| SCHOOL TEACHERS |
 |
| School teachers were held in a position
of respect. To hold a teacher’s cer-
tificate, teachers had achieved a certain level of education, usually a college degree. To have a college education was quite a mark of distinction among the rural farmers. Therefore the teachers were expected to also provide leader- ship in other community activities. The earliest school teachers were referred to as Shullmeisters (school masters) as in the old country, and they were auto- matically expected to be church school teachers, church school superintendents, choir directors, etc. Of course, they were expected to lead exemplary lives for their students to emulate. |
| School Teacher pay was small compared to
today’s standards, and usually the teacher would attend “summer school”
at some college during the summer va-
cations. |
| Consequently, he or she would re-invest
part of their earnings in the quest of continued education
and self-improvement. The logical progression was to move up to a
larger school and become a principal
with better pay. However, the young women teachers
became prime targets for courtship and marriage
to
a patron in their district. |
| Many students were inspired and influenced by good teachers, who by their teacher examples, went on in life and became leaders and did great deeds. The one-room school close association and early impressionable years kind guidance bred character into students that built solid foundations for the rest of their lives. |
|
| Back | Next |
|
|
|
|
|
|