- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
I grew up in the Shirley Temple age. I went to a country school with no electricity or running water. (Just like at home.) I wanted to sing like her so bad. During recess, when we went to the outhouse, with black widow spiders just under the seat, I would show the other girls how I could sing like her and they said I sounded just like her.
In 7th and 8th grade we had a teacher that was a holy roller. She wore her hair in a long braid wrapper around her head and had a huge mole on the end of her nose. She was so ugly. She made us sing hymns and pray when school started, before and after lunch, and when school let out. Only one family liked her and to get back at her we gave her makeup for Christmas.
One time, I sassed her which was really unusual for timid me. She went to slap me, I ducked and she hit the big metal trash can. She came with her arm bandaged the next day.
When I started to school, I was so bashful I wouldn't go up to the recitation bench for class and she didn't say or do anything. She was so pretty and I just loved her. I even remember her name was Alleen Nelson. After a few weeks, I have been told, when she called for first grade class I went and sat on her lap. At that time there were four in our class and later there were five. Back then, teachers in country school didn't have to have a college education. They just had to take "normal training" in high school. No, I didn't have a covered wagon. Walked most of the time. It was only about a half mile.