I Lost My Love For School

Rhoda Collins

Rhoda Collins lives in a comfortable house in Glovertown. She is a religious woman, and full of wonder at the good things around her. The following is an excerpt from Mrs. Collins's book on her life, He Was There All The Time.

TO ALL MY CHILDREN: Greetings in Jesus's name. I am now at the age of seventy-seven. Twice a widow and now living alone. Yet not alone, because God is with me.

I thought it good to write a story of my childhood days to keep on record for you. Most of this you will find hard to relate to, being brought up in a different age.

I was born and raised in a small place called Silver Fox Island. My parents were Job and Maggie Rogers. I had three sisters: Eva, Statia, and Priscella, and one brother, John.

Childhood days were exciting days. I loved going to school. I liked helping my mom around the house. I was the oldest child and felt responsible to help. My sisters and brother grew up the same way.

I have a sad memory of the last day I went to school, which I have never forgotten.

The last year I went to school, new books came out. I bought them all. Geography, Hygiene, Arithmetic, and Grammar. I was excited about my new books. There was so much to learn about the outside world. All the different animals, the beautiful people, and so many things we never heard of before.

We grew up on a small island in a little world of our own. There was no communication with the outside world. We had no radio or telephone in those days. There was so much to learn from our new books.