Those
Were the Days
My Memories of the Ridge Schoolhouse
By Josephine Lundy, former schoolteacher
Long Island Forum
Spring 1996
Mrs.
Josephine Lundy, from the collection of Barbara Martz.
Almost sixty years have
passed since, in the September of 1936, I entered the one
room schoolhouse in Ridge, New York, as the new teacher.
Naturally, in sixty years, some of my memories have faded
a little, but on the following pages. I will try to
convey the flavor of education on eastern Long Island to
the best of my ability.
I was hired for the reaching position by two of the
school's trustees, John Randall and Jason Randall. These
two men were descendants of the original Randalls, who
first settled in this area, They were kind and generous
men and they respected and trusted me as much as I did
them. In other years, some of the trustees included Louis
Zackman, Henry Schlacter and James Barry.
I don't remember my exact
salary at the time, but it was somewhere in the area of
fifteen hundred dollars per year. In addition to my
salary, I received an additional five dollars per year to
take a yearly census. Also, I was responsible for doing
any necessary janitorial work, and for this I received
another fifty dollars per year.
The children I taught back then came from approximately
eighteen families who lived in the area. They were:
Virginia and Lucille Kemple
Wilfred Raynor
Herbert, Austin and Madeline Randall
Helen Keeney
Beatrice Hollowell
Marie, Joan and Bobby Borst
Gloria Gray
James Barry
Carol. Naomi, Joan, Henry and Robert Schlacter
Ruth Shannon
Joan, Louis, Barbara and Warren Zackman
Alexander and Elizabeth Porter
Heston and Dolores Wrobel
Lorraine Seibert
Billy Thatner
Suzanne Lustgarten
Joseph, Marilyn and Eileen Carrol
Daisy and Wilburn Randall
Some of these families' children and grandchildren still
live and operate businesses in Ridge today. The old
schoolhouse is still standing, too, although it has been
moved to the Smith Estate on Longwood Road.
In addition to the one room schoolhouse, there was a
wooden outhouse. The outhouse was divided into a girl's
side and a boy's side. Each side was a two-holer. There
was a wooden shed close to the schoolhouse. This shed was
used for coal and other storage.
Both the schoolhouse and the, shed were painted white and
had gold shutters. There was a huge, flat stone at the
front door of the schoolhouse. Upon entering the front
door, there were hooks for the children's outerwear. The
door to the classroom was in the center, and on each side
of the door was a closet or storeroom. There were four
windows. four chalkboards and ceiling lights. In the
right rear corner, there was a bookcase upper and cabinet
lower piece, I believe those pieces were built-in. In the
left rear corner, there was an upright piano. Of course,
there was a teacher's desk and chair. There was also a
homemade table and "new" type desks for the
students. Above one of the chalkboards, there was a set
of shade-type maps. We also had the usual: a flag, a wall
clock and a picture of George Washington. In the center
of the room was a large, black iron stove used for
heating. This stove was later replaced by an oil burner
whose tank had to be filled with fuel stored in the
outside shed. The room was decorated with samples of the
children's papers and drawings.
My duties as teacher were to teach the state required
subjects for grades one through eight. The number of
children varied from year to year, but when the number
reached eighteen, the decision was made to send the
seventh and eighth graders to a school in Port Jefferson.
Each day's lessons consisted of arithmetic, followed by
spelling, history, geography and reading. Writing was
combined with English. Twice a year we studied about a
famous poet, and the children memorized ten lines of a
poem by that author.
There was no art teacher, so I taught that as well. Once
or twice a month, on a Friday afternoon, we would take
time for art class. The art work was always correlated
with the seasons, holidays or lessons at the me. Since
the ages of the students varied,we made sure that each
students' art project was age appropriate. We used our
art days to make small gifts for the parents for special
days. These were the Depression days, so all of our art
work and gifts were made from everyday items, all at
little or no cost. An empty, glass jar became a vase, a
nose tissue became a flower, etc. The trustees were
generous and I was thrifty in ordering the necessary
textbooks, workbooks, paper, ink and other supplies.
During World War II, a two-burner electric cooking unit
was purchased. I used this to cook foods given to us by
the federal government. Canned milk and powdered cocoa
became hot chocolate, powdered milk and eggs became
pudding, dried prunes became stewed prunes, and potatoes
(with the dry milk) became potato soup.
As I search through my memories, there are various things
that stand out in my mind. The children and I looked
forward to Christmas with great excitement. We would
learn songs, practice recitations, and put on a play for
the parents. The parents greatly appreciated their
children's efforts, and afterward, we would all enjoy
refreshments together. Each parent would receive a gift
made by his child. The students would receive a box of
candy and an orange from the trustees. Since this was the
Depression, this was a very special treat for the kids.
There was also a gift for each student from me.
At the end of the school year in June, it was often
unbearably hot inside the schoolhouse. Of course, there
was no air conditioning then, so the children would
gather their books and we would take our lessons outside.
The children loved to do this.
When the 1938 hurricane hit Long Island. I didn't know
what was happening at first. All I knew was that all of a
sudden I was unable to hold the children's attention.
When I realized what was happening, I knew I would be no
competition for the falling trees and high winds. I asked
the children to put away their work and we all watched
what was going on outside. Finally, the parents began co
arrive to fetch their sons and daughters. All came except
Mr. Hollowell. He was the caretaker at the Smith estate,
now a county park known as Longwood. The road was
impassable, so I took Beatrice home with me to Patchogue.
Once home. I tried to call her parents, but all the
telephone lines were down.
During my years at the Ridge, schoolhouse, some
improvement were made. A telephone was installed, a back
door was installed and a small addition was added to the
rear of the building. This became a boy's and girl's
bathroom.
I remained reaching at the Ridge school for seven years,
and then resigned to have a child of my own After a few
years, Mr. Zackman called to ask me to return. School had
opened in September with a teacher who decided to leave
at the end of the month. Another teacher came and stayed
until after Christmas, and then they had nobody to teach
the children. I was very much needed, and was offered the
amount of fifteen hundred dollars for the remainder of
the school year. (This was my yearly salary in 1936). I
accepted and also returned to teach the following year.
Recalling my years teaching at the Ridge schoolhouse- the
children, the parents, the trustees and the community has
indeed been a pleasant experience.
Last, but definitely not least, I have the pleasure of
keeping in touch with four of my former pupils, the
Zackman children. At age 84, I am glad to say that they
are still my very special friends. Each year they invite
me to their family reunion. This special day is October
29th. So ends this trip down memory lane.
This
is Josephine Lundy's first appearance in the Forum.