Wells River High School - Chatterbox Yearbook (Wells River, VT)

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I got out the door second. (Red was always first), I thought it was going to be last one to the big tree was it” for Pump, Pump, Pull Away”, but Red didn’t go to the tree; he went to the window near the teacher’s desk. I followed him and looked in too. Boy, was that teacher actin’ funny. She kept jumping up as if she was going to get up out of her seat but never got off. Finally she made it but there was a tear in the back of her dress like I made in my Sunday pants the time I jumped over the Mallette’s fence. Her face was red and she looked pretty mad. Red did too and then I knowed what for ’cause he said, Dang it all, guess I didn’t put enough glue on ’cause it said on the bottle 'guaranteed to stick’.” After awhile Miss Johnson called us in and we had to do some arithmetic. Well, we got through that and start- ed in on English. We had to write a poem, so I wrote this one: We have a new teacher, just for today, I don t blame the old one for staying away. Going to school’s an awful bother, Pop said I’d never be a scholar. Henry Aldrich” and That Brewetsr Boy” Seem to have a lot of joy. People laugh at all their fun, Why can’t they laugh when I am dumb? While I’ve been writing this poem the teacher’s been talking with Red. She asked him about the gl ue and he said he done it ’cause he knowed she wouldn’t give him no lickin’. She said she’d see him after school and he ain’t talked back so I guess he wants to see what she’ll do. Teacher ain’t turned around since recess. She ain’t even written the best poem on the board like she said she would. Guess she couldn’t fix her dress like Maw fixed my pants. (The tear don’t hardly show.) Miss Johnson is goin’ to open the top drawer for the book our reg’lar teacher is reading us. I’m getting kinda excited ’cause Red looks funny again. Oh boy! the teacher’s standin’ on her desk and her dress ain’t fixed as good as my pants are. The mouse just ran down the aisle 14

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OBSERVATIONS OF A FIFTH GRADER As I sat in my 5th grade seat (they’d had to pass me last year ’cause it was my second time in the 4th grade) I watched Miss Johnson, our new teacher for the day, who had just graduated from the state university. I had heard Dad say she was chuck full of child sicology” but I couldn’t see nothin’ funny-looking about her. She stood in front of the room wearing what the poster in the domestic science room said a well-dressed teacher or secretary should wear. Her hair was done up kinda plain with no high falutin’ hot dog rolls on top and her lipstick looked like what the poster called well ap- plied”. Her smile looked a lot like Mum’s did when Dad surprised her by bringin’ home one of his men friends for supper. The teacher made us a speech and I decided she wan t so bad ’cause she said she didn’t believe in givin kids lick- ins. I could see her eyes movin’ all around the room look- ing at all the kids. She stopped awhile on me, so I guessed she’d found out I wan’t the smartest in the class. Funny how all the new teachers seemed to know that right off. She got to the sixth grade row and her eyes stopped again, this time on Red. Red looked kinda funny so I kncwcd (I guess it’s knowed, I ain’t much good on gram- mar) he was up to somethin’ again. I looked around for a tack on her seat but I couldn’t seen none. Naw, Red was too smart for a trick like that. It would be a better one. The teacher sat down. Pretty soon she said that we’d better have some exercises and acted as if she was going to get up. A funny look came on her face, but she tried to get up again. Maybe she’d had a shock. My grand- mother had one once when she was sitting on a chair and she never got up again. I guessed it couldn’t be that be- cause grandma’s face had been awful white and teacher’s was kinda red. The teacher told us to go out to recess. (I guess she’d changed her mind about the exercises.) 13

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and the girls are all cryin’. Gee! the teacher really looks mad now. Hurrah! she says we can all go home, but Red. I was out first this time but I went to the window by her desk and guess what I saw? The teacher lickin’ Red. I guess she forgot all about learning about child sicology ’ at the state university. —Barbara Bidwell ’45 A FRESHMAN’S SCHOOL DAY Well, there goes the bell. I pick up Latin for Americans” and look around for Mrs. Rowe and Mr. King. They have to decide where Mr. King is going before we can go to Latin class. At last they have made up their minds. We go into study hall and everyone groans—class in study hall. Mrs. Rowe says, Well Lucille, all alone again?” Bill is out delivering that precious bottled liquid. Five, ten, or fifteen minutes after school has begun Bill finally arrives and does his share correcting my trans- lation. We struggle through the last ten minutes of the period, then at the bell dash to our seats to drag forth, First Year Algebra”. Then, still in study hall, Mrs. Gib- son attempts to pound the knowledge of equations, factor- ing, base, power, and all such confusing terms, into our heads. Once more the bell and at last two beautiful study halls. Miss Tipping stalks in and says, Study hall has be- gun, we’ll have everyone in separate seats.” Pandemo- nium reigns until we are settled and eventually become en- grossed in studies. Why! there goes the bell again. Now I look around for the commercial arithmetic class to come in so I can hear the latest jokes and settle down to another study hall. Before I know it the bell peals again. I pick up Ad- ventures in Reading” and start off for my daily adventure. The English 9 class goes quickly with the class read- ing aloud. Mrs. Rowe says, Lucille”, and I come back to earth with a start to find that Ivanhoe has returned. Well, that class must be nearly over because my stomach feels empty. At last the bell rings and a mad dash is made for 15