On October 10, 2007, Kami (far left) went on a field trip to Rose Hill School in Perry, Oklahoma. When they walked over the "bridge of time," they were taken back to the old days, when girls wore bonnets, boys said "yes ma'am" and teachers rode their horses to school. They got a glimpse of the time when teachers called students by their surnames (ex. Miss Hankins), students stood with respect when they addressed their teacher, and kids carried their lunches to school in a metal pail. No, there were no ziplock baggies or cold packs. Kami took 3 biscuits with butter and jelly, two hard boiled eggs and an apple. Quite different than what she's used to. The kids learned how to use ink wells, copy books and writing pens. They didn't smile a whole lot until recess, because Miss Rupp, their teacher, was quite strict, a no-nonsense kind of lady. But at lunch, they had fun playing marbles and enjoying the "flying Jenny." Before the field trip, Kami's teacher required the students to interview someone who had gone to school many years ago. Here is Kami's interview with Grandma I:
Interview with Ida Pondarae Reynolds, 96 years old
Q: What year did you go attend school?
A: 1917 at Etta School in Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Q: How did you dress?
A: I wore a cotton dress that was very simple. It was long sleeved and was made of a plaid or flowered material. Underneath the dress, I wore an underslip, and under that I wore long handle underwear. The shoes we wore buckled up.
Q: How did you get to school?
A: I walked 3 miles through the woods.
Q: What kind of food did you bring?
A: I brought a biscuit with butter and jelly.
Q: What did you do that was fun? What did you do at recess?
A: We didn’t have a playground or swings, so we played Ring Around the Rosie, Drop the Handkerchief or Marbles. We made up games a lot of the time.
Q: If you could, name one of your teachers.
A: Mrs. Mertle was my teacher. She was very nice and I loved her very much. She rode her horse to school. She would tie up the horse on a post every day.
Q: Did you like school?
A: I loved school. When we had to take a break from school to pick cotton, I was always sad.
Q: What was your classroom like?
A: It was one room and it had wood floors. We had desks and a chalkboard. We had to bring our own books and pencils. There was a wood stove in the room to keep us warm, but no bathroom. When it was time to go to the bathroom, we would raise our hand. When the teacher said to us, “you are excused,” we would go outside. On our way out, we would put our book in the door as a sign to the other children that they couldn’t come outside. There was a girl hill and a boy hill and we would go up and go to the bathroom on that hill. No matter what the weather!
Q: What was a punishment like if someone did something wrong?
A: Well, one time we were reading a story called “One Eye, Two Eye, Three Eye,” and we were supposed to learn our spelling words from the story. Two of my spelling words were “sister,” and “forehead” and I did not know them. So, Mrs. Mertle made me sit on the floor. That was my punishment and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I learned those words quickly! I never got punished again, but some people, when they got punished, had to put their nose in a circle that was drawn on the chalkboard.
Q: How many people were in your classroom?
A: less than 15 kids who were all different ages. Olin Sweatston had a crush on me and when I was punished that time, he tried to give me his coat to sit on.
Well, I got the question tonight as we were driving home from Granny's house: "Why do some people not celebrate Halloween? " As I tried to explain this touchy subject, I could anticipate The Princess of Hearts next question: "Then why do WE celebrate Halloween?" The only thing I could say is.... we don't celebrate Halloween. We celebrate life. On Halloween night, we don't pay tribute to the things of darkness. Quite the opposite: we soak in the things of light! We spend time with family; we spend time with friends. We leave nice treats for others. We try to brighten someone else's day. We have fun in our neighborhood and smile at everyone who walks by. We soak in the creativity of the costumes. We marvel at the kindness of all our neighbors. So, yes, even though we have here a scary skeleton/ghost and a spooky witch (plus a plucky cowboy), I feel sure that tonight God kept his eye on us. As for others who don't celebrate Halloween, I hope it is clear that I pass no judgment against their decisions. We all have to what we feel is right in our hearts for our own families. But for us, this was one awesome night. Plus, Kami won the quilt drawing tonight at Grandma I's house! What could be better than a Halloween-themed, hand-stitched, flannel-soft, sweet-smelling, quilt that your 96 year old granny made? Tonight, Kami hugged it and said, "this is my treasure for life." We are truly blessed on this Halloween night, and to God I lift all the glory, honor and praise! 
