A HEAP OF TROUBLE NOW

Benjy is an eleven-year old prankster and daydreamer. He knows the difference between right and wrong, but his enthusiasm for creating pranks always seems to land him in trouble. Following the first prank of the school year, Miss Nettie warns Benjy about receiving a visit from the Belsnickel. Miss Nettie sends home a note with Benjy to give to his parents. Of course. Benjy gets distracted. When he finally makes his way home he gazes down at his family farm. He can’t believe what he is seeing. One thing for sure, he knows it isn’t good. “Oh no!” Benjy says. “Looks like I’m in a big heap of trouble now!

IT'S A BOOK LAUNCH CELEBRATION

When I received word that my book would be released on Nov. 15, my mind started to kick into overdrive. I have just completed the final edits for my editor and now am looking forward to getting the book to my readers.

To start, my first book signing will be on Nov. 30 in Middleburg at their Log Cabin Christmas celebration. The the real celebration takes place on Dec. 9 when my Book Launch Party will be held at 2 p.m. at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Liverpool.

There will be a short program, drawings, a kid's craft table, a dedication of the book, and a book signing. Family, friends and neighbors are invited to the Book Launch. All I ask is that you respond to me at bonnieats@yahoo.com or call me at 717-309-8123. The decor will reflect Christmas and life in the 1930s, the time period the book takes place. I hope to see you there!

A WRITER WITH A DREAM!

I am a writer with a dream. During my semi-retirement I have been busy with my first love, writing books and stories for children. On Sunday, April 15th I received an email from WhiteFire Publishing Company offering me a contract for my first children’s chapter book, Benjy and the Belsnickel. To say I was excited is an understatement. I was doing my happy dance as best I could with a sore, stiff back.

Seriously, this is a lifelong dream come true for me. There was one accomplishment in my life that I yearned to fulfill and that dream is going to come to fruition sometime in the next year when I will be able to hold the book, see the cover and smell the pages.

Although the book is geared toward children, it’s a historical novel which takes place in the 1930s so anyone, child or adult, can learn or remember what life was like during that time period.

Benjy, a prankster, is also a loveable child and you can’t help but admire his imagination and his struggle to be a better boy. Does he succeed? Read about Benjy’s journey and how it all unfolds.

OUCH! DISCIPLINE IN A ONE-ROOM SCHOOLHOUSE

If you were a student in the 1930s attending a one-room schoolhouse, you’d want to behave well. Teachers had freer rein when it came to discipline, unlike teachers today. Various forms of discipline ranged from minor to major actions. For example, a teacher might pull or twist an ear, give you a pinch, slap your open palms with a ruler or give you a “whooping” with a wooden paddle or razor strap on your backside.

Teachers also made home visits. If a parent heard a bad report directly from the teacher, the parent more than likely would take his own disciplinary action on their child, which could also mean a whooping or added chores.

Another common disciplinary action in the classroom was the “dreaded dunce hat.” Made with heavy paper or cardboard, the dunce hat looked like a long cone with the widest part fitting over the student’s head. A capital “D” was often placed on the front of the hat. If the teacher told a student to come to the front of the class and take a seat on the stool there was a good chance the dunce hat would be planted on the student’s head while the rest of the students had a good chuckle.

So, if you had lived in that time period and had set your mind on creating a ruckus, you would have needed to be prepared for some type of punishment.

Would you rather get a whooping or wear the dunce hat if you were a student stirring up trouble?

TEACHING IN A ONE-ROOM SCHOOLHOUSE

Teachers reached their one-room schoolhouses by foot, on horseback, by horse and carriage or bicycle and later by car. The schoolhouse typically held anywhere from 10 to 20 kids in grades one through eight. The students seldom went to school beyond eighth grade. Instead, they worked on their parents’ farm where in central Pennsylvania agriculture was prominent. The school building was heated with a coal or wood stove and outhouses meant students had to trek out in the cold in the winter.

Students sat in desks according to their grade. While the teacher was responsible for teaching all levels often times the other grades were given work to do or were asked to sit and listen to whatever lesson was being taught. This was a good way for the younger children to learn lessons they would be taught later as they moved up to the next grade.

By the 1930s women made up the majority if school teachers, often younger woman who lived with a family where room and board became part of their salaries. Monthly stipends for teachers were relatively small. Aside from teaching, the teacher often tended to the stove and asked students to help carry firewood and a bucket of drinking water. Older students may have also helped to empty ashes from the wood stove, sweep the floors or help a younger child struggling with a lesson.

How do you think you would have liked being a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse?

Why the 1930s and 40s. And, what is a Belsnickel?

My fascination with sharing information about the 1930s and 1940s is rooted in the fact that my parents were born and grew up in that time period. Together, they used to share stories with me about their youth. Some very funny ones, especially about attending a one-room schoolhouse. The stories from my dad initiated the writing of a middle-grade fiction chapter book called, Benjy and the Belsnickel. The book is yet to be published but I keep trying.

What is a Belsnickel? Almost everyone asks me that question. It is a folktale that came from our German ancestors who immigrated to America and settled in Central Pennsylvania. Basically, the Belsnickel is the opposite of Santa Claus who rewards children with gifts at Christmas time. Unlike the jolly appearance of Santa Claus, the Belsnickel is a scary looking creature covered with soot and a special hat that is adorned with porcupine quills and jingle bells. The Belsnickel has been known to visit naughty children at Christmas time. Oh, and he carries a whip! What happens when he arrives at the young boy or girl’s home? Well, I guess we’ll have to wait and see when the book is published and ready for distribution.

Sled Riding

Sled Riding in the 1930s Dunncanon Sled Works was once the biggest producer of sleds.