SCHOOLS OF YESTERYEAR
East Sherman Memories, Part 3
by Janis Stein

Join me in the continuation as I describe some foolish pranks - from shooting rubber bands at unsuspecting classmates to one lad giving his unimpressed teacher a 'horsey-back' ride around the schoolhouse!

Tomato sandwiches were popular in the fall when mothers were trying to use anything remaining in the garden before the frost, and if a child ended up with a bologna sandwich in her lunch box in the 1930s, it was a real treat. Bananas were also a rare treat, though the children had their fill of apples; many grabbed one from a neighbor's tree on their route home. Some folks had peach trees as well, and many mothers were crafty in the kitchen out of necessity, their children enjoyed the fruits of their labor in the way of homemade bread, cinnamon rolls and cake. During the early 1940s, there were about 25 students enrolled, and many enjoyed eating their lunch in the woods across the road. After they gobbled their food, the children used their imaginations, building forts made of snow in the winter or sticks in the spring.

During the 1920s and 1930s, the teacher's desk was located on the west end of the school just inside the entry, though at some point the teacher's desk was moved to the east end of the schoolhouse where in time it remained. Four rows of desks filled the schoolhouse, one of the rows being double desks, and in the 1920s the schoolhouse desks were filled with students. A blackboard was located directly behind the teacher's desk on the east end, and another could be found on both the north and south walls toward the front of the schoolroom. In time, roll down maps were used, and they would be pulled down in front of the blackboard when in use. A fairly large picture of President George Washington hung on the wall, and an octagonal clock hung on the south wall. The clock's pendulum swung back and forth, keeping the time, and many a child checked the time over the years, wishing recess would come just a little bit quicker!

A big drawing table with a set of drawers under it was located in the northeast corner of the schoolhouse. The table was usually covered with odds and ends, and it is thought the globe sat on it as well, though it wasn't used too often. In the 1920s and 1930s, some of the boys weren't exactly interested in studying; they attended school until they were 16 years of age only because it was something they had to do. For some, a great deal of land had to be cleared for agricultural purposes; many school days were missed particularly in the spring and fall when the farm boys' time was possibly better served in the fields than in the classroom. Other boys looked forward to school because it gave them a welcome rest from the work they had to do at home!

The children could be a bit devilish from time to time, especially some of the older boys. On one occasion in the 1920s, one young man backed himself up to the platform that held the teacher's desk. With his arms behind his back and without hesitation, he quickly scooped up the teacher and ran. Everything happened so quickly, the teacher was more than a bit flustered and bewildered as she realized she was getting a horse-back ride around the exterior of the schoolhouse. No amount of protests from her made the boy put her down, and there was simply nothing she could do at the time but hold on with all of her might. Unfortunately for him, he did have to put her down eventually and one might imagine the ensuing punishment.

During the 1930s, four boys lost track of time and were late getting back from recess. There were always things to entertain the children in the nearby woods, sometimes picking winter berries and sometimes sledding. The big luscious red berries grew wild in the woods and were a delicious treat. On this particular occasion, the four boys were enjoying a bit of sleigh riding north of the school, and the teacher was not amused by their lack of responsibility or their tardiness. He kept all four lads after school as punishment. The boys were full of it as boys sometimes were, and one of the young men got a hold of one of the teacher's shoes and the rest joined in, playing catch. It got to the point, the teacher just wanted to be rid of them, and he never kept them after school again - perhaps because it was more of a punishment for the teacher than the students!

Shooting rubber bands for entertainment spanned the decades. In the 1920s one lad was aiming his shot at a fellow schoolmate who sat on the other side of the room. The shooter had the band pulled back so far it was taut with tension. Just as he released it, another schoolmate unfortunately stuck his head in the line of fire. The rubber band zipped through the air and hit the unsuspecting student in the neck; such a sensitive spot really must have hurt!

Often the apple doesn't fall far from the tree as the old saying goes, because almost 40 years later, the son of the rubber band shooter found himself in a similar predicament. During the early 1960s, paper wads shot with rubber bands would sometimes zing through the air during class. As children sometimes do, they often up the stakes without thinking of the consequences. If shooting paper wads proved a bit boring, once in a while some of the students would shoot hairpins instead. On the way out of school on one particular afternoon, a male student decided to aim a hairpin at the butt of the girl in front of him. Since he was leaving school for the day, he thought he would get away with it, but in the morning he would find he had to face the repercussions. The following day, the teacher knew about what he had done and worse, by evening, so did his father. His punishment of writing something over and over again at school was far better than the trouble he faced at home!

During the early 1950s, someone carved an obscenity on the inside of the door of the boys' outhouse. The children received a major scolding; the culprit never did confess, and there were a few very unpleasant days at the schoolhouse. The teacher always read to the students after the noon hour, and this privilege among others was revoked for a few days.

Look for the continuation next month as the children travel to a much-anticipated event in Harbor Beach - John Deere Day.