Barefoot Memories of a Hillbilly - Tyner

(FREE CONTENT -  NOT PAYWALLED

I'm going to go visit Brother's school. That is, it will be my school too. It is Tyner school. My Granny's sister, Aunt Mattie Rader used to teach there, and my uncle Edsil Cunigan still does. He is my Mom's younger brother. He knows math stuff. Aunt Mattie knows chemical stuff. She is bunches of fun. She started to college a long time ago to be a lady Doctor, but then decided she'd rather teach people about what chemicals to mix up to make things.

We're gonna ride J.G. Combs bus. I visited Brother's school before and J.G. Let me sit in the seat right behind him. His wife Bobby is my aunt Tootsie Sexton's niece. They go to church at Conway with my Mom and Dad. When we get to the school he will let us all off to go to the classroom. Brother is going to take me to visit the first grade class and leave me and will make sure I find the bus to go home.

The Principal's name is Mr. Wilson. His wife is Miz Wilson and she teaches too. Brother says don't get into bad trouble cause Mr.Wilson will spank you with a big paddle. Then when you go home Mom will spank you for getting a spanking. Miz Deaton will teach me all kinds of stuff. She goes to church with Mom and Dad too. Brother says that teacher will tell me what to do and when. She will show me where to go to eat and tell me when I can go play.

The school has a bunch of old classrooms connected in a long line, and then some more big buildings. The grown-up kids go to school in a big white building made of blocks. If you have a nickel you can buy a brown cow or fudgesicle ice cream in the basement at afternoon break. I don't have a nickel. There is also a big furnace there too that makes heat for the big building. The buildings where I will be has pot bellied stoves. One side of you gets really warm, the other side doesn't.

Brother says when the principal wants to talk he speaks thru the air like a radio. It is called a loud speaker. He will tell us things we need to know, when to find your bus, what food is for lunch. Lunch is what school people call dinner. Brother says on Fridays they will serve soup sammiches and milk. He says it's soup and sammiches, not sammiches made from soup. He reminds me to not get run over by big kids, to mind the teacher and he will see me later. I got a pencil and writing tablet, but I can't write much. I don't know how I'm gonna like this school, but I'll do what I'm sposed to do. Brother says if I don't like it I can quit when I'm 16. Mom says I can't quit till its done. That could be a longer time. I guess I better try really hard if I expect to ever get out.

I wear schools now, but sometimes I have barefoot memories.