Q: Today is June 19th, 2003. I am going to interview Earnest Hill. My name is Neavy Graves. What area of Isle of Wight did you grow up in?
A: I grew up in Central Hill. That’s where I growed up in.
Q: What school did you attend?
A: I went to Central Elementary School.
Q: How many brothers and sisters do you have?
A: Six gone and two living.
Q: Did they attend the same school?
A: Yeah.
Q: What grades were taught at Central Hill?
A: I believe it was I believe it was the fifth. ...at one of the schools… .5th grade. Somewhere in that category anyway.
Q: How many classrooms?
A: Well, we had, all was in the same room. Different grade. First and second grade and the third grade were all in each room…and the fourth and fifth and sixth in this room. The same room. In and out down at Georgia Tyler.
Q: How many teachers did you have?
A: Two.
Q: Do you remember their names?
A: Let me see. Ms. ________was one of them…and a Mrs. ____ Davis was one and I just don’t remember first grade and second and third grade.
Q: Do you say you went through the fifth grade at Central Hill and then you went to Georgia Tyler?
A: That’s right. See I started fifth grade there. In fifth grade went to Georgia Tyler. They was getting ready to close that school down, fifth grade there.
Q: Do you remember what year they closed the school?
A: I really don’t.
Q: How did you get to and from school?
A: On the bus. You talking about school at Center Hill?
Q: Yes.
A: Walked.
Q: How far did you walk?
A: I imagine about two blocks, might have been three.
Q: Did you have any chores to do before you went to school and after school?
A: Sure, we had chores to do. I had chores at the house and then I had to go out in the woods and get wood for the schools. Start fire and stuff like that. They had to make fires in school.
Q: So you burned wood or coal?
A: Burned both.
Q: Burned both. What did uh, how did your school day start?
A: How did it start?
Q: Yes. After you got to school and got the fire going in the wintertime, how did your school day start? With activities.
A: All right. I understand. See most times, time you get the fire made, you know, it’s not hard. Two a piece. You take yourself down in the woods and get some wood and make a fire and keep the fire going. Take a lot of time to get that coal going. Back then. The coal was go down by _____ get wet.
Q: Did you have devotionals of any type?
A: The what?
Q: Did you have devotionals in the morning? Devotionals. Did you sing a song or say a prayer or anything? Okay. What subjects were taught?
A: Like, it’s been so long. I just don’t remember that.
Q: Can you remember any specific textbooks that you had?
A: Yeah. I had history, math book. You know arithmetic book and all that.
Q: Can you remember what your reader was like in the first grade?
A: That’s been 50 years.
Q: How long was your school day?
A: I think it was 3 o’clock. Nine till 3 o’clock.
Q: So how long was your school year?
A: Well, my Daddy used to work in the _________. I went to school_____ and had to stop to help him. That’s why I didn’t finish school. Eight hours and __________.
Q: Can you remember how long your lunch period was?
A: I think it was an hour. It was an hour.
Q: Did you have any recess?
A: Fifteen minute recess I believe.
Q: Where did you eat your lunch? Did you go home or eat lunch?
A: In school, in school. And I always take a bag, paper bag and stuff like that.
Q: During recess, what did you do?
A: Well, after you eat lunch you get out there and play softball. We loved to do that.
Q: Did you play any other games?
A: Yeah, they didn’t have no football down there. But they had it at Georgia Tyler. Play ball out there, softball and hardball. They didn’t have no football.
Q: Did you play marbles or blackjack or things of that sort?
A: Played marbles and all that stuff.
Q: How would you describe your classroom? What did it look like inside?
A: Well, it was fine. Had them wood seats in there. But we had an oak made desk in Central Hill now. I had ______ put your books on the desk and then…
Q: What did your teacher’s desk look like?
A: Oh, that was a oak desk.
Q: Did you have any blackboards?
A: They had a blackboard.
Q: Did you have any pictures or anything on the walls?
A: I really don’t think so. My _____ was down there, at Central Hill. They start in the ______ we had all kind of activities.
Q: How was your school lighted? Did you have electricity, lamps, or just natural light?
A: Oh, we had lamps ___. We got ___ and ____ got lights down at Central Hill too now. That _____school that _____ all us are going to______ and one bus come through there and _____ run the school. They had to close that school up there then. I think they just had factory lights in there. That a many year ago.
Q: Can you remember if you had shades on the windows or curtains or anything?
A: Curtains.
Q: Curtains.
A: You know pull out there ____ like that.
Q: Uh, huh. Can you recall having any school supplies like crayons and drawing paper and so forth?
A: Not really.
Q: Okay, who bought your books?
A: Well, we had to find money to buy them, back then. I don’t think I had but two books back then anyway, just two.
Q: What about your pens and pencils? Your parents have to buy those also?
A: Yes sir. Until we got to Georgia Tyler. It changed up a little bit.
Q: Can you remember if there was anywhere to hang your coats?
A: Yeah. We had a little sign in the corner there that looked exactly like a deer rack. You put coats and stuff on it. They had a closet too, where we put it in too.
Q: What type of water supply did you have?
A: A pump. They just had a hanging pump.
Q: Describe what discipline was like. If someone acted up, what happened to them?
A: Well, take for myself. She used to make me stand on one leg, for about 15 or 10 minutes, just one leg. Stand on one leg. Running out each could be beat up with a paddle, beat you up. Paddle with you. In your own hands, paddle with your hands.
Q: There were no paddles or rulers used at Central Hill?
A: No.
Q: Can you tell me any positive memories you have about Central Hill?
A: Not really. Sorry.
Q: You don’t have any negative memories either, right?
A: No.
Q: Would you like to tell me about any additional school experiences that you can remember?
A: Not really.
Q: How did the kids get along?
A: Some of them get to fighting and get sent home. I never get sent home but, hey, time you get out of school back then you had to go get a call to _____ You survive.
Q: When you were sent home, did your parents punish you again?
A: That’s right. They punished. Got a whipping before you could go to school.
Q: Are there any other early childhood memories that you recall that was not connected with the school?
A: Can’t remember them.
Q: After attending school, what job changes or other experiences do you recall in the county?
A: Well, see I started farming right away on the farm. That’s back when they farming, I was fifteen ___ I had to do farm. One ____ When I was going to ____34 years old. And I stayed there 25 years. So that’s it.
Q: Can you tell me about your family? Wife, children?
A: I’m not married.
Q: You’re not married.
A: No. I have two kids. I mean, now the kids are grown. He’s grown and he got children.
Q: Is there anything else about your life you would like to tell us?
A: No.
Q: Did you ever serve in the military?
A: Yep. I served time ____, that’s what I done.
Q: If you could say something to kids of today, school children of today, what would you tell them?
A: Well, see, where your head at school. You ____ that nothing ever came of it. Whatever. There are guarantees in life. You have to turn ____ but I don’t buy no ____ sometimes she have to go get him to get some ____ so he ____ he not have time____ . He’s a grown up there now. ____ come around here. He called ____ ugh. ____six years old. ____He ____ but that’s all I know.
Q: Do you think that teachers, when you went to school, were more dedicated than they are today?
A: Well, I don’t know. We had some good ones and bad ones. We had some bad teachers and some good ones. But, back in school to start with it’s going to ____’cause I had a rough time in junior high. Till I got ____ and I started____ I took tests in school and ___ took a test______. I remember that.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to tell us, Mr. Hill?
A: No, that’s all.
Q: Okay. We certainly appreciate your interview…and we hope that soon you will be able to go to the Schoolhouse Museum and listen to yourself and look at yourself.
A: Okay. All right.