Text by Angela, a Presque Isle Middle School student
Images from the Presque Isle Histoircal Society by Angela's family
When I interviewed my grandmother, Glenna, it was interesting to learn about her childhood and schooling.
Glenna was born in Masardis, ME, growing up with eight brothers and sisters. When she was five years old, she started going to the Masardis School, from 7:30 AM to 3:00 PM, from August to June, Monday through Friday. In grade school, she had three teachers, who, as she tells me, were all very good teachers. They taught her the usual ABC’s, singing, penmanship, and writing, and art class. When she attended Ashland High School, her teachers taught history, geography, math, home economics, and algebra. Her favorite subject was history because she liked to explore the world’s countries. She also liked home economics. Her least favorite subject was algebra. In grade school, there wasn’t much work she had to do, but in high school she had quite a bit more, although she tells me that there wasn’t nearly as work as today. She graduated in 1947 and didn’t go to college.
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.
Until she and her brothers and sisters were old enough to pick potatoes, her mother and father would make her clothes. When they were old enough to earn money, they would order clothes through a catalog.
Glenna walked to grade school, which was up in the field behind her house in Masardis. In the seventh grade her school was across the bridge, and in high school her dad drove the bus so she would ride his bus for a little ways before an Ashland bus would pick her up from there. They also had to walk to church. The family didn’t really use the car.
To get money, she picked potatoes during harvest, and also she babysat. She babysat the town manager’s three boys next door. Every time she went there the parents would have dinner guests and she would have to do all of the dishes afterwards. After they left she would have to bathe the boys, read them stories, and then put them to bed, all for fifty cents. She told me one time the husband felt bad because she had
a hard time. He stuffed a dollar in her hand as they were leaving and told her not to tell his wife.
After high school, she became a telephone operator for a short time after graduation.
Learning about my grandmother’s childhood and schooling was very interesting to me. I hope you enjoyed reading this article and learning about her too.