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School Children Say the Darndest Things

By Capper's Staff
Published on March 26, 2013

I’m sure that all rural teachers remember some of the cute things said by their pupils.

In the examination sent out by the state every two months, the second graders were asked to write the Flag Salute. We said the Flag salute and the Lord’s Prayer every morning. One little second grader wrote, with a few misspelled words, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands, Give us this day our daily bread with liberty and justice for all. Amen.”

Then there was the fifth grade boy who knew well how to multiply and divide decimals by 10, 100, etc. His problems were correct every day, and when I corrected his papers, I could see that he was moving the decimal point from the right to the left.

But when an examination asked the rule he wrote, “When you multiply a decimal by ten, move the decimal point one place to the east; when you divide a decimal by ten just move the decimal point one place to the west.” It worked, as his desk faced north!

Mrs. Irvan (Harriet) Moore
Osage City, Kansas


Back in 1955 a call went out from the editors of the then Capper’s Weekly asking for readers to send in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My Folks title – My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from Capper’s readers, and we are proud to make those stories available to our growing online community.