I attended quite a few schools growing up as my father advanced his career. He retired from Milwaukee Electric Tools in the early 1970s. 
As I understand it, he was not only leading the Canadian division and in charge of something called their Western Hemisphere corporation or division, but he also served on their board. Milwaukee Electric Tools is an interesting story. It was founded in 1924 by A. F. Siebert. He was not only a good businessman but a devout Christian. He left the business to his church when he died. However, while they could enjoy and use the profits for a few years, they would have to sell it as they probably would not know how to run the business and might destroy it. I understand the church sold the business in 1975. Back to schools!
The school I remember best was a little one room schoolhouse just outside of Austin Minnesota. They did not like calling it a one room schoolhouse because it had a second room, a cloakroom. In the winter, we leave our outside clothing and our boots in it. We also left our lunches in the cloakroom and during the winter they would freeze solid as the room was unheated. I still have a report card from the school year 1951 and 1952. I was in the fourth grade. The report card is labeled “Mower County, Minnesota Ungraded Elementary Schools.” You stayed in that little school until you are ready to start high school. Without that report card, I would have long ago forgotten my teacher’s name, Mrs. Mary Johnson, but I have never forgotten her. She taught much more than just the normal subjects such as reading and arithmetic. One of the first lessons I learned came about when my turn came to get a drink of water. The only source of the water was a hand pump much like this picture of a hand pump still sold these days by Home Depot. 
A bucket of water would be pumped when it was time to get a drink. There was a dipper – a kind of long handled cup – we would each drink from.
Everyone lined up to get their drink and I was unsure where I should go or what I should do. Mrs. Johnson explained that the youngest students went first and those at the end of the line were the oldest. She explained that this was the polite thing to do and showed me where I would fit in. I still remember all the caring she showed for me when explaining all of the new things I didn’t know about. It was the only school where I received such loving care.
Mrs. Johnson was also a bit of a con artist. We were responsible for cleaning around the school. It was the usual sort of things such as clapping the erasers and washing the blackboards, but there were some other things you might consider as less pleasant duties. However, this is where Mrs. Johnson’s con artist abilities shown through. We had two outhouses, one for the boys and one for the girls. The boy’s outhouse had what looked like a piece of galvanized rain gutter for use as a urinal. In the winter, it would fill up with yellow ice. The most prized job for boys was chipping out the yellow ice and getting rid of it. I am still not sure how Mrs. Johnson sold us on the idea it was the best job we could ever get, but she did! I still smile today when I think back on it.
