Mrs. Henderson always seemed to have us doing things other than plain old reading, writing and ‘rithmetic, but she did not neglect the basics in order to get these other things done. Many years later, I would read in college psychology and education classes in books written by authors with strings of degrees and publications behind their names about the same kinds of educational methods and techniques that teachers such as Mrs. Henderson and Miss Bowen and other teachers such as my own grandmother had been using effectively in adverse circumstances which those authors could hardly imagine.

In addition to our letters to service personnel, our teacher had us writing letters to friends and family members of hers in various places who would send packages to her containing books, clothing, school supplies, and other items for us, her pupils. Years later, I would have an even greater appreciation of these gifts from educated members of our race who were making efforts to help us succeed, making things just a little bit easier for us. I remember a little book I received entitled “Around the World with Children and Dogs.” The title pretty well describes the book. It provided pictures and descriptions of the dogs along with their country of origin and history and characteristics of the breed. Each dog was depicted along with a child from that country clad in something that was supposed to represent native garb. I probably read that book 50 times in addition to using it as a reference guide to identify the breeds of dogs I saw.

Our school had a rhythm band. Playing in this band was definitely a fun activity. I thought it would have been even more fun if I could have played a fun instrument like one of the few triangles, cymbals, or bells that were available, or (wonder of wonders) suppose I could play the one drum we had! Alas, Harold and I always played either rhythm sticks or sandpaper blocks. Those instruments were okay, but they were commonplace and really didn’t make any easily distinguishable sound. The songs we sang and played included such traditional patriotic favorites as “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” “Yankee Doodle” and “Rally Round the Flag.” They were not specifically World War II songs, but they were certainly patriotic enough, and they reminded us that our country was at war, as if we needed another reminder.

School activities included participation in countywide events such as the annual Field Day exhibitions in Dendron, site of the county training school for Negroes. These programs were always held in May. Students from the various schools would partake in a variety of activities, which would be somewhat different each year. The activities might include spelling bees, musical performances, handicrafts, athletic demonstrations and contests, etc. These were all-day programs, and they were well attended by parents and other interested adults. Children and their teachers spent months preparing for these. They were a big deal. I remember how I cried one year when I was among the final four contestants in a countywide elementary school spelling bee, and I misspelled a word just when it seemed that I was going to win. Oh well.

Another big deal in each of the schools was “school closing.” These were like scaled-down graduation exercises. Each school held its own ceremony for its students and their adult supporters every June (except for the year when I “graduated” from the seventh grade, and all of the colored elementary schools participated in a countywide graduation ceremony in Dendron). At the end of my school year in Claremont, we had a (for me) very memorable school-closing program. Although the war was raging in Europe, the Pacific, Africa, and Asia, our program was centered on the circus. It was the kind of big time kiddy production that would gladden the hearts of the adults and perhaps take their minds off the war for an hour or two. I remember that I wore the rear end of an elephant costume. This was better than wearing the front end because I only had to follow wherever a kid Eddie was leading me. It was a good thing for us that an elephant’s gait was expected to be slow and lumbering. One of the program’s highlights turned out to be the end of a spoken poem about the giraffe by a girl named Cora. Cora ended by saying, “The giraffe is the tallest of all, is that clear?” As if on cue, a man in the audience yelled, “Yes, it’s clear.”