Mrs. Hazel Alewine began teaching in small, rural schools such as Snow Hill, Mt. Bethel and then later taught at Wright Elementary.  She taught grades 1, 2, 3 and 4.  She was the principal at Mt. Bethel School.  During this time, she was able to take her very young daughter, Brenda, to school with her.  The students in the class would help take care of her.  The rural schools that she taught in were very different from the schools of today.  The students walked to school and brought their own lunches.  There were no school lunches or bus transportation until the students began Wright Elementary.  There was no indoor plumbing in the small, rural schoolhouses.  They went to the outhouse.  They finally had indoor plumbing when they moved to Wright Elementary in the late 1950’s.

     Students enjoyed recess time and often played games such as Fox in the War, Drop the Hankherchief, Hopscotch, May I and Follow the Leader.  Students who could not play because of bad behavior stayed in during recess time and wrote for punishment.

     A favorite memory that Mrs. Alewine has is of the older children teaching the younger children at the coal pile.

Interviewed by:  Lauren Trumbull