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GOING TO MOEN SCHOOL WITH OZZIE (GRADES K-2)
AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, WE HAD ABOUT THIRTY KIDS IN OUR COUNTRY SCHOOL, GRADES FIRST THROUGH EIGHTH AND ONLY ONE TEACHER. NOW, YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING, HOW COULD ONE TEACHER MANAGE TO TEACH LANGUAGE, READING, ARITHMETIC, SCIENCE, HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY TO ALL GRADE LEVELS? WELL, IT WASN'T EASY.
FIRST OF ALL THE SUBJECTS WERE GROUPED INTO FOUR LONG CLASSES, TWO IN THE MORNING AND TWO IN THE AFTERNOON.
THE DAILY SCHEDULE
9:00...TAKE ATTENDANCE, SALUTE THE FLAG, SING A SONG
9:05...READING
10:30..FIFTEEN MINUTE RECESS
10:45..LANGUAGE , SPELLING, GRAMMAR, WRITING AND PENMANSHIP
2:15..LUNCH, FOLLOWED BY RECESS
1:00...ARITHMETIC
2:15...FIFTEEN MINUTE RECESS
2:30...GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY AND SOMETIMES SCIENCE.
4:00...DISMISSAL
THE CLASSES WERE DOUBLED UP INTO FOUR GROUPS:
(1-2) (3-4) (5-6) AND (7-8) THERE WAS NO KINDERGARTEN.
WE ALSO HAD HEALTH SOME DAYS, AND ALWAYS THE LAST TWO HOURS
ON FRIDAY WERE SPENT ON INDUSTRIAL ARTS. THE GIRLS LEARNED HOW TO SEW AND THE BOYS DID WOODWORKING. WE ALSO HAD SINGING
AND RHYTHM BAND SOMETIMES, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE WERE REPARING FOR A HALLOWEEN OR CHRISTMAS PROGRAM. FOR ART, IF YOU HAD FINISHED YOUR SEAT-WORK, YOU COULD LOOK OUT THE WINDOW AND DRAW A PICTURE OF A TREE OR MAYBE A CLOUD.
THERE WAS NO GYM CLASS. WE DIDN'T NEED EXERCISE. WE GOT
PLENTY OF THAT WORKING OUR TAILS OFF ON THE FARM.
SO LET'S PRETEND IT'S THE YEAR 1943, THE WEEK BEFORE
THANKSGIVING, AND YOU HAVE STAYED OVER-NIGHT ON OUR LITTLE
FARM IN NORTHERN MINNESOTA. LIKE ME, YOU ARE A SECOND GRADER.
IT IS THE MIDDLE OF WORLD WAR II, AND MANY OF THE YOUNG MEN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAVE GONE OFF TO FIGHT IN THE WAR, INCLUDING FIVE OF MY OLDER BROTHERS.
"BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!!" YOU WAKE UP AND WONDER WHAT'S GOING ON? IT'S MY MOM. SHE'S DOWNSTAIRS IN THE KITCHEN BANGING ON THE CEILING WITH THE BROOM HANDLE. THAT WAS MY ALARM CLOCK. SIX O'CLOCK. TIME TO GET UP, GET DRESSED AND GO DOWN TO THE BARN TO MILK THE COWS. YOU WATCH ME TAKE A MATCH AND LIGHT THE LAMP BY YOUR BED. WE HAD NO ELECTRICITY ON THE FARM AND WOULD NOT GET ELECTRIC LIGHTS UNTIL AFTER THE WAR, 1947.
THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE, IT IS VERY COLD IN THE BEDROOM. BUT DOWN IN THE KITCHEN, IT'S WARM. MOM HAD BEEN UP AT 5:30 TO BUILD A FIRE IN THE OLD KITCHEN WOOD STOVE.
SOON YOU AND MY OLDER BROTHER LEONARD AND OLDER SISTER MARY ARE DOWN IN THE BARN MILKING COWS. AFTER MILKING, WE HAVE TO WASH UP, BECAUSE YOU NEVER WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL SMELLING LIKE A COW. MY MOM TELLS YOU TO EAT A BIG BREAKFAST, BECAUSE THERE WAS NO SNACKING AT SCHOOL. THEN SHE MAKES OUR DEER MEAT SANDWICHES FOR LUNCH AND PACKS THEM IN A PAIL ALONG WITH A POTATO, WHICH WE WILL BAKE ON TOP OF THE BIG SCHOOL STOVE. SHE WILL ALSO PACK A PINT JAR OF CHOCOLATE MILK WHICH WE WILL ALSO HEAT ON THE STOVE.
IT'S 8:15, TIME TO LEAVE FOR SCHOOL. MY SISTER MARY IS HELPING US GET READY. SHE IS MAKING SURE OUR BOOTS ARE BUCKLED AND OUR SCARVES ARE WRAPPED TIGHTLY AROUND OUR NECKS. SHE IS FOUR YEARS OLDER, A SIXTH-GRADER, AND SHE WILL LOOK OUT FOR US ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL.
WE STEP OUTSIDE AND NOTICE IT HAS STARTED SNOWING. YOU ASK ME IF THERE MIGHT BE EARLY DISMISSAL. NO WAY!! OUR SCHOOL NEVER CLOSED, EVEN DURING A MID-WINTER BLIZZARD. WE GO UP THE ROAD TO THE MAILBOX AND TURN RIGHT ON THE TOWNSHIP ROAD HEADING WEST. THE COLD WINDS ALWAYS BLEW FROM THE WEST OR NORTH-WEST, SO WE ARE HEADING INTO THE WIND AND SNOW. WE HAVE TWO MILES TO GO AND YOU START TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE COLD. I TELL YOU THIS IS NOTHING! THIS IS STILL NOVEMBER! WAIT UNTIL JANUARY WHEN IT MIGHT BE THIRTY BELOW ZERO. MY SISTER TELLS YOU TO PULL YOUR SCARF UP OVER YOUR FACE. SHE ALSO TELLS YOU TO STOP COMPLAINING. WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO COMPLAIN!!
WE MAKE IT TO SCHOOL JUST AS THE TEACHER APPEARS ON THE FRONT PORCH RINGING THE BELL. AFTER WE SALUTE THE FLAG, WE SING "THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER" AND GET READY FOR OUR FIRST CLASS, WHICH IS READING. MISS OLMSTED SAYS, "FIRST AND SECOND-GRADERS COME UP TO RECITE." THERE ARE SEVEN OF US, AND WE TAKE OUR READERS AND GO TO THE FRONT OF THE ROOM. WE SIT ON A LONG BENCH IN FRONT OF THE TEACHER'S DESK AND TAKE TURNS READING ALOUD. THEN SHE SENDS US BACK TO OUR SEATS TO DO OUR ASSIGNMENTS IN OUR READING WORKBOOK. THEN SHE CALLS THE NEXT GROUP, THE THIRD AND FOURTH- GRADERS, UP AND THEY "RECITE." THIS WOULD MEAN THAT YOU HAD TO SIT SILENTLY WORKING AT YOUR DESK FOR AN HOUR UNTIL RECESS.
FINALLY, IT'S 10:30, AND WE GET OUR FIRST BREAK OF THE DAY.
WE PUT ON OUR COATS AND BOOTS AND RUN OUTSIDE, GO TO THE
OUTHOUSE (IF WE HAVE TO) AND MAYBE PLAY A QUICK GAME OF "PUMP-PUMP-PULL-AWAY". THE OBJECT WAS TO GRAB SOMEONE, LINED UP AGAINST THE SCHOOL HOUSE WALL, BY THE ARM OR HAND AND TRY TO PULL THEM OVER TO YOUR SIDE. I ALMOST HAD MY ARM PULLED OUT OF ITS SOCKET MORE THAN ONCE.
BACK IN SCHOOL, IT'S NOW TIME FOR LANGUAGE. TODAY, WE ARE HAVING A SPELLING TEST, AND FOR SEAT-WORK, WE HAVE TO PRACTICE OUR PENMANSHIP. WE HAVE TO WRITE THE ALPHABET (SMALL LETTERS AND CAPITALS) MANY, MANY TIMES, ON SPECIAL PENMANSHIP PAPER FOR AN HOUR OR SO UNTIL LUNCH TIME.
SO...THAT'S PRETTY MUCH HOW THE MORNING WOULD GO. SOUNDS KIND OF BORING DOESN'T IT. WELL, TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, IT WAS VERY BORING AT TIMES, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU GOT TO THE SEVENTH AND EIGHTH GRADE. BY THAT TIME, YOU HAD BEEN LISTENING TO THE SAME LESSONS OVER AND OVER FOR ALL THOSE YEARS. YOU KNEW THEM BY HEART.
BUT WHEN I GOT BORED, I WOULD LOOK OUT THE WINDOW AND DREAM UP STORIES. MAYBE IT HELPED ME TO BE CREATIVE. I KNOW ONE THING, IT TAUGHT ME TO BE PATIENT. YOU HAD TO BE PATIENT, OR YOU WOULD END UP BEING A TROUBLE-MAKER, AS SOME KIDS DID. I'LL TELL YOU ABOUT ONE OF THOSE GUYS LATER.
I WAS ALWAYS HAPPY IN SEVENTH OR EIGHTH GRADE WHEN OUR TEACHER WOULD ASK ME TO GO SIT WITH A FIRST OR SECOND-GRADER AND HELP HIM WITH HIS LESSONS. I BECAME A GOOD TUTOR. MAYBE THAT'S WHY I ENDED UP BECOMING A TEACHING. HELPING LITTLE KIDS WAS FUN, AND MANY OF THOSE EARLY EXPERIENCES HAVE HELPED ME IN MY PROFESSION TO THIS DAY. AS A KID, YOU DON'T REALIZE HOW YOUR EARLY EXPERIENCES ARE PREPARING YOU FOR WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO DO AS AN ADULT.
NEXT CHAPTER, I'LL TELL YOU ABOUT LUNCH, RECESS AND FRIDAY AFTERNOONS, WHEN WE ALWAYS HAD INDUSTRIAL ARTS. GIRLS, MAKE SURE YOU BRING YOUR EMBROIDERY HOOPS, AND BOYS, DON'T FORGET TO BRING A PIECE OF WOOD AND YOUR COPING SAW.
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