Westward. Encounters with Swiss American Women
“My first years of education were spent in a private school. I did not like it there at all. Every Wednesday morning we had to hear a formal lecture about God – and on holy matters such as fire and brimstone. As a child, this was very distressing. My strong protests were heard, and from the fourth grade onward to graduation from high school I could attend public school. Such a change! This opportunity of studying with children of different religions, colors and nationalities made a great difference in my life. To be one of the few of my classmates that could go on to further education left me with a sense of obligation and gratitude.” Margot was in the 8th grade when her father remarried. “My stepmother, whom I called ‘mother’, as indeed she was a second mother to me, was very concerned about my education. She even bought a Latin dictionary to help me with my homework. I had assumed that after high school I would be a secretary in father’s office, but my stepmother inspired and encouraged me go on to college.”