Rules for Teachers: 1872

[KTMom91]

1. Teachers each day will fill lamps, clean chimneys.

2. Each teacher will bring a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day's session.

3. Make your pens carefully. You may whittle nibs to the individual taste of the pupils.

4. Men teachers may take one evening each week for courting purposes, or two evenings if they go to church regularly.

5. After ten hours in school, teachers may spend the remaining time reading the Bible or other good books.

6. Women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed.

7. Every teacher should lay aside from each pay a goodly sum of his earnings for his benefit during his declining years so that he will not become a burden on society.

8. Any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents pool or public halls, or gets shaved in a barber shop will give good reason to suspect his worth, intention, integrity, and honesty.

9. The teacher who performs his labor faithfully and without fault for five years will be given an increase of twenty-five cents per week in his pay, providing the Board of Education approves.

 

[gcvmom]

I guess you could say things have come a long way!

 

[tiredmommy]

And we wonder why teachers have unions?

 

[donna723]

So I guess that "whittling nubs" is not in a teachers job description any more?

I wonder what objections they had to the male teachers getting a shave in a barber shop? Maybe it's all those magazines?

 

[DammitJanet]

I love it that male teachers could go courting but women teachers couldnt marry! Ummm, who were the male teachers courting?

 

[trinityroyal]

Ummm, who were the male teachers courting?

I'm guessing the female teachers who were willing to engage in "unseemly behaviour".

 

[donna723]

And if you manage to conduct yourself PERFECTLY for five years, you get a 25 cents per WEEK raise! Wow!

Actually, that's more than I've gotten in the last three years ... thank you, State of Tennessee!

 

[trinityroyal]

Although if you look at what things cost back then, a $0.25 per week raise is not too shabby. Here's a list of prices from the time.

San Antonio,Texas: 1853
Pork, 11 cents/lb
Bacon, 12 1/2-15 cents/lb
Salt beef, 8 1/2-9 cents/lb
Fresh beef, 4 1/2-5 cents/lb
Flour, 4 /14 cents (superfine)-5 cents (extra fine)/lb
Hard bread, 9-10 cents/lb
Beans, 10 1/2cents/quart
Rice, 8-10 cents/lb
Coffee, 12 1/2 (Rio) to 18 (Java) cents/lb
Sugar, 7 1/2-8 cents for "Louisiana brown"/lb
Vinegar, 6 1/4 cents/quart"

---The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, October 1947 (p. 170)
Madison, Wisconsin: 1861

http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodpioneer.html#provisionprices

 

[Nancy]

I'm sending this to easy child.

Nancy

 

[Wiped Out]

Too funny-we are studying the colonial period right now and I just read this list to them last week. The kiddos thought it was hilarious. We also read the rules for the students at that time. That they didn't think was so funny-lol!

 

[KTMom91]

Have you seen the exam for eighth grade graduation, I think it was from the 1890's? OMG, there was stuff on there I didn't know!

 

[DammitJanet]

OK...now we know why education has declined!

 

[AnnieO]

My, oh my. Glad I dismissed the thought... I have enough trouble with my TWO!