Of High School and Nannies

When I graduated from eighth grade at Wapiti, I had to attend school in Cody.  Going from a close-knit country school with less than a dozen students in all grades, to a BIG high school with 85 freshman students was a traumatic experience.  No one can be more cruel than teenagers, and I and  the other country girls, were the brunt of their cruel teasing and harassment.  Being a straight “A” student didn’t make me very well liked either. But I loved school and learning about the world, and soon learned to shut out the meanness.

Because of the distance and poor winter road conditions, I worked as a nanny for room and board. When I was a freshman, I worked for a couple with two children out on the east side of town.  Since both parents worked, I helped the boy and girl with their homework, made supper for the family, cleaned the house, and then spent the evening doing homework. I shared a bed with the little girl.  In the mornings I made sure the kids were ready to catch the school bus.  And for this I was paid $2. per week plus my room and board. This was the first money that I had ever made, and I felt rich.