From 8-year old Hilda’s diary:

I couldn’t write more about the story yesterday. I won’t be able to write more for a while because every afternoon a private teacher is coming to help me with my arithmetic. The doctor found out that one of the reasons I have an earache is because I hate arithmetic so. He found out, I guess I really told him, that I am afraid to go to school because I don’t know how to add or subtract and I have been copying answers over Ellen’s shoulder but when I am at the blackboard there is no one’s shoulder to copy from and then when I see Miss Hare coming, it is just as if she is a big wild animal and I feel terrified and I feel as if she is really going to eat me up alive. Then in bed at night I feel scared about going to school the next day and I can’t sleep and my ears begin to ache. So the doctor told my Grandfather that I don’t need a doctor at all, just a private teacher to help me learn. Now I have one. Her name is Miss Jackson and she is very pretty and she is very nice.