Interview with Mr. Paul Pittman
March 1,2003
Interviewed by Sandra M. Lowe
Mr. Pittman spent a year or two attending Christian Home School before going to Isle of Wight Training School lower grades.
We’re interviewing Mr. Paul Pittman who lived in the neighborhood of Christian Home Baptist Church and Christian Home School. He is going to give us some information about the area and his experiences as a student of Christian Home.
Q: First of all, can you tell me something about your family, where you lived in the county, and how many sisters and brothers, if you have them?
A: I stayed in the lower part of Isle of Wight County, which is south of Smithfield going into Suffolk, VA in the Cherry Grove Acres area, just a little ways from Longview. I’m not quite sure you’re familiar with that. I have three...I have two brothers and one sister and my mother; she’s living. Her name is Elizabeth Pittman. My father is dead. My mother stayed in the neighborhood of the Christian Home Baptist Church during that time.
Q: Did your sisters and brothers attend Christian Home along with you, or before you, or did they go to the any other school?
A: My sister went. She’s the oldest, so she probably went there about two years or more.
Q: Do you recall the years that you’re talking about that you went to Christian Home or the time that she went there?
A: I went when I was in the first grade. I don’t recall what year that was. She’s just about two years older than I am, so evidently she must have went for two years and then I think the school closed and they went to a school named Ebenezer. Then I came along. After my first year I went to Isle of Wight Training School.
Q: When you were at Christian Home do you recall how many rooms were there? Was that a one-room building or two-room building at that time?
A: It was a one-room building, real long and square with a pot-bellied stove.
Q: Do you recall the grades that they had in that one room at that time?
A: They probably had two. I can’t really recall, but I know they had the first, and I think they had the second.
Q: Do you remember any of the teachers that you had or that were there at the school?
A: I remember Mrs. Tynes. I don’t know her first name because it’s been so long. But I think she was from Norfolk someplace.
Q: Did you live near the school or could you give me an idea of how far away you had to travel?
A: About a half a mile. We used to walk to school.
Q: One half mile in those days was not far from most of the schools. I’ve heard as far as five miles. So it didn’t take you long. You could leave the house very close to 9 o’clock to get there?
A: To get there…yes.
Q: Do you have any experiences or remember any of your experiences going and coming to school, or kids you played with, or experiences along the road?
A: During that time, I think it was buses going the same route we was going. We used to always encounter people throwing water on us or shooting water guns, and other things you didn’t like happen. It might have been a few fights. I just can’t recall. I remember water being thrown out the windows.
Q: Of the school buses?
A: Right.
Q: Of course we didn’t have any school buses at that time.
A: No, we didn’t have any school buses.
Q: Your parents were they farmers or did they have other jobs? I was wondering if you had any farm chores or anything you had to do before you went to school.
A: During that time my father used to drive truck and my mother was a housewife. Although we did live on a farm we had four or five acres so we did do some kind of chores.
Q: What do you remember about the beginning of the school day? Do you remember what you had to do before 9 o’clock or what happened at the beginning?
A: Something at the beginning of the day after class convened I think we had the pledge allegiance to the flag. I think we had prayer; I think it was the Lord’s Prayer. Then the class convened and I can’t recall what time we had--the bell rang and we had a play period, then we came back in we had lunch. And the things we did out there wasn’t unique--wasn’t a whole lot to do. I think the boys played marbles and the girls would play hopscotch something like that.
Q: Do you remember your subjects, what you did in class or any experiences or anything in school that happened in the classroom?
A: Yes, we had reading, writing, arithmetic, basically the subjects we had which she went over were constantly over and over so you knew it by memory. I think it was Dick and Jane and Run Spot Run.
Q: You don’t happen to have any of those old books around, do you?
A: No, I think we discarded those. (Chuckle) I don’t think I have those.
Q: We’re looking for anything of that period. What about lunchtime? Do you recall any lunch experiences?
A: Not really because I think we had lunch, but I think we took our lunch to school, so it was just a matter of finding a place to eat. And most times we were outside playing so I think we took our lunch with us when we went outside.
Q: When you weren’t able to go outside, did you pretty much have lunch at your desk?
A: Yes.
Q: And how was your building heated? What did you do for heat?
A: They had coal. There was a wood stove first, I think In any event before the end of the year, I think they used coal.
Q: Where was your water supply?
A: I think the water supply was in a container. It’s been so long I can’t really recall, but I they had it in a jug or something, some kind of cooler. It wasn’t a cooler ‘cause during that time I don’t they had a lot of coolers. Some kind of bottle, one of those great big jugs like you see in probably some of these stores or areas now.
Q: Do you remember what the classroom looked like, what was in the room and anything that stands out?
A: Only a few pictures I can recall now was pasted on the blackboard or something they had it on. I can’t recall what it was on right now, but it was something like that, a lot of pictures.
Q: Do you remember were the letters of the alphabet up there? Was the room bright and cheerful or just bare basics?
A: Bare basics. Could have been less than basics some days.
Q: Any teaching aides?
A: No, only one teacher when I was going there. She did all the classes.
Q: What was done for lighting? What kind of lighting did you have?
A: They had lamplights when it got dark, I believe it was. They opened the door; I think it was, on a sunny day. On a cloudy day I think they had those kind of large lamps, oil lamps.
Q: Where did you put your coats, hat, galoshes, and things when the weather was bad?
A: They had something like a closet and you put some of your coats and some they hang around the walls of the classroom where they had put nails and hung them up there.
Q: What was done if a student needed punishment or as far as teachers disciplining students? Did you ever see any need for that when you were going?
A: Yeah, what they did they lined you up beside the wall and let you stand beside the wall and let you look at the wall. One case I remember seeing where some kids had to stand up holding one foot up, so I guess that’s a way of disciplining.
Q: Do you think that happened often or was that rare for your class to be stopped for discipline problems?
A: It was rare. Very seldom that happened.
Q: Any experiences or any students come to mind that you went to school with or teachers or anything that you think about concerning those days?
A: I guess I remember the kids that used to create a lot of problems all the time. I don’t know the first name, but they were Dixons. They used to fight everyday so they created problems day in and day out.
Q: Do you remember any other of your classmates from that period?
A: I remember I had a cousin used to go there, but he was older than I was, Jessie Pittman. You might remember him. I think Deloris Cuffey; I think she probably went there during the same time. You probably remember her also. They were very good students, well behaved.
Q: Okay. I want to try to pick out problems. Do you remember any other experiences that you would like to tell us about related to your one-, two-, or three-room school experiences?
A: I don’t have a lot of bad memories of it because at the age I was it was hard to remember a lot about it. I’m quite sure I had some encounters, but it’s been so long I probably have forgotten.
Q: Are there any early childhood memories that aren’t specifically connected to the school? It could have been Isle of Wight Training or just your times growing up at home. Any of those experiences that you would like for us to know about?
A: When I was going to Isle of Wight Training School? Are you talking about teachers?
Q: Teachers, anything that stands out in your mind.
A: I think sports there. That was very enjoyable, and the teachers; I always got along with those and I think at the time I was going to Isle of Wight Training School, I think Mr. Lowe was our principal. Then after he left Mr. Tate came. It was a great experience to have been there because it was very good to lead us and they were very disciplined at the time.
Q: Very good. Could you give us a _________ of your experiences growing up, jobs that you had, perhaps since you retired or things in some of the important stages of your life so we’ll have that for our _____________.
A: Well, during my growing up and going into the work field I used to work after I came out of school. I went to school for a couple years at Norfolk State. And after doing that I went to work at Planters and from Planters I left there and went to the Shipyard and worked in the Nuclear Program which were some gratifying years. In 2000 I retired. It’s one of the greatest feelings I guess you can ever encounter. I’ve retired in this year in July for three years and it’s been a blessing.
Q: What are your opinions on your education experiences in Isle of Wight? Do you feel that it prepared you for life experiences; anything pro or con?
A: Definitely, I’m sure it did because I learned a lot and I had some very good peers that wanted me to progress and helped me especially in my job at the Shipyard in the Nuclear Program. I had people that were very good in math and they assisted me. When you’re dealing with nuclear you have to know certain ins and outs so especially the math teachers they were very helpful to me.
Q: Did you have anything else you would like to add? On any subject, feel free.
A: Well, the only thing I can say is I think you’re doing a good job what you’re doing. Interviewing people at least you’ll know how people feel and how things were in yesteryears in comparison with today. I feel like we’ve come a long ways, but still have a long ways to go.
Q: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Pittman. I appreciate your coming out today. It’s been an enjoyable experience talking with you and getting your words upon tape. I hope you will ___________.
A: Okay we’ll do that.