(Note from Janie Healer Davis: I was fortunate enough to visit with Mrs. Cook in early 2005. She was a delightful person. The following article appeared in the Sweetwater Reporter on 2/21/2004 and is definitely worth sharing: ONE WOMAN SHARES HER BLESSINGS Novelette Kone Cook One African American woman, who can also claim Jewish, Irish and Native American heritage, has made some significant contributions to the community of Sweetwater. Her name is Novelette Cook. Cook was born as Novelette Kone to Armstead and Mae Ella Kone in Brenham on Sept. 9, 1913. From her parents, she learned the meaning of hard work and the importance of family. Her father retired from a life of construction, and her mother took care of the family and their home. The Kones also taught their daughter the importance of an education, and that is one of the reasons Cook decided to be a teacher. She began her teaching career in Rawls, Texas. In the 1930s teachers were responsible for supplying the coal to warm their classrooms and getting a fire ready. They were also responsible for cleaning their classrooms and other such chores. When Cook began teaching, things were very unequal for African American teachers and their students. She made about $30 per month as a teacher, but she pointed out that Caucasian teachers made as much as $180 per month. As far as school supplies, she could only have old books that had been used and worn out by Caucasian students and their teachers. "I still had successful students, though," she said. Some of her students have gone on to be hospital administrators, psychiatrists and many other prominent professionals. Another challenge for Cook, as for all teachers of that day, was having many children of different age groups in one classroom all day. She had as many as 42 students in one classroom and 10 different grade levels. She said that sometimes she does not know how she did it, but she seemed to be able to make it work. "I had to invent ways to teach them," she said. One of her strategies as many other teachers did, was to have the older students help the younger students while Ms. Cook went on to teach another group. She called it the Buddy System. Some benefits she saw out of this teaching arrangement was that many of the younger students would get ahead because they would hear the lessons for the older students every day. "By the time it was their turn to learn it, they already knew it," she said. Cook also taught and served as principal in Seymour, Roaring Springs and Spur. It was when Spur integrated their schools, when she ended up in Sweetwater. At the age of 54, she was out of a job because all the teaching jobs went to Caucasian teachers first. However, she was fortunate to know someone that helped her get a job at Booker T. Washington in Sweetwater. Sweetwater still had not segregated in 1965 and a job was available for Cook at Booker T. Washington, which was a school for African American students only. Howard Johnson was principal at that time. However, it was only one year later that Sweetwater integrated their schools as well. The very next year Mrs. Cook began teaching at Southeast Elementary when Tommy Lancaster was principal. Cook said she had very few problems with people because of her race when teaching at Southeast. In fact, she said she loved teaching there and loved her fellow teachers and students. One incident she remembered dealt with the actions of a parent. She said she remembered one day during registration for a new school year when she heard some commotion at the back of the line. She discovered that a woman had fainted when that woman found out that a black woman--Mrs. Cook-- would be teaching her children. Instead of taking offense to what the woman did, Mrs. Cook thought it was funny and went on about her job as a teacher. That same woman later sent her a gift to school with the child as a way of apologizing for her actions. Cook and her co-workers got along very well. In fact, it was their support, she said, that helped her through two tragedies in her life. In 1972 she found her husband, Clyde Cook, who had been having health problems for about 12 years, dead of a heart attack after going home from work one day. Her teacher friends also helped her through the death of one of her sons who lived out of state not long after, who also died of a heart attack. Cook has one other son, Robert Sweet, who is the pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church in Snyder. Both of her sons were from a previous marriage, but she pointed out that her second husband, Clyde Cook, raised her boys and treated them like his own. Cook and her family faced another tragedy when her son, Robert, lost his first wife who died at the age of 29. They had two children, and Robert had no one to help him care for his children. Cook took her grandchildren in and helped Robert raise them. Those children, Craig "Tony" Sweet and Latonya (Sweet) Gaines, grew up to be successful adults and have children of their own. Cook lost count of the number of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, but she says she feels very lucky to have them all as well as many nieces and nephews. Of course, one of her students reminded her that she was never lucky but blessed. Cook does feel blessed to have been able to teach at Southeast for 13 years--1966 to 1979. In that time she had some great experiences and had the opportunity to make a difference in young people's lives. She remembered one boy at Southeast who did not get along with the other students because he was always causing trouble and stealing at school. So, Mrs. Cook decided to let the boy watch her purse and carry it when needed to show him that she trusted him. She also gave him the responsibility of cleaning her classroom. "That boy told me he liked me because I was the only person who had ever trusted him," Cook said. She pointed out that the boy never stole from her. She also remembered a girl who was not in her class but attended Southeast Elementary. The girl came from a poor family and many of the other children made fun of her. When Cook had bus duty, she made it a point to sit with the girl and help her with her reading. "I still get letters from her," Cook said. "She told me I gave her confidence and is now successful, in part, because of the attention I gave her." Cook said that she believes her attitude helped her be a better teacher. "I always had a jolly attitude until a student would disobey," she said. She also thought it was important to let students express themselves, even if it was to disagree with her, as long as they were respectful. Then, they would listen to her tell them why she thought they were wrong. One of her principals told her that when she pulled the "mother act" on her students she would get more out of them than anyone else. Cook has seen many changes in education over the years. Not only did "new math" come along and later technology, but other things changed that Cook has not seen as positive changes. "Teachers have lost control over their classrooms," she said. "Children tell their parents what to do now. When a student gets into trouble at school, parents now go up to the school and blame the teacher for the problem." She explained that parents now say their children would never lie, but Cook said she has never seen a child who would not lie to stay out of trouble-- even good kids. She was also sad to see prayer taken out of public schools. She said she believes that is part of the reason there is so much violence in the schools now and students who do not respect their teachers and other adults. Now, at the age of 92, Mrs. Cook tries to stay as active as she can in her church Mount Rose Baptist where she sometimes plays the piano for the choir. She has been a member of that church since she came to Sweetwater in 1965. Cook said she is very glad to have family and friends who help take care of her and neighbors who watch out for her. She smiles and says, "I am a very blessed woman." By Kimberly Gray (The Reporter Lifestyle Editor)