A Second Home: Missouri's Early Schools

5. The Rural Schoolteacher

Equality in physical environment was not then considered necessary to equality in opportunity. Then, as now, the wealthier communities provided better homes and better equipment for comforts of the children. The rural people exercised greater care in selecting a teacher. They had better opportunity to know more of the personality and habits of each teacher. Their teachers became more nearly a part of the community and of the family. The teacher was more than the subjects she taught. — William Thomas Carrington, History of Education in Missouri T he Geyer Act of 1839 authorized the position of superintendent of common schools, and an 1853 law provided for county commissioners of common schools to set standards for teachers. They were expected to qualify in respect to character, learning, and ability for positions in the public schools, but no license was required. In fact, teachers often were not well trained, for the earliest rural schools were mostly subscription schools with standards set by the parents. Although rural parents did exercise great care in choosing a teacher, their choices were sometimes limited. A fifteen-year-old would be hired simply because she or he had completed the eighth grade and could read, write, “do some figurin’,” and was known personally in the community. Males who were not interested in 53 Chapter Five The Rural Schoolteacher 54 becoming farmers, tradesmen, or miners hired themselves out as teachers. They qualified simply by their interest in reading and “scholarly” pursuits. Those needing teachers sometimes placed ads in newspapers. Some came “highly recommended” from a seminary or academy. It was not unusual for a school to have as many as three teachers in one year, and interviews might take place in a field while a board member was hard at work. Agreements in writing between a teacher and the patrons of a subscription school were common. Mary L. Hahn records such a contract in her book “Bits of History.” Eli Wilson Cowan, mentioned in the following agreement, was her great-greatuncle . “A true copy of a School article Commenced on the 14th of July 1847 in Greenville Township Wayne County Mo. by Thomas Taylor for six months provided that:” A SECOND HOME Most teachers took great pride in taking care of the children they taught, seeing that they were as comfortable as possible in the drafty log cabins. By the 1880s, according to Wayne E. Fuller, a saying among school administrators was “as is the teacher, so is the school.” Otillia Biesemeyer, the teacher at Winkelmann School near Westphalia in Osage County, smiles proudly in front of her school. (Courtesy of Earl Lubensky) 55 1st. I thomas taylor promise to teach [the] Children of this Neighborhood to the number of Twenty five if that many can be made up, or will commence with twenty to teach six months at the rate of Two dollars and fifty cents per scholar per quarter or three months. I will teach spelling, reading, writing, the rudiments of arithmetic, . . . simple Interest and compound Interest, also teach the vernacular Language, teach five days in each week and if any time is lost by Thomas Taylor by sickness or otherwise to be made up before the Experation of Teaching. 2nd. We the undersigned employers to this article promise to pay to Thomas Taylor the above sum per scholar on or before the experation of teaching. I will receive Cash, Pork, Beefhides, Deerskins, Mink skins, Raccoon skins or any fur if good, also woolen Jeans Cloth, shirting cloth or Young Cattle one year not over, a young Beef Steer or Cow. The defirent articles as above to be delivered me at Mr. Eli Cowans on or before the experation. The Schoolhouse to be Comfortable fixed with a good roof writing Tables or Benches. Also seats Benches to sit on. Fuel furnished when needed. Mary Hahn goes on to say, “Judging from the spelling, punctuation , wording and arrangement of the ‘contract’ one would wonder just how much a child could learn.” In 1836, Reverend Martin D. Noland agreed to the following rules while teaching in a subscription school in Cole County. The ones that come first in the morning say first. (recite) No scholar will be allowed to swear or make use of any profane language. There will not be allowed any swinging, wrestling, quarreling or fighting among any of the scholars. No scholar will be allowed to tag, nickname or make fun of the...