Education - Schmeducation

Grandpa Lester Adair graduated from high school.  Big deal, right?  I guess I just never thought about my grandparent’s education. 

Education in the 1930’s in Oklahoma wasn’t easy, the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl presented many challenges for students, teachers and schools.  Schools faced budget cutbacks and had to come up with creative ways to keep schools running.  Although education was highly valued by Americans prior to the 1930’s the limited amount of funding changed the way we thought about education.  It was a luxury that could not always be afforded.  Education was not highly regulated like it is today.  Students didn’t always attend school for 9 months a year as we do now.  Most students did not attend kindergarten or 12^th grade.  One room schools, where one teacher taught all grade levels in a single classroom was common, particularly in rural areas.

The depression impacted schools beginning in 1932, budget cutbacks led to reduction in school hours, increased class sizes, lower teacher salaries and school closings.  Schools and districts got creative by cutting out courses like music, foreign language, sports programs, cafeterias or even stopped providing school supplies and books to students. {Good hell, this could have been written today}

However, kids began to stay in school longer since jobs were harder to find, which led to more students in under-resourced schools.  Teachers also struggled to teach undernourished kids.  Despite these challenges it was a great time for literature for kids and adults – Dick & Jane readers, Nancy Drew, Dr. Seuss, Earnest Hemingway, Agatha Christie, and John Steinbeck to name a few.

Statistics from Oklahoma schools show Muskogee County had double, almost triple the students in school during the 1930’s as surrounding counties enrolled.  Was this due to more poverty or to an emphasis on education?

The dust bowl added to problems such as decreases in school support/funding due to falling property taxes.   Students were often sent home from school due to dust storms, a bit like “snow days” in our day.  This caused problems as well as teachers worried students would lose their way on the walk home.  The dust was so bad it would be completely dark in the middle of the day.  Lanterns would be lit so students could continue with lessons or sometimes the students were kept overnight so they wouldn’t get lost or overcome by dust.

I can’t imagine attending school in these circumstances, I barely survived school under great circumstances.  But Lester did . . . and I even found his final credit register (report card)

Lester took classes such as:  algebra I, geometry plane, US history, Oklahoma state history, ancient history, English I, II, III and IV,  physics, physiography, psychology, typewriting, com geography, and phys training.

Physiography?  A subfield of geography that studies physical patterns and processes in the earth.  It aims to understand the forces that produce and change rocks, oceans, weather, and flora and fauna patterns.  I’m betting Lester thought Flora and Fauna were attractive girls and that’s why he took the class.  I can’t even imagine why he would consider geometry plane.  He had teachers like Mr. Dalton, Mr. Hogan, Ms. Pinner and Ms. Haworth.  

I find it interesting to think about - Lester graduated.  He lost his mother when he was young, his father left him with his grandparents who were farmers and who were tough and strict.  Education was a luxury that could not always be afforded, and he graduated!  That's awesome.

My hope when requesting his record was to get a home address for him, but alas, it wasn’t include on the record.  Stinking Mack just won’t give up any information. 

Lester graduated in May of 1935, he and grandma Zola married in September of 1936.  Here is their marriage license and certificate.  Notice Lester’s age?  21 years old?  I don’t think so! 

Now I’m no geometry plane major, but if one was born August 19, 1917 and you register for a marriage license September 2 of 1936, that makes you 19, barely.  Not 21 years old.  Zola’s age is correct, she was born November 4, 1916.  Why did they fib on the age?  To avoid parental consent?  You have to be 18 to marry without parental consent, Lester would have been 19 for 3 weeks.  Did he not want to be “younger” than Zola?   Does anyone know the details on this?  Dang I wish they were here, I have a list of questions miles long.  The first one being “grandpa, are your fingers straight in heaven?”