Week 35 - Back to School

This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart! Teaching is a family occupation with us. I spent 6 years teaching adult school, my brother taught high school for 15 years and currently still works in the school environment, my cousin retired from teaching, my mother was a substitute teacher for years and my father taught and coached for 21 years! There was/is a lot of respect for the good teachers, the ones who motivate their students, who care about them in a broad sense and who teach in such a manner that the students retain and understand the information.

Aunt Carmoleta and my oldest in 1990

My family in the above paragraph were all teachers in a time we would all recognize. Books, chalkboards, central heat and air, and teaching one subject. My story this week is about the first teacher I know of in my family – my great aunt Carmoleta (Quint) Minear. Aunt Carmoleta was my maternal grandmothers sister, 3 years older. She was born in 1909. My memories of Aunt Carmoleta are many. She and my grandma were very close and we always went to see her when we went to see grandma. She loved kids and kids loved her. I don't remember not knowing that she was a teacher, and I don't remember when I first got a hint that there was a story behind that fact. I always loved the family stories so I may have been young. It wasn't until fairly recently that I got the details of her story, and I think it is an interesting one.

Born Wardie Carmoleta Quint, she was named after her Aunt Wardie Meals and according to her, the

Carmoleta and sister Nellie (my grandma)

name Carmoleta came from a circus that went through the area and her dad liked the name. It always sounded exotic to me so I understand grandad liking it. Having a fascinating name doesn't automatically make you interesting but she certainly was. My mother describes her mom and Aunt Carmoleta as similar but different. My grandma Nellie could look at things and figure out how they worked. She was a seamstress, musician, crafter, canner, farmer, painter, crocheter and was better at fixing machinery than grandad. Aunt Carmoleta was a teacher, writer, poet, philosopher and farmer. They were both remarkable women and they both could do just about anything they set their minds to.

Aunt Carmoleta (left), sister Nellie, brother Glenn

Aunt Carmoleta's family lived near Greencastle MO during her first 8 years of school, and she was able to go to the local 1st - 8th grade school and she was able to do a year of high school, but then the family had a run of bad financial luck and lost the house and had to move 12 miles away. In the new place there was not a high school nearby. Remember there were no school buses yet, everyone had to walk or ride a horse. I'm sure it was different in towns but my family never did live in towns!

Aunt Carmoleta wanted to teach. Back in the late 20's and early 30's you could teach at a rural school (think one room) if you had a high school diploma. High School was not the norm for male children in rural areas let alone a girl child. Lucky kids got to stay in school until 8^th grade.

Edna Edith Quint Singley

Well I did tell you already she was a teacher so you know a solution was found. Her aunt and uncle Walter and Edna Edith (Quint) Singley offered to let her stay with them in Green City, MO, which did have a high school, and she was able to graduate from Green City High School. (She named her oldest girl Edna)

She immediately started teaching in rural schools, and she loved it. She started taking college classes (normal school) in the summers and everything was going just fine for about five years. Along came the man of her dreams, Gail Minear. You've probably seen those “rules for teachers” from the old

Marriage License upper right corner

days, and you might remember that they were not supposed to get married! Aunt Carmoleta and the man who was to become Uncle Gail, were set on marrying. They went to Linneus Missouri which was about 50 miles from their hometown and got married in secret. Small towns have not changed much and sooner or later everyone knows everything, and this was no different. I have never heard who found out and started talking, I'm not sure they ever knew! Someone did though and soon the school board knew as well. I think it says good things about Aunt Carmoleta that they let her teach to the end of the year.

She and Uncle Gail raised three children and lived on the farm. When her children were grown she went back to teaching and taking classes. She got her BA degree when she was in her 60's and continued teaching for a few more years. Everyone we've ever met that had her for a teacher said she was their favorite teacher. She taught the lower grades and made the eventual transition from 1^st thru 8^th in one room to teaching one class in a grade school.

I think she was pretty remarkable!