University of California Los Angeles - Bruin Life / Southern Campus Yearbook (Los Angeles, CA)

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Sept. 4, 1903.— The saints be praised ! This day is over, and I ' m still alive to tell the tale, but that ' s about all. I feel as if a rag, a bone and a hank of hair is all there is left of me. Oh ! those miserable wretches ! I never knew what I was getting into, or I would never have been caught within a hundred yards of the Normal School. Etta Ayres said right along that she knezv what she was coming to — so when we heard the steady tramp, tramp of small feet down the hall she threw up her hands in abject despair and cried: Oh! girls! they ' re coming, they ' re coming! just as though it were a bloody band of hostile Hottentots swooping down upon us. Would that it had been the Hottentots ! Life would have been more pleasant for the time being. Some poor deluded educator of ancient days has advanced the insane theory that children are born good. I ' d give my kingdom to find that man. Yet I can see how he could be led into making such a rash statement, for the little rascals look innocent — they looked innocent todaj- — but they can ' t fool me ; the little scamps belie their looks. After my experience today, nothing can change my firm belief in original sin — I don ' t care what Milton, Rousseau, Pestalozzi or anyone else says to the contrary. I ' m not alone in my belief, eithej — there are just exactly fifty-five other Senior B ' s who are as firmly grounded as I. Ah ! me ! I sigh when I think of the lasting and unutter- able changes that have taken place in this short day. Just this morning I started out blithe and gaj — hadn ' t taught a day in my life — was a raw, inexperienced teacher. Tonight I feel as though I had taught for years and had enough experience to deserve a life diploma. The worst of it is that I am branded now. I shall always, always be a schoolma ' am — ■ they say one day marks you for life — that, no matter where you go or what you do, you will never, never get the marks of schoolma ' am rubbed off. Sept. 12. — They say there ' s a silver lining to every cloud. Seems to me it ' s just about time for the silver lining of this school teaching to put in its appearance. Been at it a week now, and must say I ' d just as soon preside over so many monkeys. The critic teacher hasn ' t been in yet. Thank heaven for that ! Sept. 29. — School teaching is the greatest fun! The critics are really jolly. Not what I expected at all. Ihe children are just too cute for anything. Just this morning an infant came running up with a gelatinous mass in his hand, crying out : Oh, teacher, do look at my pollywog seeds ! I found them in the pond. The other morning, after we had finished

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CLASS OFFICERS Gertrude Ott, President. Bert M. Carner, Treasurer. Annabelle Mitchell, Vice-Prest. Ellice A Gill, Secretary.

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singing a song with a good many ups and downs in it, a wee bit of a maid breathlessly exclaimed: ]My! I just have to make my voice wiggle when I sing that. The other day Mrs. Reeve was trying to teach the use of sit and set. She asked one of the children what he would say a farmer was doing if he had a lot of eggs and v as putting a hen on them. The boy correctly replied that he would be setting the hen. If he did that yesterday, what would you say then, Frank? I would say, said Frank, that the farmer seated the hen. These are but a few of the many things we hear in the Training School. Those children outshine an}- humorist I ever heard. Jan. 15. — Oh! the joy of being a Senior B! Life is strenuous and exciting just at present. We Senior B ' s would make fine politicians. William Jennings Bryan couldn ' t do better himself. We just lobbied the faculty right and left todaj and won out without any bribing either. We ' re feeling mighty proud, for it ' s quite a feather in our caps to be the first class to have a real szvell party. We have it all decided. It ' s to be at the Woman ' s Club House, and, as Dr. Small says, Won ' t it be illigant! I ' ll venture the Senior A ' s will fairly collapse when they receive our nifty little invitations. (We would like to have tzi ' o envelopes — but can ' t afford it.) The faculty has just been fine about it all, and are so interested. There ' s some pleasure in having a party under such circumstances. Dear me ! I do hope we can scrape up boys enough ! Boys ! ! ! I do wish the Normal had a sufficient supply on hand. It is such an everlasting bore to have to sail out in the highways and byways and gather them in every time we want any fun. Not that the boys are absolutely necessary for fun — but how would we girls ever get home? Jan. 23, 2 p. m. — Too dead tired to write much. The party was a sizzling success. The Senior A ' s thought it rich — so did we. We Senior B ' s are sure feeling proud. I do hope someone will do as well for us next year. Feb. 12. — Lots doing at school today. We wound up the old term, and at last are Senior A ' s. Seems to me I can just feel a difference in the very atmosphere. Everyone is noticing us more — even the teachers are beginning to — well, to respect us — just a little. We ' ll have to put on all our dignity now. I tell you, a Senior A isn ' t to be sneezed at. There is one great drawback to Senior A life. That is that abomin- able platform reading. ' Sir. Ronan reads next week. He says he isn ' t a bit scared. He is always so composed. I ' m going to try and cultivate a little of it myself — it so becomes one — a school teacher especially. P. S. — The most unheard of thing happened today. Josephine Harnett actually failed to answer a question. I wonder what can be the matter? I do hope she is not coming down with the measles. Feb. 26. — The training school children are still in evidence. One of the girls teaching grammar in the eighth grade got the following definition of syntax from a boy: Syntax is a tax on whiskey. Now, if that isn ' t good, logical reasoning, I ' d like to know what is. Another eighth grader gave the following startling bit of information today : The Arabian Knights is a collection of fairy stories taken from the Bible. Why send missionaries to China?