Elizabeth Scott
@edshome.bsky.social
Retired: faculty, dean, managing editor. Business Ethics. HRM. Active: refugee resettlement, English teaching, technical support. My whole life: UCC member.
Pinned
Elizabeth Scott
@edshome.bsky.social
· Jan 1
In 1925, my grandmother kept a diary. She was a single, 20-something English teacher in Reidsville, NC. During 2025, I will post most of her entries here on the same month and day she posted them – with #NCHistory, #1925
At this time of year, she probably has lots of grading to do. Judging by the start-date of the semester, she may not have to create exams until January.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
December 8, 2025 at 2:09 PM
At this time of year, she probably has lots of grading to do. Judging by the start-date of the semester, she may not have to create exams until January.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
December 7th is not yet a “date which will live in infamy.” A test on her extension work was the most exciting news. It seems she has a limit on how much she will tease Mack.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
December 7, 2025 at 12:58 PM
December 7th is not yet a “date which will live in infamy.” A test on her extension work was the most exciting news. It seems she has a limit on how much she will tease Mack.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
A weekend at home with a lot of male attention seems to be the ticket. She is in much better spirits than she was a few days ago.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
December 6, 2025 at 2:06 PM
A weekend at home with a lot of male attention seems to be the ticket. She is in much better spirits than she was a few days ago.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
I came home from Thanksgiving on the train - had to take a picture of the Greensboro, NC train station. I am sure it has changed a lot since 1925 when my grandmother lived there.
December 5, 2025 at 2:05 PM
I came home from Thanksgiving on the train - had to take a picture of the Greensboro, NC train station. I am sure it has changed a lot since 1925 when my grandmother lived there.
“N” is not a family name, so was probably a housekeeper. She probably cooked and cleaned for my great grandfather while his daughters were off teaching school.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
December 5, 2025 at 2:00 PM
“N” is not a family name, so was probably a housekeeper. She probably cooked and cleaned for my great grandfather while his daughters were off teaching school.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
The day after she evaded a prank planned on her, she introduced her brother to Mack as the other man she has been dating.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
December 5, 2025 at 1:56 PM
The day after she evaded a prank planned on her, she introduced her brother to Mack as the other man she has been dating.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
She has participated in pranks on her fellow teachers before, so perhaps that made her more aware of the signs that one was being planned for her.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
December 3, 2025 at 10:38 PM
She has participated in pranks on her fellow teachers before, so perhaps that made her more aware of the signs that one was being planned for her.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
It’s interesting that she doesn’t use her diary to explore her feelings. She says more about techniques she used to stop herself from crying, but doesn’t talk about why she’s feeling blue. “Stiff upper lip” wins out over “you’ll feel better if you let it all out.”
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
December 2, 2025 at 2:26 PM
It’s interesting that she doesn’t use her diary to explore her feelings. She says more about techniques she used to stop herself from crying, but doesn’t talk about why she’s feeling blue. “Stiff upper lip” wins out over “you’ll feel better if you let it all out.”
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
She is sad again. Advent is marking time towards her first Christmas without her mother.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
December 1, 2025 at 3:23 PM
She is sad again. Advent is marking time towards her first Christmas without her mother.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
The amount of teacher education going on is impressive. I hope the quality matched the quantity.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
November 30, 2025 at 6:16 PM
The amount of teacher education going on is impressive. I hope the quality matched the quantity.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
G and Mack in competition again – W is not a love-interest, so she chose the trip with G. Did G stay past curfew?
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
November 30, 2025 at 12:21 AM
G and Mack in competition again – W is not a love-interest, so she chose the trip with G. Did G stay past curfew?
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
No entry for today. Hope everyone is having a nice Thanksgiving break.
November 28, 2025 at 4:22 PM
No entry for today. Hope everyone is having a nice Thanksgiving break.
She and her sister are not there during the week, so much of the work their mother did is left undone until they come for the weekend. Their father lived with one of his children for most of the rest of his life. We finally learn what happened to MH.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
November 27, 2025 at 11:56 PM
She and her sister are not there during the week, so much of the work their mother did is left undone until they come for the weekend. Their father lived with one of his children for most of the rest of his life. We finally learn what happened to MH.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
No MH and no Thanksgiving feast. It appears that the holiday had not taken hold yet. They didn’t even seem to be observing a “day of prayer and fasting.”
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
November 26, 2025 at 12:12 PM
No MH and no Thanksgiving feast. It appears that the holiday had not taken hold yet. They didn’t even seem to be observing a “day of prayer and fasting.”
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
The house is certainly busy. It is the day before Thanksgiving, but no mention of preparation for a feast. She is out of school in the middle of the week and there are ball games, so it seems like a Thanksgiving break.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
November 25, 2025 at 1:59 PM
The house is certainly busy. It is the day before Thanksgiving, but no mention of preparation for a feast. She is out of school in the middle of the week and there are ball games, so it seems like a Thanksgiving break.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
She is now calling “Sister” by her name – “Essie Mae.” Bertha may have been working downtown. G G is a new character.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
November 24, 2025 at 1:24 PM
She is now calling “Sister” by her name – “Essie Mae.” Bertha may have been working downtown. G G is a new character.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
She has plenty of intrigue in her own dating life – but she seems to enjoy it in the movies as well. Mr. S must be a friend of G’s.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
November 23, 2025 at 1:13 PM
She has plenty of intrigue in her own dating life – but she seems to enjoy it in the movies as well. Mr. S must be a friend of G’s.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
She reliably spells extension “extention” and I have to fight with autocorrect. I still have not uncovered what “to buck someone” means. It is not pleasant, so my original guess of giving a dollar to the person does not hold water.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
November 22, 2025 at 2:02 PM
She reliably spells extension “extention” and I have to fight with autocorrect. I still have not uncovered what “to buck someone” means. It is not pleasant, so my original guess of giving a dollar to the person does not hold water.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
She was worried about her brother a few weeks ago, so that may have been why she wanted to stay home and talk with him. He was a WWI veteran and the youngest of the brothers.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
November 21, 2025 at 1:15 PM
She was worried about her brother a few weeks ago, so that may have been why she wanted to stay home and talk with him. He was a WWI veteran and the youngest of the brothers.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
No evaluation of the play – except an underscore under “grand.” She seems to have been positive enough about it not to warn her sister off, unless, of course, she just wanted a ride to Greensboro. She seems to have shifted to calling her brother “Harvey” instead of “Brother.”
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
November 20, 2025 at 1:23 PM
No evaluation of the play – except an underscore under “grand.” She seems to have been positive enough about it not to warn her sister off, unless, of course, she just wanted a ride to Greensboro. She seems to have shifted to calling her brother “Harvey” instead of “Brother.”
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
Public speaking and memorizing lines were clearly part of public education of the time. The students and the teachers regularly take the stage. I would love to see her in a flapper’s outfit.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
November 19, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Public speaking and memorizing lines were clearly part of public education of the time. The students and the teachers regularly take the stage. I would love to see her in a flapper’s outfit.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
No heat = no school. Was the furnace fixed by nightfall so they could practice the play in comfort?
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
November 18, 2025 at 12:32 PM
No heat = no school. Was the furnace fixed by nightfall so they could practice the play in comfort?
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
The US and Japan had been allied in WWI, but I’m still surprised there were Japanese costumes available for eighth grade girls in rural NC in 1925.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
November 17, 2025 at 9:03 PM
The US and Japan had been allied in WWI, but I’m still surprised there were Japanese costumes available for eighth grade girls in rural NC in 1925.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
No explanation of how O’Q got her black eye. Does she get punched during the play? “Took supper with us,” “ate supper with us,” and “had supper with us” seem to be used interchangeably.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
November 16, 2025 at 7:57 PM
No explanation of how O’Q got her black eye. Does she get punched during the play? “Took supper with us,” “ate supper with us,” and “had supper with us” seem to be used interchangeably.
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD
#NCHistory, #1925, #OTD