17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Monday, September 30, 1912: Our class had a meeting this evening after school. I had the misfortune to be elected secretary. But better, or rather it suits me better to have been that, than president or treasurer would have suited me.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Where did the class members meet? At the school? . . . at the home of one of the students? . . . at a restaurant? I believe that this building was a restaurant a hundred years ago. Maybe they met there.
It’s awesome that Grandma got elected class secretary—though she seemed slightly annoyed.
Maybe I’m trying to read too much between the lines, but was Grandma really hoping that she won’t be elected to any position–or had she hoped to be elected president or treasurer?
A Hundred Years Ago 
It sounds like she is not sure she wants the job and all that goes with it. Kids are still like that.
You’re probably right. She feels honored to be selected, but yet isn’t sure if she want to do the work that is involved.
I keep reading and re-reading Shery… but am still unsure what Miss Muffly meant by this diary entry. Maybe future writings will make her feelings clearer?
One of the things that I find hard about working with a diary is that she sometimes leaves something hanging–but then moves on to something else and never seems to tie up the loose ends.
Sounds like she wanted to make the decisions versus just writing them down. I just remembered, I was on the Student Council in grade 8 and 9 and I also was the secretary. I had to speak infront of student assembly once and almost fainted….sooooo many people watching.
It’s cool that you were an officer. I never was elected to any student government positions when I was in high school
Like you I couldn’t quite figure it out, but felt that she really preferred treasury or president….the latter would have given her the most opportunity for delegation 🙂
When I knew her as an older woman, she seemed so reserved–though, when she was young, she may have dreamed of being class president.