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To stop music, simply click the STOP button on your browser. Country School I went to town school for the first six grades, but here was a one room school just a mile from our house. My Pa thought I would get a better education in the bigger school. After finishing the sixth grade he was disappointed and tired of paying tuition, so I was sent to Country School, Now, Rudd School, was a new experience. All the kids from first grade to eighth grade in one room, with one teacher. The teacher was a neat person and with a heart of gold. She must have been a saint to deal with all the problems of all those kids. There were 18 in all. First grade=1 Second grade=2 Third grade=3 Fourth grade=3 Fifth grade= 1 Sixth grade=2, and four girls in my seventh grade and one eighth grader. Our day began with pumping a pail of water for all to use, and then we said the pledge of alligence, and hung the flag, we would square dance for about a 1/2 hour or more, if she was in a good mood. The first grade had arithmetic and while their class was going on the rest of us got our assignments ready for our classes. All the math in the morning and then all the reading or language then geography and art, (only on Fridays.) All the kids played together like one big family. The older ones looked after the little ones. Kissed the owies and refereed the boys fights. There weren't many fights. Because the discipline, came from home. If you got into trouble the teacher came along home with you and then Pa gave out the discipline. All the teacher done for discipline was keeping you after school to clean the blackboards or pound the erasers on the big cement step outside. Not getting to go out for recess, was the worst. Recess was a hoot. We snared gophers and played softball or rode the maypole or merry-go-round in summer. In winter we would go sledding or make snow angels or through snowballs. The iron railing out by the steps, was where I learned not to put your tongue on something iron when it is below Zero. My tongue remained stuck to the railing till someone told me to wait till it melted and then pull. Well some of my tongue remained there on the railing. Sometimes we stayed inside and played in the basement. Games like drop the hanky, fox and Goose, or Captain May I. Our lunch was brought from home in a syrup pail (few had lunch boxes) Everyone's lunch consisted of what ever was handy. Onion or egg sandwiches were the mainstay. Everyone traded or bargained for the yummiest dessert or an orange or apple. Seldom did anyone have any more than that. There on the side of the water pail, hung a dipper which we all drank from. No one was concerned with germs or anything else. Most of us got enough fresh air to kill most of the germs I think. We were never sick, maybe we all were so anxious to go to school, because we didn't want to miss anything. I and my friend Donna were the only ones fortunate to have a horse to ride to school. He, Prince, stood patiently waiting for me to water him at noon and when school was out, I'd leisurely ride home smelling the wild flowers and stopping occasionally to pick some of the sweet wild strawberries which grew along the road. Those days were the most treasured school days I have. How I wish the children of today could experience the peace and joy of learning. We didn't worry about violence or guns or our clothes. We respected our teacher and treasured our classmates for a lifetime.
You all have been
very patient with my old background The new ones were
created by my daughter,
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