These are some stories from Grandma Sobotka (Lenore) about when she went to school and when she was teaching at school. Things have changed so much from when she was young it's just hard to imagine!
I graduated in 1935, during the depression. We had no money, but no else did either. We didn't have a speaker, rings, or pictures. We did have announcements and each graduate was given a subject to speak about. Mine was school clubs. There were 21 graduates and we were told that if we wanted rings or pictures we could go on our own and get them. The last day of school we all went to a photographer and had a group picture done for $1.00. Mine burnt in the fire.
I went to college at NWST (Northwest State Teachers College). We took summer courses, 5 weeks the first summer and 10 weeks the second summer. Each week was worth 1 credit and a 10 week summer course cost $100.00. I had to borrow the money, because I didn’t have any money and I borrowed $100 from the bank. The banker said he wished his kids could go to school for that much money. Wilma Jones had already gone 3 or 4 summers, so I went with her my first summer. I assumed she had everything worked out and knew exactly what to do. So we took the train to Maryville through St. Joe. It rained all day and was dark when we arrived. She hadn't found us a place to stay or a ride to town. Of course, we're at the train station, it's raining and dark, and there's nothing to do but pick up our stuff and start walking. There were no dorms then. We finally found a place in the attic of a house belonging to a lady named Mrs. Baker. It wasn't fancy, but it was clean, warm and dry.
I taught school for 2 years at Lynn. The first year I had 6 students and the second year, 11. We'd have to bring in coal to build a fire in the big stove in the middle of the room. Sometimes there would be some left, but the next morning it would be gone and the room would be warm. A hobo came and stayed the night and used it, he never brought in more. I also substituted for Mary Baker 3 or 4 months at Snowball School when she had surgery.