School Days

School was great. After I got over the blister caused by my new shoes it was even better. I did not wear shoes all summer in those days and while I was proud of my new ones, they damn near ruined my feet on the two mile walk to school.

Miss Haney was my teacher. It was a one room school that contained all eight grades and Miss Haney was the only teacher. I guess she was "an old Maid" , and she ruled the school with an iron fist, but she treated me very well. I wondered later if the treatment I received had anything to do with the fact my father was the secratery-treasurer of the school and signed her pay cheque? Homework was unheard of in public school in those days. While the teacher taught one grade, the other grades had plenty of time to complete their assignments . Boys were given the " strap" for any infraction of the rules, while the girls merely had to sit on a tall stool at the front of the room. It was a kind of badge of honour to get the strap, especially if you could take it without crying. Not crying usually resulted in more strokes of the strap. After an unusually severe strapping, one boy, whose sister was the school janitor, got the keys to the school on the weekend and he nailed the strap to the hardwood floor. He used about 40 four inch spikes !! My father had to cut a cheque for a new strap which was just another item in the school supplies catologue. It did not pay to mention at home that that you had received the strap at school because, in most cases, this would result in more severe punishment at home. ( This is quite a change from to-day when a teacher could be charged for even touching a student, however none of the kids seemed to be adversely affected by the swift justice that was handed out in those times.) There are numerous school stories which may appear later in this blog. Next-Canning.

After the first week of school, the small child said to his mother "I am wasting my time. I can't read and I can't write and they won't let me talk."