One-room Schoolhouse circa 1916

"Mary, I dropped my pencil."  Wordless look of  "and?"  Miss Ogre, "It's right there, on the floor by your desk."  Wordless response. "Mary, pick up my pencil."  No words, but intent was "I don't think so."*
   Mary was attending the one room country school, after leaving Troy on the death of her brother, Timmy. Their mother was unable to bear living in the city that had claimed the life of her eldest son, so she spent the $200 death benefit to get out of the city and moved with her remaining children far into the country, away from it all. After she had been widowed for the second time, Timmy had been the support of the family, still a teenager on his death. He had fallen from a suspended construction platform while working on a River Street factory building. The other workers had managed to grab onto the ropes, leaving none for poor Timmy, who plunged to his death.
    Mary was about 11 years when they moved, and had reached her adult height of about 5 feet 9 inches, unheard of for women's heights back then. So she felt awkward and out of place in a new school. One of her first rebellions occurred during recess when the teacher had all the students march around until she clapped her hands, the signal to find a dancing partner. The one left without a partner had to dance with the broom. Mary didn't know any of the others, so she was the one left to dance with the broom.  I DON'T THINK SO.
     So Mary hated school and couldn't believe it when one of her children chose to become a teacher.
    * Mary told me that she believed the teacher deliberately dropped her pencil by her feet so she could order her to pick it up. There was no way in hell that Mary picked up that pencil.