In 1905, Ruby Ethel Middleton was born in Charleston. After attending the Avery Institute downtown (now the Avery Research Center), she matriculated to South Carolina State College where she earned a bachelor’s degree. Not long after she began her teaching career in 1924, she married the Rev. William Essex Forsythe, who oversaw the Holy Cross Faith Memorial Church and School on Pawleys Island. Between working and caring for her aging parents, she visited her husband when time allowed.
When Miss Ruby joined the reverend full time in 1938, they taught together in a one-room private schoolhouse and lived in the upstairs apartment. Since this was during the Jim Crow era, “Miss Ruby’s School,” as it came to be known, was the only educational opportunity available for Black elementary-aged children in the local community. Many of her students walked for miles to attend the school.
While teaching mathematics, reading, spelling and geography for preschool through fifth grade, Miss Ruby also instilled discipline, respect and social graces in her students, encouraging them to say “I’ll try,” rather than “I can’t.” Her philosophy was “Sow the best seed into whatever soil we come in contact with. Watch the growth and the reproduction of the product sent forth.”
After completing Miss Ruby’s curriculum, students transitioned to Waccamaw Intermediate School for sixth grade. Vida Miller, who in the 1980s served as a member of the Georgetown County School Board, said that because Miss Ruby’s kids had a reputation for good behavior and studious habits, public school teachers vied to enroll her students in their classrooms.
Wanting to experience for herself all that she had heard about Miss Ruby, Miller visited the schoolhouse, where a wood-burning fireplace kept the space cozy and warm. “I sat in awe in that classroom, observing the way the older children helped the younger ones study,” she said.
“Everyone was so polite and you could tell the kids loved and respected Miss Ruby. She flowed through the classroom, moving quietly between students when they had questions. I’d never seen anything like it. It was an honor and a privilege to have known her and interacted with her.”
One of Miss Ruby’s star students who also became her teaching assistant, Benezena Wallace, remembered that the slow-paced learning style was part of what set Miss Ruby’s kids apart. “With 30 students in that one room, we heard everything. We had to learn how to be quiet while also blocking out what was going on around us. Because of our attention to detail, the teachers at Waccamaw knew exactly who we were. They said, ‘Oh, you must come from Miss Ruby’s school.’”
Wallace added, “What made Miss Ruby so special was her realness, a ‘tight but right’ dedication and character that I appreciate to this day. She showed us that you can still be respectful and get your point across with dignity.”
Throughout her 65-year career, Miss Ruby earned four honorary doctorates and became renowned across the state for her accomplishments. At 85 years old, she was still ringing her brass school bell, now on display at Georgetown’s Rice Museum, to call the school children in from recess for another day of learning.
Although Miss Ruby passed away in 1992 in Mount Pleasant at age 86, her legacy lives on today through Miss Ruby’s Kids. Founded in 2003, the nonprofit is a resource to improve poor school performance for impoverished children in Georgetown County. Wallace, who volunteers for the program, explained that “Once or twice a week, trained volunteer mentors called early learning specialists visit the children, who at 2 and 3 years old are at a critical stage of their intellectual development. As they progress in their educational journey, the specialists provide much-needed support by introducing habits and routines designed to instill an eagerness to learn and encouraging increased verbal interaction between the parents and their children. Using carefully selected books and educational toys, the specialists interact in creative play sessions, offering support and educational guidance to the parents and children. The visits, books and toys are gifts to the families.”
As Wallace’s 7-year-old daughter has been in the program since she was 3 years old, her lifelong connection with Miss Ruby has come full circle. To learn more about Miss Ruby’s Kids, visit missrubyskids.net.
By Sarah Rose
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