<Begin Segment 12>

[Ed. note: This transcript has been edited by the narrator]

TI: Okay. I want to ask about, we just touched upon this, the schools at Minidoka.

SA: Oh, that I thought (the teachers were) tremendous coming from (outside), because I went into teaching after (nursing and) I thought it was pretty lucky 'cause I have a degree in nursing, and I did work as a nurse's aide. So now I look back and I see what things they did, and it amazes me we did so well. As you know, they didn't think about schools. I don't think anyone realized how long we were going to be there (in the WRA center). It wasn't that long, but you consider '42 to '45, that's three years out of a person's life, and that's pretty long. And of course they're worried about the education process because as I said before, that's what helped us assimilate into the American (democracy) because our ideals were the same; our goals were the same. It was education, hard work and having dignity and perseverance, (to becoming a good, productive citizen).

TI: Right, so in your case, you were, you finished your junior year, and so you were...

SA: I had my senior year to do.

TI: Still your senior year. So talk about, I guess, fall 1942.

SA: Yes, we started in '42.

TI: What was school like?

SA: Well, it was imperative that we start, I don't think they were ready, and from George Townsend's notes, I wondered where they got all the teachers. But we had some pretty good ones, because (Ms.) Amerman was teaching civics, I think that's what her field was, probably English, too. But she actually was a Stanford grad and had a master's in education. I found that out later when we were going to do our first reunion, I wrote trying to get them all (to our first reunion). And I was amazed at the credentials that came up. But the majority of the teachers came in from, evidently, Twin Falls, Idaho. And for them it was great pay, and they could commute, which was something. Some lived, like, on the premises because they came in, one, I think, came in from the Burma war (area), it was missionaries, of course. And it was great because we had some Quakers and some missionaries. Because we knew they were more on the benevolent side, but at least we knew we were in good hands. But I understand, from what George Townsend wrote, that to (fill the teaching staff), they didn't realize how many children there were. And I'm not quite sure, but out of ten thousand people there at the camp, nine thousand or so, there must have been at least twelve hundred children, and then to have to divide 'em into elementary through high school. They used a lot of our graduate students and the older Niseis who had degrees as assistants, and I'm sure they might have got -- but they didn't get the pay that the Caucasian teachers were getting, full pay. But they were only getting, I think, nineteen dollars at the most if they were considered professionals. Otherwise they're sitting as the rest of us as aides and getting sixteen dollars.

TI: Going back to the Caucasian teachers, you mentioned, like, two kind of, I'll call them groups in terms of you had one group where you had the missionaries and the Quakers, who you kind of mentioned as...

SA: Well, anyone they could get.

TI: Right. But then you also mentioned the Twin Falls teachers.

SA: Oh yeah, we had to fill in.

TI: Was there kind of a difference in attitude between the two groups, do you think?

SA: I don't think so, because I think they melted well under the superintendent of schools, which was a Twin Falls teacher. At that time, I think he was the president of the STA for Twin Falls area, (Mr. Richard Pomeroy), and it was a good thing he met him because, because of his connection to the teachers, he was able to recruit some to leave their jobs and come into the camp, which is asking a great deal. But we opened in September, which is the time when you generally open school, so it would mean a contract with the government instead of in the Twin Falls (or Boise school district) territory.

<End Segment 12> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.