I have memories that differ from my older siblings’ memories of my early school years. I remember my first teacher being Rufus Kelsey. Evidently, I started school at age 4 with John as my teacher. I got sick a lot (shortly after that I had my tonsils removed) and had to drop out that year. Mother taught me to read and spell at home. Glenn Payne was my 3rd & 4th grade teacher. I can remember he gave me and Floyd a transportation mural to draw and color. He sneezed a lot. A few years later he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. In later years he was cured, I believe. Glenn was teacher when a very traumatic thing happened. A wasp flew down Myrene Englebrecht’s wide-neck dress and proceeded to sting her. She ran screaming up and down the room. When Glenn realized what was happening, he asked a few of the older girls to take her into the cloak room and help her get her dress off and the wasp out. She was stung several times. To this day, when I see a wasp, my hand goes up instinctively and I hold the neck of my garment shut.
Glen played a mean joke on Roy Blockberger. Roywas a bit slow because he had a “draining ear.” Now days he would have tubes put in. Glenn asked who wanted to see stars. He put his coat overRoy’s face with the sleeve extended above and poured a bit of water down the sleeve. This was a stupid thing for a teacher to do, I thought. Everyone laughed at poorRoy.
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