When I asked if she had recess, I was shocked to realize that during the break they had during the day, the students had to do chores around the school. In grade school when they had recess, they had to throw wood down into the cellar so that the teacher could get it later for it to be burned in a wood stove. They had to erase all of the chalkboards and pick up the classroom after school.
After school, Glenna, her sisters, brothers, and friends would all play softball in the yard with everyone who would come to their house. As far as sports were concerned, there was only softball after school between the kids that wanted to play. In winter they would go sliding, skiing, and skating. She remembers that her mother would always have a pot of hot cocoa ready when they came in.
Glenna had to wear long skirts or dresses to school, because slacks weren’t allowed. During the winter, she wore nice warm skirts and ski pants to get to school.
She had to bring her own lunch in grade school, but during wintertime her school always had a pot of soup ready in case it was cold outside. In high school, there were meals already prepared. In home economics, they would help with the cooking during spare time, doing things such as peeling potatoes.