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033
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HIGH SCHOOL
My high school years were not the happiest years of my life. From a one room country school, where we seldom had more than 10 or 12 students, to a high school that had 140 students with four or five teachers was to be a difficult adjustment for a 13 year old country kid. Most of my high school class mates had been together thru the first eight grades, and had many friends. There were only two of us from my school. It appeared to me that all were dressed better than I, and my self esteem was about as low as it could get. I thought I was the country hick. It was to be many years before I could rid myself of that feeling.
Every morning before I left home I had to care for the horses and cattle. As soon as I was finished with my chores I would grab my books, hurry to the barn, saddle my horse and ride the four and one half miles to the barn where I kept my horse. I would make a run for school before the bell rang at 9:00 o'clock, At 3:30 p.m. I would reverse the process, and hope to get home before it became dark.
My mother would have supper ready as soon as we were thru with our chores. The regular diet would be meat, potatoes and gravy, with homemade bread, which we washed down with lots of cold milk. The family always ate together and Dad usually wanted to know what we had learned that day.
Home work would take an hour or two. I studied at the dining room table, by the light of a kerosene light. It was a great help when we were able to get a gasoline light that hung from the wall and lighted the entire room.
Bed time came at 8:00 o'clock, and we were up the next morning at 5:30. I expected to do this five days a week, and Saturday meant extra work to haul enough feed to last for the following week.
I looked thru my records and found the transcript of grades that were sent to the University of Nebraska when I matriculated in the fall of 1927. The 32 credits required to graduate included English, Latin, chemistry, physics and mathematics. The electives included manual training, and typing. English and Latin were difficult for me. I took Latin the second time, and then just got passing grades. I liked manual training, Dad had taught me to use wood working tools, and I could make the other students look like amateurs. This was the only time that I really felt equal to my peers. I graduated with an average grade of 80.
I liked manual training the best, but the typing class was to prove the most valuable course in High School.
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Rights
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Metzger Memories
