The history of the numerous district schools in the township of Greene have been completed, although it may be stated safe to say that there is still historical documentation that was not included in the many articles that have been written. This writer cannot claim any credit regarding the title of this article as Mrs. Ross wrote this documentation and to her full credit is due for its contents. This writer will relay this documentation exactly as Peg wrote it for publication correct me if I am not correct, in the Chenango-American - the news publication for Greene and surrounding areas.
“The one-room schoolhouse has become such a part of romanticizing the past that I’d like to continue to focus on the hardships that accompanies the running of these schools. We usually hear stories about the students and what they remember about the routine and how far they had to walk. This article (note: she had written previously on the school subject) will be about the teachers and what they had to do to prepare themselves. Imagine being the young male teacher written by Laura Ingalls Wilder in Farmer Boy.
Laura Ingalls Wilder’s husband, Almanzo Wilder, grew up in Malone, New York and when he was a small boy, group of tough older boys beat up a young teacher so badly that he died. Now Almanzo was going to school for the first time with a new teacher, small in stature, who had been a friend of the one who had died. Almanzo was so afraid of what was going to happen he sat cringing in his seat. But when the boys began to go after the teacher, he took out a blacksnake ox-whip fifteen feet long and in short order had those boys crying and begging him to stop cracking the whip. He couldn’t wait to get home to tell his father that the teacher had outsmarted the boys. Only then did he find out that his father has given the whip to the teacher to use.
Perhaps these stories are apocryphal but they portray a searing image of problems that teachers had in remote small schools. Not only did they have to find the jobs and teach several grade levels simultaneously, they had to find a way to get to the school and a place to live. Sometimes, they boarded with the trustee of the school or with a nearby neighbor. Oftentimes these farm families were poor and had very little to eat. One teacher noted that one family she stayed with had only sauerkraut as their main sustenance. The local superintendent. Miss Jane Schneck, made sure that the young female teachers stayed with families she approved of. Another comment of a teacher mentioned that there were families who had children who did not attend school at all, that they were deemed un-teachable and their whole lives consisted of helping on the farm with the manual labor. The winters could be long and severe and even walking from the boarding house to the school was a chore. Many times the teachers were snowed in and couldn’t get anywhere for social stimulation. And remember, the majority of the teachers were young, unmarried females who had to worry about having a job for the following year.
In 1991, Nancy Bromley and I had the privilege of getting to know Lillian Harrington who taught in more district schools than anyone I have ever met. And we may have missed one or two because there are a few years that she didn’t mention. Lillian was born in 1903 and lived south of the Lower Genegantslet Cemetery on Route 12 in the Harrington homestead. She attended the Lower Genegantslet District schoolhouse until 8th grade and then came to Greene High School on North Canal Street. She and her sisters Irene and Mildred would ride to Greene in a horse and wagon and heave the horse at the shed in back of the Central Baptist Church where they attended. They didn’t like to bring the horse because at lunchtime they would have to go down and feed him and that was a nuisance. So they often walked the three miles to Greene.
Lillian told us how cold it was where there was no protection from the west hill. From the Grosses at Laurel Road to their farm, the wind blew fiercely in the winter.
Lillian graduated in 1921 and was Valedictorian of her class. She was very humble about this and said that all the smart ones had graduated early so that left her with the underserved honor. Immediately after graduating she attended the Teacher Training Class that was given at the High School for one year taught by Blanche Burdic. Then she was certified to teach in the District Schools. I would like to list all the schools she taught in chronologically and state a few facts and memories she had about each one. They were all either in Chenango or Broome Counties.
1. Taught in Lower Sapbush School -1923-1925. She rode her bicycle from her home or got a ride with her father to Cloverdale Road, then walked. One time she got snowed in and DeForest Brewer took her home in a sleigh. Then he went on to Johnson’s Corners to pick up Alice Hitt (later his wife) to take her home. One of the winters, Lillian boarded at the Brewers’ home. Received $20 a week for salary.
2. Taught at Lower Genegantslet School -1925-1928. The school became very large and it was the only time that she left of her own accord. Received $25 a week for salary.
3. Taught in Upper Sapbush School -1928 -1931. This school was at the very end of Foster Hill Road near Sapbush Road. During this time, Lillian bought a car in 1929, “an enclosed car and it had self-starting. You didn’t have to crank it.” After the time here, Lillian went to Cortland Normal and because of her credit for teaching for several years she got her permanent certification in 1933. She also attended summer school in Oneonta.
