School was different in Idaho. In California we had modern buildings with libraries indoor plumbing and play ground equipment and only one grade to a room, excellent well trained teachers with supplies and everything was free.
In Idaho the building was old and there was a long hall with coat hooks on both sides to separate the two classrooms. Grades one through four were in one room and grades five through eight in the other. At the end of the hall was a vacant room, with a bucket full of water and two dippers that hung on the wall. The students stood in line waiting for their turn to get a dipper of water. Everyone used the same two dippers day after day. The other side of the vacant room was a two room apartment for the teacher and his family. The only heat came from a pot bellied stove at the front of the room. The students at the back wore their coats and the students in the front cooked.
Verl Allen was my teacher for the 6th, 7th, 8th grades. I was scared of him. He demanded discipline. At the slightest infraction Mr. Allen would grab a kid shake them or hit them. It was only after I was older, did I really appreciate Mr. Allen was a great teacher. His
His lessons were well prepared and he was interesting. I was near sighted and couldn’t read anything on the blackboard so I faked it. It didn’t take me long to do my assignments so I spent many hours listening and enjoying the other grades discussions.
Every morning the class would sing the song, "And here we have Idaho." I didn’t want to sing that song so I sang "California here I come." One day Mr Allen caught me singing this and ordered me to the front of the room and I was to stand there and sing. I only stood there a minute and everything started to swirl and I started to faint. Mr. Allen saw me turn white and told me to take my seat. I don’t’ remember getting back to my seat and I was humiliated and wet with perspiration. The only good thing about that experience was that Mr. Allen never did punish me again in any way .
Every morning the class would sing the song, "And here we have Idaho." I didn’t want to sing that song so I sang "California here I come." One day Mr Allen caught me singing this and ordered me to the front of the room and I was to stand there and sing. I only stood there a minute and everything started to swirl and I started to faint. Mr. Allen saw me turn white and told me to take my seat. I don’t’ remember getting back to my seat and I was humiliated and wet with perspiration. The only good thing about that experience was that Mr. Allen never did punish me again in any way .
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