Students in 1950-51 were: Kenneth Schrum (Primary), Sherril Martens & Carol Sue Vetter (1st), Paul Mundt (2nd), Carlene Schrum & Lorraine Martens (4th), and Lenus Mundt (6th)

Each rural school had a director and the directors were the members of the Township school board.
August Mundt was the director of this school.
Each summer before the school year began, the parents cleaned the schoolhouse. Washington # 9 was spotless. During the school year, it was the responsibility of the teacher to keep it clean. Students helped with small chores, such as, dusting furniture, cleaning erasers, and washing the chalkboard. Erasers were cleaned by pounding them on the sidewalk and then pounding two together for the final cleaning of the chalk dust.

This was quite a modern rural school. It had a basement with a coal furnace and an indoor chemical toilet.
If I remember correctly, money raised by selling raffle tickets at our Christmas Program was used toward installing electricity. The heat from the furnace came up through a large grate in the floor.
I was able to "bank" the furnace fire before I left each day, including Fridays, so that it was very easy to have the school toasty warm even on Mondays by the time the students arrived. To "bank" the fire meant to pile the hot coals in the center of the fire box in such a manner that the red hot coals were protected and did not die out over night and not even over the weekend.
In the morning I very carefully uncovered the hot coals in the center and with great care gradually added a few small pieces of fresh coal. As these caught fire, more was added.

The students took turns, two each morning, walking to the Martens' home to carry water back for the day. This was used for drinking and washing hands.
In the Spring, the County Superintendent visited and observed the classes.
Few young teachers had cars, so the teacher paid room and board to stay in one of the homes within walking distance of the school. I stayed in the home of Walter & Amanda Martens. Each Friday after school, Mr. Mundt was kind enough to take me to my parents' home in Carroll and my parents took me back to the Martens' home early each Sunday evening.

I have fond memories of the two years I taught in Carroll County at District # 9 in Washington Township.

Beginning in 1947 and retiring in 1990, my total number of years taught was 35. I taught in Crawford County Iowa at Willow # 4 between Charter Oak & Ute (1947-48), East Boyer # 2 between Vail & Denison (1948-49), and Grade 1 at Denison Public (1954-56). I taught Grades 1 & 2 (1951-52) and Kindergarten & Grade 1 (1952-53) at Viola Center with the address being Gray, Iowa, in Audubon County.

The remainder of my teaching career was in Nebraska where I taught Grade 1 (1956-58) at Kellom School in the Omaha Public School System, Kindergarten at West Ward School (1958-59) & at North Ward School (1969-70) in the Wahoo Public Schools, and Kindergarten (1966-69) in Yutan.

After I received my Masters Degree as a Reading Specialist from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, I was coordinator of & also taught classes in the Title I Reading Program (1970-90) for the Wahoo Public Schools. After teaching at Viola Center and before teaching in Denison, I attended Iowa State Teachers College (now University of Northern Iowa) in Cedar Falls for one year (1953-54). The remainder of my education for teaching was obtained by attending summer school and night classes for many years.

While teaching in Omaha I met my husband, (John) Roger Smith from Mead, Nebraska. We married in 1957 and raised three sons, David, Mark, and James (Jim).
I was a stay-at-home Mother from 1959-66.

Lois' E-mail address