EARLY SCHOOL DAYS AROUND CLEVELAND COUNTY

As Cleveland County became more populous in the early years after its organization the one and two-room schools found their way into most every community around the county.

R. C. Carmical, who served as county examiner (county superintendent) for several years recalls that in the school year 1920-21 there were 56 school districts in Cleveland county with 49 having both black and white schools and seven districts being all black and 32 all white.

One year, he recalls, one of the districts had no school all year for the lack of money to operate.

Other important facts about the early school related by the former county school examiner are:

The Martin school district No. 50 was the first school district in the county to be abolished with the east half added to the Ray district No. 1 and the west half to the Hollis district No. 18.

The county examiner and later the county superintendent was responsible for giving teacher examinations in March, June, September and December of each year.  A person making application for teacher's license had to make an average of 85 with nothing below 75.  For the second grade license the average had to be 75 and nothing below 60.  The first grade license was good for two years and could be renewed indefinitely; second grade was good for one year and could be renewed once and the third grade license was good only for the original six months.

The county examiner was responsible for an annual teacher's institute, usually held in June each year for a week at a time.  All teachers who were to teach the following summer or winter term were suppose to attend.

Some schools had eight, 10 or 12 weeks running from first Monday in July to sometime in September, then three or four months in winter.   The teacher's salary ranged from $35 to $85 per month.

The usual equipment furnished by the school district was a broom, crayon, water bucket and dipper and a well bucket and rope.   Most schools had an outdoor toilet for girls but none for boys.

Sometime the directors would buy wood and have it delivered to the school and other times the fathers would meet and cut and haul the wood and often the larger boys in the school roamed the nearby woods and found pine knots or other material suitable for fire.

Often times the pupils were told that if they would be real good the teacher would give a spelling match after the afternoon recess on Friday.

Many teachers posted a list of names of girls responsible for sweeping the floor at noon and the boys moved the desks and sprinkled the floor with water to help keep down the dust.

If there were not enough desks, the small children sat on long benches near the front of the class with feet too short to touch the floor.

A box supper was a great occasion to raise a little money for some project with Valentine the best time for this kind of project.

Games played at the schools included baseball, townball, jump the rope and fox and hound.  The baseballs were made of thread and stocking ravelings.

Rarely was there ever a pupil above the eighth grade in any of the rural districts.

A common form of punishment was to have the pupil stand near the wall with his nose in a ring, drawn on the blackboard, or to stay in at recess.

A teacher's reputation for discipline was usually the deciding factor in their selection for the job.  The school board insisted the teacher put the main emphasis on reading, writing and arithmetic.

Schools were rarely dismissed for holidays except for the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The girls were seated on one side of the classroom and the boys on the other side.  Many of the desks were for two pupils.

All children walked to school except for those few who would ride a horse when they lived too far from the school to walk.

A large majority of the rural teachers were women.  The PTA organization was not heard of in those years around the county schools.