467 From Judy whitney 13 Sep 2003 Interview with DeaneWhitney Ella Bates t TAPE 1 - OLD CRANBERRY SCHOOL - d. Dec. 20, 1972, t. July 20, 2000 Spurling "NaNa" D: Tell me about your old school down to Cranberry, Nanna, the one down below the house that you taught at first. N: It was very crude, a crude building - that wouldn't be the right word to use. It was very D: Probably bare? Very simple. N: Yes, and along the back D: Outside or inside we talking about? N: Inside. There was one long plank, I think, and in front of that, there was one long desk. D: So all the students could sit on the plank and they had the desk to write on. N: Yes, the older students, the larger ones, and they went down lower and lower, the children's sizes. D: What do you mean went down lower and lower? They had one big plant up back but where did they get lower and lower, down front? N: Yes, as they went down toward the front, the desks were lower. D: Do you mean they had more planks than just the one up back? They had one up back with a desk in front of that. N: Yes, that went all the way across, and the aisle went up to that. D: What would there be on the sides of the aisles? I mean how big would a desk be? The big desk up back went all across the back, you said. N: Well, it didn't go quite across because there would be a row to go in behind it. D: How about the desks in front of that? N: Well, each desk was a little lower. D: But they wouldn't be as long? Would there be more than one student at a desk? N: Yes, and the little ones were sort of mixed up with the older ones. An older brother or sister would take a little one in with them in those days. D: How may aisles were there, Nanna? N: I really can't remember - seems to me, there were three. I think three all together, a central 467 1