First day at school in 1946
The school bell rang. It was time for lunch, some children, brought lunch boxes. I had a nickel to buy my lunch.
On the playground, there were swings for us to play on.
There was a little girl who wore a pretty pink dress with a bow to match her dress in her hair.
She was standing by herself. I decided to go over and talk to her. She was very shy and at first did not speak to me.
My name is Bobbie, I said, what is your name,
“Becky?" She said, I do not like my teacher she is mean and scares me.
I do not like her either. I said, and I am going to tell my Mama how mean she is.
The bell rings and we had to get back into our class.
Ms. Bolin was standing behind her desk. Her arms folded with a very stern look, sit down and be quite this moment.
When you come into this class from this day forward you are to come in quietly without a sound, if you do not do as I say, you will be standing in the corner your whole lunch break.
Do you understand, yes, ma’am, everyone said?
My mind was not on what Ms. Bolin, was teaching, but how mean she was. I could not wait for school to be over.
I rode the school bus, home Mama, met me and asked me how my day was.
I started crying. I do not want to go back to school Mama. That teacher is so mean.
What did she do that was so bad Bobbie, and I proceeded to tell her?
Mama, do not make me go back; "you have to go back to school." It is against the law for you not to be in school.
I will see if I can have you moved into another class with another teacher.
The next morning mama went with me to school, then went to the principal, and asked for transfer to another class.
“What is the problem with this class asked the principal,” Mama, proceeded to tell him the story, and the fear of me going back to Ms. Bolin's class.
I am very sorry, but we do not have space in another class. Your daughter will have to stay in Ms.Bolins class.
Mama did what she could, Ms. Bolin stayed just as mean as she was all year. She would paddle, put you in a corner, take a ruler and slap your hands, and never got in trouble for it. I got my hands slapped with a ruler, for touching a crayon before she said I could.
That’s the way schools were run many years ago, the teacher was right, the students were wrong.
Author – Barbara Covil West 2011
Christmas 1949
Christmas was a very happy time for, my brothers and me when we were growing up; even though we were not rich in money, we were rich with the Love and sacrifice that our Mama and Daddy gave us on Christmas Day and everyday.
Mama, worked very hard in the Kitchen making cakes, cookies, and candy from scratch, fruit cakes were made a month before for friends and family as gifts, the cakes were always loaded with more nuts than fruit and then a piece of cheese cloth was placed around the cake and soaked with grape wine.
We did not get toys but once a year and that was Christmas.
About two weeks before Christmas I would get so excited, I could not wait until Christmas morning.
“ Bobbie, “ if you are not good, Santa Claus, will pass right on by this house,” Mom would say.
You see those little birds on the windowsill they are messengers, for Santa Claus and they will tell Santa if you have been good or bad.
For some reason those little sparrows would land on out windowsill every year.
I always believed the story that Mom would tell me.
The night before Christmas when we were supposed to be sleeping I was standing near my bedroom door, so I could hear what was going on in the living room.
Thinking, Mom and Dad was already in bed, but hearing noises in the living room. I was sure that was Santa Claus bringing toys to us, so I would jump back in bed and pretend to be asleep just in case Santa Opened my door and peeked in.
As soon as everything was quiet, I was up and in that living room, not realizing that mom and dad had just gone to bed.
I would run to my brother’s room and awakened them.
.” Wake up Santa Claus has come,” I shouted with excitement.
.” Bobbie “Mom shouted,” get back into that bed it is only one o’clock in the morning.
Jerry and Marion went back to their bed and I went back to my room with a pouty face.
I just could not sleep the rest of the night, but stayed in bed until about three in the morning and sneaked back into the living room.
The gifts was never wrapped up in fancy paper but was lined up around the Christmas tree.
Therefore, I quietly sit under the tree and explored my gifts from Santa.
This Christmas, Santa left a Doll, tea set, new Pajamas, and probably a coloring Book and crayons.
We always had bags of fruit, nuts, and candy in large paper bags under the tree.
This was the only time of the year we could eat as much as we wanted without making ourselves, sick.
Mom worked hard to make candy, cakes by scratch, no boxed cakes, and other treats.
She then would bake a ham, make Potatoes Salad, Collard greens, Corn, Butter beans etc. for Christmas Dinner.
Most of the time I was so excited I could not be still long enough at the table to eat my meal, I knew if I did not finish what was on my plate I would not be allowed to go and play.
I would finish what was put on my plate and then off to play for the rest of the day.
I never realize when I was younger just how hard it was on mama having all of the cooking to do, staying up late to play Santa, and all of the mess to clean up afterwards.
We were blessed and still are today.
Late Evening Stranger
Jim ( my first Husband ) and I had moved into a little country house in 1958 on market Street. The house was wood framed, tin roof, with a hallway, livingroom, bedroom Kitchen and bathroom. We had only been married a couple of years, and i was pregnant with our first child.
This neighborhood was where I grew up; it made me happy when Jim said we would move there.
Our neighbors were farmers that owned lots of acreage, tobacco barns, and fields of tobacco. Our grandfather’s little yellow country store built in 1912 wason the right side of where we lived. Across the highway was the railroad tracks, the trains would travel through two or three times during the day... Momand dad lived about five houses from where we lived. They had built the house in 1941 as they saved up enough money for materials. It is a white framehouse with a red shingle roof, six rooms and a bath, sitting on 14 acres of land that grandmother had given to our mother.
One late afternoon in October Jim, was working late. Looking out of the front window, there was a man with a black coat coming across the front yard. Itwas near Halloween, and the wind was blowing his coat open so at first I thought it was one of the kids that lived a few houses from us. The man came upon the porch but did not knock on the door. He went over to the porch swing and sat there with his head lowered.
I was so frightened and did not know precisely what to do. Going out on the porch and approaching, the stranger was not an option. Making a decision torun and get help from mom and dad, was not to smart I was barefoot, with no coat, dashed out of the back door leaving the door unlocked, across thefields and down the highway to my parents’ house. When I got there, I was so out of breath they could hardly figure out what I was trying to tell them.
Calm down “Barbara” take a deep breath and start over “mom said. “
There is a man sitting in the swing on the front porch “I said.”
Dad, Marion and Jerry were home; and the three of them climbed into the 1955 Chevy and drove to our house to find out what this man was up too.
When they drove into the driveway, they found the visitor still in the swing sleeping. Carefully approaching the man, they asked him why he was on thePorch. Dad told him that he had frightened his daughter and asked what he was doing there. The man spoke in a thick accent that was hard to understandand apologized. He was from Germany “he said’ and was walking and thumbing his way to the Wilmington area. The stranger said he had become so tired,and seeing the swing on the porch, he decided to rest. “He did not know anyone was home and did not mean to frighten his daughter.” A little cautious ofwhat the man might be up to, dad talked the stranger into letting them take him to a shelter, he agreed to go with dad, Marion, and Jerry.
The stranger then placed in the center of the back seat between Marion and Jerry, just in case he was up to no good. Dad drove the stranger to theSalvation Army shelter.
Talking to the stranger while traveling, they found out, he had no money, and only had the clothes on his back. Dad, Marion and Jerry scraped a littlemoney together and gave it to him; he smiled and thanked them for their help.
Dad soon returned from taking the stranger to the shelter and told us what he had found out about the stranger, then he walked with me back to myhouse, and checked everything out making sure everything was safe.
I have often wondered what happened to this man, and why he was here in America with no clothes or money. How did he get to America? Why did hechoose this highway to travel? We will never know the answer. We lived about thirty miles from Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville NC; he was walking from thatdirection.
Barbara Covil West 2011
It was the year 1946 the day of school, and I was in first grade. My teacher was older and very strict, and believed that children should be seen and not heard.
Good morning, children, my name are Ms. Bolin, and I will be your teacher this year.
She turned and accidentally knocked over a box of paper clips. We all started snickering. She slammed her ruler down on her desk, and shouted one more snicker and you all will go to the principal’s office.
The classroom was so quiet. You could hear a needle drop.
Ms. Bolin began to teach us our ABC, s and numbers. This was what you were taught in the first grade in 1946.