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| Story ID: | 559 |
| Written by: | Wanda Molsberry Bates (bio, contact, other stories) |
| Story type: | Serial Fiction |
| Writers Conference: | Three Years In a Teacherage |
| Location: | Greeneville Township near Spirit Lake Iowa USA |
| Year: | 1935 |
| Person: | Wanda Molsberry Bates |
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"Three Years In a Teacherage" is part of a 9 chapter serial fiction piece written by Wanda Molsberry Bates. To see all chapters, please select this link - Three Years In a Teacherage . Across the road from the teacherage lived a farm family named Sunderland. There were three boys in the family, Ricky, a third grader, and Skip and Ron who were alums of GTC. The Sunderlands did many kindnesses for us, including providing us with milk and eggs and taking us by car, or even on occasion by bobsled, to neighboring towns for grocery or other shopping. It was at their home that I learned, or tried to learn, to play the card game “500.” People in the community were expert card players, and to my embarrassment I found that I could not begin to compete with those who played regularly and well. Some of the alums who, according to L. P., had barely made it through high school were brilliant at cards, and they put us teachers to shame. I soon found out that the wisest thing for me to do was to develop a headache that required me to stay at home when a “500” party was planned. Through our acquaintance with that family I learned indirectly about some of the social customs of the area and I soon learned that my ideas about hostessing or entertaining would probably seem odd in that community. The girls in my home economics class appeared to be enjoying the course, but I felt that some of them were lacking in social skills. After a few months went by I decided that a Mother-Daughter afternoon tea would be a good learning experience and would be fun to do. The mothers, though busy farm wives, accepted our invitations and we happily prepared refreshments. At least, I was happy with what we were doing. We made fancy, tiny sandwiches in diamond shapes or circles, and we baked several kinds of dainty cookies. At our tea the mothers made polite comments and I felt that the event had gone well. After school was over, the custodian, Arthur, another young alum in the community, came in as usual to start the sweeping. He noticed a plate of leftover sandwiches, and when I offered him some he began to snicker and continued until he was shaking all over with laughter. Slapping his knee he said between giggles, “Gee, if I’da known you was short of bread I’da went to town and got you some.” At about that time we teachers were invited to a bridal shower for a girl named Frieda, the fiancée of Ron Sunderland. It was there that I learned of a custom of the community which was strange to me. The first thing that seemed unusual was that the bride’s mother held the shower in her own home and invited the guests. Toward the end of the afternoon the groom-to-be appeared and he and Frieda opened the gifts together and made thank-you speeches. Ron appeared to be uncomfortable, but Frieda was all aglow. When the refreshments were served I understood why Arthur had been so amused by our tea sandwiches. Frieda’s mother served king-sized helpings of cake, pie, jello, sandwiches, and ice cream. I thought about our tea and wondered if my students’ mothers had been laughing behind my back. Things went along fairly well that first fall, but we welcomed a week’s corn-picking vacation in October when the students were needed to help on the farms. As Christmas approached, we looked forward to another break, and we talked of things we might do after we all returned from vacation. Something planned, but unknown to me, was the termination of Althea’s employment in January when she would be leaving to marry her minister fiance. This was quite a shock, especially to L.P. Filled with consternation, he turned to me to ask whether I could handle the music, most of which had been Alhea’s responsibility, in the event that the School Board was unable to find a replacement who could teach music. I could play the piano passably and had sung in glee clubs in high school and college, so I told him I would try if it became necessary. And, indeed, Althea’s replacement, Frances Marker, was not musical, so I did become the music teacher. I found myself to be the proverbial “jack of all trades,” since my teaching load already included seventh and eighth grade subjects along with typing and home economics in high school, and I was coaching the girls’ basketball team. Surely the students were short-changed by someone who turned just 20 in January. |
