Interview with Mrs. Jean Uzzle
April 2003
Interviewed by Neavy Graves
Mrs. Uzzle attended Moonfield School for the first three grades and then to Bridger School for the remaining four grades.
We are interviewing Mrs. Jean Uzzle, and she is going to tell us about her school days experiences in Isle of Wight County.
Q: First can you tell us, what area of Isle Wight did you grew up in?
A: I grew up in the Battery Park area, which is now Gatling Point where I began school, and um, that was a one-room school at that time.
Q: How many sisters and brothers did you have?
A: I have three brothers and seven sisters. I came from a big family.
Q: Uh, what school did they attend?
A: My oldest sister down to my sister that's under me attended Moonfield. The rest of my sisters and brothers attended, except the three younger ones, attended Bridger School, which is on Highway 10 south of Benn's Church.
Q: What school did you attend?
A: I attended; I started the school in the 1941-'42 session school year at Moonfield in the Battery Park area. That was the first school that I attended.
Q: How many classrooms did it have?
A: Moonfield School had, um, one classroom and one teacher there.
Q: What grades were taught there?
A: Grades one through seven was taught there and we were all in the same room. And I believe they had us kind of like rowed off in certain grades. Like the first grade was, you know, in one line and then the second ... and it ranged in that way.
Q: What grades did you attend there?
A: I attended grades one through three there.
Q: Who were some of your teachers?
A: My teacher there at that time was Mrs. Wilson. Mrs. Wilson also taught my mom and dad. So, I kind of felt comfortable going because 1 had heard my mother and father talk about her and just to have a teacher that they knew, I felt comfortable attending there. Uh, I can remember my first day, my mother took my older sister and I to school and um we had to walk probably a mile and maybe a quarter mile to get to school and on the second day my... we lived down a real long lane that led to the road. So the next morning my mother walked us to the ... down the lane and one of the older students that was going to school, and I believe his name was Horace Whitley, she asked him if we would look after us and ... Children did look out for each other even though sometimes we did have our little spats, but we made up. Um, so he was supposed to look out for us to see that we got to school there and back all right.
Q: Did you walk to school when it rained also?
A: Yes, you walked to school rain, shine, snow, or blow. It was a must.
Q: What jobs did you have to do before and after school?
A: Um, in the morning I had to get up and make up my bed. I didn't have to wash dishes or anything... mostly was to clean my room, see that my room was straight before I left and make sure I had all my books and everything I was supposed to take to school.
Q: What chores were done at school?
A: During the grades one through three, I didn't really do any chores. Um, cause I was like a first grader, so we didn't do any. It was the older boys did the chores at school, so I really didn't do anything. We would get to school and then hang our coats in the... where we kept our coats. I didn't have any chores to do.
Q: How did the school day start?
A. My school day started once we were there and everyone got warm we took our coats off and we hung them up. We would start with devotions. We would have, um, prayer and scripture. We had devotion before our classes started, but, uh, when I attended Bridger School, in the fourth grade through seventh, it was really interesting. We had devotion and when I was larger so I used to love to pump the water to bring up the water that we would bring in, so I would volunteer. The teacher would let me do some chores there.
Q: What subjects were covered?
A: Well, we had reading, writing, arithmetic, then later at Bridger School, I had history and geography, I think. I know I had spelling, geography, history and geography, I believe it was. Um, I think they were the subjects that were taught
Q: Did you have and specific textbooks or readers?
A: Uh, we did have some textbooks. I remember, I really recall my first reader with Dick, Jane, and Spot. I'll never forget that. Uh, I just sometimes wish I could come across one now that I could keep. But I guess they're all done away with. We had books, and then we had to take our books home and study with them and bring them back the next day.
Q: Where were your books kept?
A: I guess, with the opening under the bottom [of the desks] we could put our books there.
Q: How long was your school day?
A: The school day started at 9 o'clock and ended at 3.
Q: How long was the school year?
A: The school year was from September until, I think, June, the first of June, sometime during the first of June. One interesting thing about my school year when I went to Bridger School, which was from fourth grade to seven grade, at the end of our school year our teacher Mrs. Parker, was a musician and she played. We had a piano, and she would play that piano. She played piano in morning for devotion and I thought that was great because most kids didn't have that privilege to hear piano music in the morning. She would always have a play. We would always have a school closing play and she did some beautiful plays. I can remember one play I was in, I was a firefly and I had these wings. I was a firefly flying in the night. Firefly is a beautiful light. So I always enjoyed school closings at Bridger School was really, really interesting and we always had a crowd of people.
Q: Where did you eat lunch and how long did you have for lunch?
A: Well, at both schools, we ate lunch in our classrooms because we didn't have an extra room to eat in there. So, we ate in the classroom. When it was warm, Bridger School had a long porch across the front. We would sometimes set on the steps to eat lunch.
Q: When did you have recess and what did you do during recess?
A: We had recess in the morning and, um, would always do a little exercise or play some games. Um, I was always a playful one, so I looked forward to recess (Laugh) so I could get in my play. (Laugh)
Q: How would you describe your classroom?
A: Um, my classroom at Moonfield was one room, and like I said, from what I can remember we would kind of sit like in rows or in a group for classes. Um, at Bridger School, it was pretty much the same thing, but it was interesting because when I went there, I started there in the fourth grade. I could always listen to what the fifth, sixth, and seventh graders were being taught. So, you really learned more then what was being taught to your particular class, and to me that was great. So, I tried to sit there all those years and take in as much as possible.
Q: How was your school heated?
A: At Moonfield our school was heated by wood. Um, and then when I went to Bridger School, we graduated to coal. At that time, um, the coal, you had to start the fire with some wood, but I think from what I can remember, it was my grandfather and a few of the parents and grandparents around would always keep some wood. We had like a little wood shed out in the yard and they would always keep something in there to start the fire with. The boys would start the fire. But this wood, small kindling, I guess we would call it. And, um, I said I was always grateful for them to really care and look out for us to make sure that we did have heat. Another thing that happened once when I was at Bridger School, it seemed like to me that, I thought it was the state would give apples, a basket of apples. They would bring apples to the school. I was always so excited to see them come in with all these big baskets of apples. Everybody would get apples at school. Then later they start bringing in beans and our teacher had a big pot that she would put those beans on that coal stove. Everyone had to bring their little bowl from home. So we... She would cook it and season them up. And then at lunchtime we had hot beans and that was great!
Q: Were there restrooms?
A: We had outdoor restrooms. We had to go outside. There was one for the boys and one for the girls.
Q: Where was you water supply?
A: Um, we had a pump outside, but in the morning we would pump the water in the buckets, the buckets, and we had a dipper. And, uh, I used to love to pump it, but I couldn't bring it in. The boys, the older, the bigger boys would bring the water in. And we had a table in our cloakroom where we kept the water and everybody had to bring their container to drink out of. At lunchtime they would pump another fresh bucket of water and bring it in, so we had fresh water twice a day.
Q: How would you describe the teacher's desk?
A: Our teacher's desk was a wooden desk. And she had, one of those hard oak chairs, I guess it was oak at her desk. And I believe she had some books on their desk. And I think I can remember something with some glass and something with some pencils in there. Um, and I believe that was pretty much it, and I think there was like a dictionary on their desk that I can remember.
Q: Describe the student’s desk.
A: Our desks was the ones that had the little thing, you had your writing area in front of you. It would lift up and under your seat was an opening for your books or to store something. I think that was pretty much the way our desks were made.
Q: Were chalkboards used?
A: Yeah, both of the schools had chalkboards, and you had a little tray around the bottom of your board where you kept the eraser and the chalk.
Q: What school supplies were used?
A: Um, the only school supplies we had were the books given to use at the beginning of the school year. We had to furnish our own paper and our own pencils. We did not use pens at that time. I did not know what a pen was really. Uh, we used pencils and uh we had to furnish our own paper.
Q: Were teaching aids on the wall?
A: I believe there were some. I can remember maps. I can remember, um, at Bridger School there were two rooms, I didn't make that statement. It was two rooms. They were one through three; they had some ABCs, some alphabets in that one and the grades four through seven, we did have a map on the wall. And that was pretty much it, I think.
Q: What type of lighting did you have?
A: I really can't remember. I know 1 can remember that each school that I went to had a lot of windows. So, I think we really... and the later I think Bridger School had electricity. Moonfield, I don't think we did. Those schools had a lot of windows so; we got a lot of outside light in. So, I think Bridger School did. That was one of the later schools built in the county. So, they did have electricity there.
Q: Did the windows have curtains or blinds?
A: I don't think so. I can't remember. I remember light coming through the windows. I know there were no curtains there and I really don't think so. 'Cause I think we used to draw and do pictures and they would put them in the windows. So I don't think it was.
Q: Was there a cloakroom or wall hooks for coats?
A: Yes, at both schools we were fortunate enough to have a cloakroom. At Moonfield we had a cloakroom, and like I said in the corner there was a little table where the water was kept. At both schools, the cloakroom was pretty much the same. There were little hooks where we hung our coats on the side of the wall. And five minutes to three two or three people would go and get your coats and bring them to us so we could get ready to go home.
Q: Describe what discipline and punishment was used.
A: Um, I'm really grateful to the teachers at that time. Discipline was kept to a very, very minimum. If you misbehaved, they would spank on the hand with a ruler. You would either stand in the corner and usually if you got punished, you only got punished one time. You didn't go back to that way again.
Q: Are there any additional school experiences you wish to tell about?
A: Uh, yes I think I can remember walking to school. My first year was during World War II and Nike Park, it was a military base and there were soldiers there. And sometimes they would be out in the woods, and on our way we would be trying to walk to school, and I would be scared to death because they would be out there. I think going through drills, or whatever they were doing. It would always scare me to death to see them out there. And, um, I had to learn to live with that. I can remember during that time they had something they called the blackout where everybody put their dark shades to the window at night. You didn't let your light shine out through the window. I could be outside playing and every time I heard an airplane go over, I was ready to go in the house and hide. Another thing, it would be so cold sometimes I can remember walking, my hands got so cold one morning, I got to school and we had a basin where you wash your hands. Miss Wilson put cold water in that basin and we put our hands down in the water to kind of thaw them out before we put them to the heat so it wouldn't hurt so bad. I can remember that. These were experiences that children today would just think it was horrible, but it wasn't so bad... it wasn't so bad.
Q: Are there any other childhood memories you recall about growing up?
A: Uh, yeah, I guess I can. I remember being a firebug when I was attending the Moonfield School. I set the marsh on fire and it burned down to the water at Gatling Point. It was in the fall of the year and we were raking up leaves. My Mom had lit a fire to the leaves and I started throwing them up with a stick and it got away from me (Laugh) so, I was a firebug. And my favorite, my song, my cousin used sing to me was "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire." So, I do remember that. There was some real pleasant times going to school. I really loved the Moonfield area so well. My daddy said he going to try to buy a house. I guess because the family was so big, he had to find, and buy a bigger house than what we lived in. So, he comes to Thame Road and went down in there and found a house with thirty acres of land and moved us there. And I said why in the world did he do this. But then I learned to love Bridger School. Miss Mattie was another teacher that had taught my parents. So, I left one teacher that had taught them, then I ran into another teacher that had taught them. Mrs. Parker was from Suffolk. So, she had not taught in the county before. She'd taught at Bridger School. And then from there I went to Smithfield High School. Uh, another thing I did enjoy, I walked to, I walked over two miles every Sunday. Got to Sunday School on time. Didn't get to Sunday School late. You get there on time. I learned to appreciate it. I think it made me a better person. It made me who I am today. I knew when Sunday come that was what I had to do. I didn't hesitate whether it was rainy, shine, snow, or blow. Finally my daddy was fortunate enough to buy a car. But I couldn't ride in the car on Sundays because he would take the older people from our area to church. We were younger, so we had to walk. I didn't quite understand it, but I guess I do now. I think that all in all, I grew up in a large family and we had a lot of fun, we played. And I learned a lot. And another thing, um, we had a cow and I wanted to learn to milk the cow. But I never learned because every time the cow would move, I would move. So that never worked out for me. So, I never learned to do that. That was a chore my brother had to do after school, and I never learned to do it (Laugh). So, I think that pretty much sum up everything. My teachers were very instrumental in my life and I really appreciate that. My parents were determined that I learn. They were very concerned about it. Even some of my neighbors because one of my neighbors who lived in the area, when school let out, she had no children, she was the grandparent of some children that went there, but she would always be standing out there at that school. And I would say, “Why don't that lady stay home because she's going to make us go straight home and we can't play”. When you start playing she would say, “Go home, cut that playing out and go home.” And she would make us go home. “I’m going to tell your momma.” So, we knew better than to say anything but to move on down the road and go on home. I think that pretty much sums up everything except for some of the changes. I've seen so many changes. Children aren't the same, no way the same, parents aren't the same. The discipline problem is awful. I said I never thought I'd see the day when you'd had to have police in the school, but it is here. And I think that's it. I just hope that it doesn't get any worse. We hope for better. So, that's it.