Punishments were recorded in a printed record book. Corporal punishment was common. The seriousness of the wrongdoing influenced how many strokes of the cane a child received.

The logbooks recorded all sorts of events — bad weather, inspector visits, local and national events, absenteeism due to illness and children being kept at home to help with harvesting.

Mud and standing water in the schoolyard were a constant concern, as were drains, and light and heat in the classrooms. Sometimes, the state of the playground could lead to practical jokes as Robert Messer's memory shows!