Jack Remembers -- Sis Todd

I recently wrote an article about Mae Cline who was a country school teacher.  In that column asked for anyone who had taught at a one room school to contact me.  I was talking to my sister, Anna Blackman, the other day who retired from Raytown school district several years ago and told her I had only received one letter in reference to that request.  She said “Well I taught at a country school and then was substitute teacher for five years at all the schools in Oak Grove area, and only had one year of college.”

      The letter I got was from Edith Talley from Paris, who I knew when we owned Lake Village in Paris.  She writes in part: 

Dear Jack, I read your column in the Moberly Monitor Index, and enjoy it.  It brings back memories and also of the time you were in Paris.

     I especially related to the article on country schools.  I attended two my first eight years, and then taught in two for 2 ½ years.  I did not have my degree so I qualified by taking teachers exams.  The first was half the year at Fuller in Monroe County, because the teacher left for a city job.  I stayed on another year, then Gatewood in Audrain County was in an annexation dispute with Centralia and their operating funds were frozen.  So, I taught that year with no pay.  I finally received it in full in mid-summer. 

Sincerely, Edith Talley

     My sister and I both attended one of the schools where she later taught.  The teacher was my own cousin, who was staying at our old farmhouse.  She made me stay in at recess.  I was mad and eating an orange with a lot of seeds.  She bent over her desk.  I let her have it with one of the seeds squeezed through my fingers, which resulted in the first whipping I ever got at school.  However, we had a rule at our house, if you got a whipping at school, you would get another one at home.  When we got home, I didn’t tell my mother and my cousin didn’t tell her.  I thought to myself, “I’m home free!”  Then suddenly my sister walked through the door and said, “Jack got a whipping at school today.”

Jack can be reached at PO Box 40, Oak Grove, MO 64075, or jackremembers@aol.com.  Visit www.jackremembers.com