Interview with Kathryn Barksdale; began attending Oak Grove school (an African American school in Laurens County, S.C.) in 1944; transferred to Sanders school in 6th grade (the local African American high school); older sister, Mamie Beasley, was the teacher at Oak Grove; other siblings attended Possum Hollow (another rural African American school nearby); daily school activities at Oak Grove included devotionals and Bible verse memorization; children were disciplined when they did not complete their work properly; the school had wood burning stoves and no running water; the school year started in October to accommodate harvests; many students missed class to work in the fields; summer classes were added to give these students the opportunity to learn what they missed; children had a 30 minute recess; girls used their father's plow ropes to jump rope; most children walked to school, the Barksdale family owned a car and they were occasionally driven to school.
