Elva Hurst - When School Bells Call

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

Cover by Aesthetic Soup, Shakopee, Minnesota

WHEN SCHOOL BELLS CALL

Copyright 2008/2015 by Elva Hurst; Illustrations by Elva Hurst

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

ISBN 978-0-7369-6092-2 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-6093-9 (eBook)

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Thanks, Josiah, for all the time you put into typing the manuscript. Thanks, Bethany, Annie, and Jonmy other three childrenfor drawing the stories out of me. Your interest and ideas have inspired me to write. And, God, bless my husband, Ray, for his kindness and patience when I should have been dusting furniture and sweeping floors instead of writing!

These true stories recall my happy childhood days growing up in a large, loving Mennonite family. We lived in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in a community made up of many Amish and other Mennonite families who shared the big and small events of our lives.

Contents

September is here, with its bright days of cheer, and we answer the school bells glad call, sang my mom as she braided my long, light brown hair. It was indeed a bright and beautiful day, but cheer wasnt exactly what I felt. The feeling was a mix of worry and dread. Mom called this recipe of emotions anxiety. Worried questions swirled about my mind. What will school be like in the fifth grade? I had heard that fifth grade was much harder than fourth grade. Will our new teacher be nice? Will she give me the extra help I need to learn?

Learning was difficult for me, and already I dreaded seeing poor grades on my report card. My stomach aches, I complained to my mom, so she fixed me a cup of peppermint tea. That feels better already, I thought as I sipped on the hot liquid. Moms caring gesture gave me courage to face a new grade in school.

We had a long walk to our one-room schoolhouse. I didnt have to walk alone because my sister Eva Mae, who was two grades ahead of me, walked with me. At the neighbors lane, we met with Linda and her sisters and continued on.

Seeing Linda also helped to lift my spirits, and so did listening to the cheery songs of the birds and the rippling sounds of the water as we crossed over the bridge at the creek near our house. Autumn was coming, and there would be no more swimming in the creek or pony cart adventures. Linda and I laughed as we recalled our unforgettable pony cart ride to town and back in a thunderstorm.

As we approached the school, I could see classmates gathering from all directions. Some came from the west, over the field behind the schoolhouse. From the north came other Amish neighbors. Just as we entered the school yard, the big iron bell atop the schoolhouse roof rang out in three long, loud dongs. Its ringing made a somewhat glad calling sound, just as Moms song had described this morning. The anxious feelings were gradually fading away.

Inside the schoolhouse, those familiar school smells greeted me. They were a combination of chalk, hard wooden floors, and old wooden desks. Good morning, Becky, I said as I greeted another friend in the coatroom. I hung my sweater on the hook with my name, set my lunch box on a shelf in the back of the classroom, and then slid into a desk in the fourth row.

Our desks were old-fashioned wooden desks with a small hole in the upper right corner of the desktop. That small hole was the ink well, which had held an ink bottle in the days long ago when schoolchildren did their schoolwork with quill and ink. The first graders sat in small desks in the first row. The desks in the other rows were bigger for the older children.

Other than sitting in a different row and having a new teacher, nothing had changed since last year. Vinyl window shades were pulled halfway down over the windows on either side of the classroom. I looked forward to eighth grade because not only would that be my last year of school, but I would also get a desk by the window. The water cooler was on a shelf in the left back corner of the classroom. Thats where we washed our hands before lunch since our school didnt have indoor plumbing. Our water came from a hand pump out back behind the schoolhouse. In the morning it was someones job to fill the large thermos that would supply us with water for the day.

My favorite spot was in the other back corner. We called it our library because there was a large bookcase filled with rows of books. I hoped that the new teacher brought with her some new books, since I had read most every book in our small library more than once! In the front and center of the classroom was Teachers desk. We didnt address our teacher by her name; we referred to her simply as Teacher. On one side of her desk sat a small globe, and on the other side a small bell. Teachers books were lined up in between.

I glanced at the chalkboard behind her. She had written Welcome back to school in very neat and large lettering. Beneath that she wrote the days assignments and the classroom rules. I looked down at the pile of fifth-grade books on my desk. Lets see, there was a vocabulary book, spelling book, a black and white composition book for penmanship, and geography, history, and arithmetic books.

I swallowed hard. The feeling of dread returned with more force than before at the sight of the arithmetic book. I disliked arithmetic very much! Children in public schools called it math, and I wondered if perhaps it was easier. Pushing aside the dread, I turned to see who sat behind me. Oh dear, I thought. Its a boy!

I greeted a few more classmates, and we chatted until Teacher rang the small bell on her desk. We called this the second bell. We all quieted down quickly. We were eager to receive instructions for our new class, but first we all stood up by our desks to pray the Lords Prayer together, just as we did every morning of each and every school day.

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Teacher said a few words of welcome, and then she explained the rules and the consequences if we disobeyed them.

1. No running in the classroom

2. No chewing gum

3. No cheating

4. No whispering in class

She also encouraged us to talk only in English on the playground. We all spoke Pennsylvania Dutch at home and needed to practice our English speaking skills. If we were caught talking in Dutch, our paper parrot on the wall would have one of his crackers taken away. If at the end of the month he still had all his crackers, Teacher would reward us with a prize!