet the bus half mile from home.  So, I often walked to the bus, and if I didn't go to work or stay in town for an activity, I had to walk home the half mile.  Didn't really mind except when I had a load of books, a band instrument, and sometimes a band uniform.  We got our exercise anyway!!!!  Guess I had it better than Mother, she either rode a horse or walked 5 miles each way!    When I was in school, some rode horses or bicycles to school.

The rural schools were really fun, though, and we learned a lot, as most years we had great teachers!  I am very grateful for some that I went to school to.

Myrna

[Jo McDonald]

So did we, Myrna, and my memories of school really are happy ones.  Jack and I walked 2 1/2 miles when he was in the second grade and I was in the first.  And we also rode horseback -- I am still amazed that as little as we were, he seven and me 5 that  we were put on Dolly - and she was a blind mare and was almost human I think, she got us there safely and brought us home safely too.  We only had to say "Up, Dolly" when she had to pick her feet up higher to either get over the humps in the road or over the gravel that the road graders had left along the sides of the road.  Life was made up of necessary things in those days.  We were poor, but I didn't know it --- we had lots of love and laughter in our home.

[Lookatmeknow!!]

Those stories are awesome to hear.  I am not to sure if I would have liked to walk miles to school, but you know what I am sure that if I would have had to I would have.  I did live in Severy and walked alot to school, but there was a bus stop right across from my house, if I needed to ride it.  What do you think parents would say if you had to take your child to school and pick them up everyday?  At lease take them to the high school to go to which ever school that they went to.  I tried to see about that to cut money on transportation, but that was a slap in the face, because I forgot one important thing.  Most people don't work around here.  They have to get up early and drive to work.  But you know what I compliment you that did have to do all that walking!!  It only made you stronger people.  Because I am not sure that I wouldn't have skipped a few days when I was in high school, especially if I walked 2 miles to school.

[frawin]

We often had cyphering matches or spelling bees on Friday afternoons with another rural school.  In warmer weather, we had softball games against one another.  Our noon hour and recesses were spent playing Anti Over (the schoolhouse), or redman, blackman, beckon, hide and seek, and other games.  We always had opening exercise in the morning when school took up.  We said the flag salute and then the teacher would read to us or sometimes, she would go get film strips (educational) and we would see them.  We had a 15 minute opening exercise each day, and again after noon break when school took up.  One of our teachers had worked in Washington D.C. during WWII and also had several brothers who served their country.  On bad wintery noon hours, she often told us things that happened in real life.  She was a great teacher, and when I see her to this day, I try to always tell her how much I appreciate her.

mlw

I also went to school to one of her sisters and she was a great teacher as well.

[Bonnie M.]

I didn't get to walk two miles to school, as we lived maybe a quarter of a mile from our school house.  I "had" to walk home for lunch, so I didn't even get to take a lunch to school!  We did exactly the same things as you did, Myrna, as far as activites are concerned.  We had a one room school house and one teacher, of course, who taught all eight grades.  (With no "aides!")  I especially enjoyed the box suppers, Christmas programs, "last day of school programs," literary meetings, and all of those great things that were taking place in our rural communities.  I think the cyphering matches were what made me so competitive!  Also, the softball games.  I loved them.

[Wilma]

I feel so pampered.  The furthest I ever walked to school was 2 miles and usually had my older sister and brother and younger brother with me.  And this was only for the remainder of one school year.  The next year we were living in town and only had 4 blocks to go by the shortcut or 5 blocks if we took the dry route.  When we moved back to the country my younger brother was old enough to drive and so we drove to school every day.

My kids had it even easier.  The oldest rode a bus 1/2 mile the first year, then walked across the street the second to fifth years.  By this time second daughter was going with her and third daughter started to kindergarten from there.  Then we moved and the girls had to walk half a block to school.  Some people just have it so easy.

[Bonnie M.]

Every generation has/had their own set of problems! 

[frawin]

The last day of school was really fun!  Aunts, uncles, parents all the neighbors and others who enjoyed the fun!  What a feast.  We always knew one lady would bring a black bottom pie and another would bring an angel food cake with lovely white frost and chocolate mint around the edges dripping down.  After lunch, we had a program, and the AWARDS!  Silver dollars for perfect attendance, spelling awards, etc.  Then----the kids played the dads in a game of softball.  We all went home tired but having had a great day.  And, by the way, we got out in April!

Myrna

[Bonnie M.]

Myrna, I keep thinking, "did we go to the same school?"  Everything seems to have been so much the same, where I was (Hale School, Chautauqua County) and where you went to school!  Of course, I'm older than you are, etc., etc.  But, it's really nice to share such enjoyable experiences, that were so much alike!

My Mother was the "Angel Food Cake" lady in our area!  She beat the egg whites with a wire whip on a big white platter, then folded everything in, just so, and, boy, those cakes were so good!  She made seven minute icing, beating probably seven minutes, it was always "perfect!"

She did have a competitor, though, so it was always a "contest" to see whose cakes raised the highest, etc., etc.  Ada Mills always got a blue ribbon at the Sedan Fair on her Angel Food cakes.  But, I liked my Mother's the best!