The life memories of Alice Marsh, retired Stockbridge teacher
As told to Beverly Glynn
I grew up in the Leslie area. My dad was a farmer so, as I was the oldest of seven children, I learned at a young age what hard work was all about. I also learned to help and nurture my younger siblings. My mother was a teacher in the Plainfield area before her marriage and would eventually return to teaching after her children were grown. She would continue to teach for thirty years.
I recall many happy memories from my childhood along with a few sad and scary moments. I remember listening to the radio when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. During this time, we had to make sure the windows were draped at night so no light shone through. Other memories include rationing and the cost of food and gas. Sugar and margarine were rationed. A loaf of bread was 12 cents and a gallon of gas 19 cents and included full service: you even got your windshield washed.
I attended Felt Plains Country School for Kindergarten through sixth grade. I then attended Dansville High School for seventh through twelfth grade and graduated with the class of 1950. I walked to school for thirteen years but sometimes rode a bicycle.
After high school graduation, I was ready to start preparing for my teaching degree. I enrolled at Michigan State University in the summer of 1950. I attended three terms at Michigan State then transferred to Eastern Michigan University for my state limited certificate.
In 1952, as I was getting ready to graduate, I was informed I lacked one class so I wasn’t planning on a teaching job. To my surprise, the school board members informed me they would offer me a job anyway. When I told them I lacked the credits they said, “Don’t worry, we have already approved you to be our teacher at the Bunker Hill School District Number Six.” This was the beginning of my teaching career. My salary was $300.00 a month. Two girls in sixth grade offered to do the janitorial work for 25 cents a week. Luckily we didn’t have to stoke a stove because we had a fuel oil furnace. We even had indoor plumbing. Lucky me!!
I taught grades kindergarten through sixth and averaged 40 students. In those days, it was the custom to have students perform in holiday programs to entertain parents and grandparents. We did a Halloween and Christmas program. We used playbooks and the children chose poems and play parts. We walked the short distance to the Town Hall where we would practice and do our performances. The performances were greatly enjoyed and appreciated. I had wonderful support from school board members and parents.
The next year the district annexed with Leslie Public Schools and I taught second grade for five years.
In 1954, a high school girlfriend and her husband arranged for a blind date with a young man named Ken Marsh. The four of us went to Jackson to enjoy the cascades. Later we went to the Jackson County Fair. We enjoyed many good times together, and ten months later we were married at the Felt Plains Methodist Church. Ken was a dairy farmer and a kind and gentle man. Sorry to say he passed in November 2017. I miss him deeply.
In 1958, we moved to Heeney Road near Stockbridge. I started teaching at Smith Elementary School with Virginia Price as our Principal. I taught first, second, and fourth grades. I enjoyed all my years of teaching and working with children. It was the best occupation I could have chosen. My last twelve years of teaching were in first grade. Students wrote and performed in a circus as a culmination of their language arts study. This was a fun and special experience for all involved. I still hear from the performers and their memories of first grade.
Ken and I were blessed with four children Gary, Rex, Carol and Cheryl. Gary is a single man and lives on the farm with me. Rex was married and had three daughters. He was deceased in 2001. His children live in Michigan and have busy lives.
Carol lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and has two daughters. Carol retired after thirty-seven years of teaching seventh grade life science. Her two daughters both went into the teaching field. Katie is a third-year Kindergarten teacher and Betsy is a second-year third grade teacher. Both girls teach in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Cheryl lives in Purcellville, Virginia, and has two sons. Chandler is a freshman in high school. He loves running cross country and track. Chance is in fourth grade and loves soccer and basketball.
In 1987, we made the dairy barn into horse stalls because every Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends, our friends would bring their draft horses, campers and equipment to spend the weekend. In the morning, we would plow with the horses in the field. Fun activities in the arena would take place in the afternoon. Included in the fun were wagon train rides where everyone could relax in a horse-drawn wagon. We had potluck dinners each night and listened to wonderful music performed by members from the group. We had busy and fun weekends with gentle giant horses and our wonderful friends.
