MY FIRST YEAR AS A TEACHER
After graduating from Tell City High School with a class of twenty-nine graduates in May, 1914, I attended a twelve weeks course at Indiana State Normal School Previous to that, I bad taken an examination for teacher’s license at Cannelton with Mr. Lee Mullen, then Perry County School Superintendent, presiding. I wrote, as many other seniors did that Saturday, until four o’clock; for there were many subjects presented to us, on very fine paper.
In about two weeks, I received a letter from the Superintendent’s Office saying I had successfully passed the examination, and upon attending a twelve weeks course in college making passing grades in all subjects, I would receive a teacher’s license to teach in the grade schools.
My next move, after coming home from college, was to go to the Superintendent’s Office, and present my grades from Terre Haute, so Mr. Mullen would issue me a license. After this, I quickly went to Mr. John Genet, our trustee, to ask him if there was a teacher needed. He told me he would give me the Casper School, a distance of five miles over dirt roads from my home. He gave me a register to keep the attendance record and said jokingly, “Be sure and keep those bad pupils in line.”
My first day was early in October, usually the first Monday. My brother drove me in a “buggy” to the Casper School. I remember I went early that morning for there was frost that day, so I knew the school would be cool upon arriving I made a fire in the rather large, but very rusty stove.
I looked over the “helps” furnished for teaching. I found a small dictionary, a library table for a teacher’s desk, a globe, a Perry County map and a few maps “rolled together” and put in a comer with a thick coating of dust and badly fly specked. I quickly swept the room.
Soon the pupils began to come and all would say, “Good morning teacher.”
They stood around my table where I was recording their names, grades and ages. I had a large school, perhaps thirty-two or three.
Soon, I rang the nine o’clock bell. The pupils came hurrying in and I assigned them their seats as to size and grades. I had all eight grades. Then one of the older boys said, “Our teacher last year would begin school with a song.” I said that is a good suggestion. I had taken a small flag with me and I and a few larger ones recited the Pledge. Then we sang a song before classes.
The school had two recitation benches as most schools had. I had a little “call bell” for calling the different classes to recite.
At recess a larger boy drew some water from the school well, which had a good cover. The trustee bad previously hired someone to clean the well
At recess we played” Anthony over,” “base,” “lowball” (with a homemade string ball) and “Fox”
For two months I walked the five miles or rode a horse when my father wasn’t using the horses on the farm.
My saddle horse was gentle. I had sent for a good riding skirt and saddle bags from a mail-order catalogue. In the saddle bags I would put some com for my horse to eat at midday and on the other side I would put my books and papers. The eighth grade boys would feed my horse and then lead her down to a running brook near the school for water.
When the winter months began, I boarded with Mr. & Mrs. Albert Schellenberg neal the school I always took my lunch though to be with the pupils. We would move our lunch buckets near the stove on zero days so our lunches wouldn’t be frozen. The school building was old and very cold. Wood was the fuel used. Some few pupils used slates, but large paper tablets could be purchased for five cents then. I hired a boy to make the fires in winter months, but I always did the sweeping.
My salary for time teaching my first year was $2.18 a day, but I really enjoyed the near six months. The next summer I again went to State Normal so my salary was increased. Mr. Genet again assigned the Casper School to me, so I felt my first year was a success.
During the thirty years I taught school, I taught two additional years at the Casper School The school is not there anymore, but the foundation is and so was the well the last time I went by the place.
I continued going to summer courses until my monthly checks increased greatly.
I taught the Marchal, the Durard, the Gleeson School (now owned by Mayor Walter Hagedom since 1972). All were one-room schools. I taught Leopold School where there were then three grade teachers. Later in my teaching experience, I was given the fourth, the fifth and sixth grades. The Leopold School now had a coal furnace, running water for drinking, paper towels, good books and a janitor. I was also permitted to ride the school bus to and from school,
CONTRIBUTED BY MARY GLEESON (BETTER KNOWN AS MOLLY GLEESON)
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From the 1898 book “History of the Catholic Church in Indiana“:
“FRANK J. GEORGE, county superintendent of schools. Perry county, Ind., was born in Hachy, Belgium, April 28, 1852. He attended school in his native place until the age of twelve years, when, with his parents, he came to the United States, settling near Leopold, Ind., where he was reared to manhood on his father’s farm, and later learned the trade of stonecutting, studying industriously the meanwhile. In 1872 he went to Spencer county and worked at his trade on St. Meinrad’s college, the construction of which was begun that year, and studied under one of the professors during his spare time, noon and night. In 1874 he went to St. Joseph, Wyandot county, Ohio, where he obtained a position as teacher in a Catholic school. He remained there six months and then returned to Perry county, where he resumed his studies and also continued to work at his trade. In 1876 he received his first license to teach, his percentage, in examination, showing a high average. The first school taught by Mr. George in Indiana was near Leopold, his former home.
In 1877, work having again commenced on the building of St. Meinrad’s college and monastery in Spencer county, Mr. George went to work there at his trade of stonecutting, and still assiduously pursued his studies, as in the four years preceding this. He subsequently attended the Central Normal college in Danville, Ind., and graduated in the teacher’s course with honors. Mr. George came to Tell City in 1884, and at once began to teach school, later he was appointed to the position of assistant superintendent of city schools, which place he resigned for that of county superintendent, to which office he was elected as a democrat in 1891, and is now serving his third term.
At the age of twenty Mr. George was married to Miss Elizabeth Genet, the union being blessed with a family of seven children, five of whom are living, viz: Ellen, Alvin, Oliver, Theodore and Frank. Prof. George speaks and writes, fluently, the French, German and English languages, and Perry county has never had a more efficient superintendent of schools.”
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FOSTER SCHOOL
Away back when I was a youngster, we were required to go to school at the age of 7 , but could go younger if we wanted to. I went my first day at age of 6 at District No.8, Leopold Township, at that time Foster School, later called Gleeson School
We had two long recitation benches where we sat during classes. In front of us sat the teachers desk and on the wall was the blackboard. About the middle of the room was the big iron stove which was fired with wood. There was a water bucket and a tin cup from which we drank. The water came from the neighbor’s well If the well got low the boys, two at a time, went down in the woods and got a bucket of water from a spring.
The pupils sat two together in benches. I was in a new and strange situation SO I was homesick and wanted my Mama. I did the natural thing to do, just cried the whole day long. When I got home I told my Mother I could not go back. Mr. Pete James was the teacher.
I stayed at home that school year, but the next fall I was ready to try it again.
I was not afraid, so I enjoyed my first day that year and every day after that. I went several years without missing a day, no matter how deep the snow was. When the weather was so bad I could not get to school I cried harder than I did that first day when I was afraid. My second teacher or the first year I attended was Mr. H. J. Pierrud.
I finished my grade school, then entered the first class when our first high school was started in Leopold Township. After 4 years there I entered Central Normal College at Danville, Indiana for twelve weeks, then passed the examination to receive my teacher’s certificate. That fall I was back where I started, back in District No.8, but this time as teacher, instead of pupil That first day I enjoyed very much and the entire year.
The little one-room school houses nestled around in the hills did a great service for the people of Perry County and District No.8 did its full share. A lot of talent was developed there. Not only a number of teachers got their start in education there, but many took up other professions such as doctors, dentists, farmers and private business.
CONTRIBUTED BY NANCY LIlTLE MARClILIAT
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BERNARDI SCHOOL
In a paper written by Elsie Walker was the following history of Bernardi School.
Bernardi School was located in Oil Township. It was first built across the creek that ran near the school. Later it was relocated where it last stood. It was sometimes referred to as “Number Thirteen School.”
After the schools were consolidated the children were transported to Oil Township School, located on old Highway 37.
Elmer Lynch purchased the school building and the land surrounding it Some years later it was demolished by a tornado that swept through the community.
Frank Bernardi and Mary (Bernardi) Jeffry were two of the teachers who first taught there. The school was surrounded by a wooded area on the south side of the building. A cave was located in the woods. It was called “The Old Cave.” At noon the children and the teacher often took their lunch and ate under the overhang of the cave.
Some of the teachers who taught at the Bernardi School were: Alma Sprinkle, Joe Saa1man, Justis Gibson, Wilma Marting, Ed Pollard, Addie Kaiser, Asbury Walker, Bernice Lanman and Elsie Walker.
Fred J. Evrard was superintendent when I first taught there.
There was no source of drinking water near the school. We bad to carry water from a spring near the Porter Esarey home. It took two pupils to carry a bucket of water up a steep hill.
The Steve Bovinet family lived in the house across the road from the school.
It was a very sad time when Mr. Bovinet murdered his wife with a hatchet, then ended his life by shooting himself with a shotgun. Their son, Jennings, witnessed the murder of his father and mother. The house was later considered a haunted house, and was unoccupied for sometime.
Some of the games that we played at school were: baseball, longtown, dinny, anthony over, drop the handkerchief, mumbly peg, pussy in the comer, high jump, ticktack-toe, fox and dog, foot races, bullfrog, cipher and spelling matches.
CONTRIBUTED BY ELSIE WALKER
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Early teachers
An early teacher of a one-room school house, Mrs. Bernice Pontrich Laman tells of her first teaching experience: Riding beside my father in an old Model – T, we drove along a creek bed road and up a rocky hill to the little one-room school in which I was to teach my first school. It was a white frame building with none of the modem facilities, but in the style of the era-oo artificial lighting, no plumbing, and water had to be carried in a pail for drinking.
I was to receive $800 in eight monthly payments, if funds were available. In a few cases I waited as did other teachers in the school district for extra appropriations to arrive.
I found a place to board and room several hundred yards from school. ‘Ibis was luck because there were no school buses or other means of transportation.
On dark dreary days it was impossible to read but school went on. The drinking water was in a pail in the entry way on a little table and in most cases a common dipper to be used. This was my first step toward modernization for health purposes. An earthen fountain with lid and faucet was purchased by the trustee and each child brought a drinking glass or QlP’ A wash pan sat nearby and we poured water over little .hands before eating. there were no paper towds, so each child brought a drying cloth which was kept on a designated nail in the hall or entry way.
The heating system was a large pot-bellied stove which burned wood. During the cold wintry days children moved their desks closer to the stove. During the winter the stove served another purpose. Large kettles of vegetable soup cooked slowly until noon. This was the beginning of what we term today a “hot lunch” program. It was certainly a needed supplement to some of the lunches found in pails. Most of the containers were molasses buckets-it was really something to have a store-purchased lunch bucket.
I expect we spent no more than 15 minutes eating because there were games to be played. It was physical education time. I had brought a ball and bat, a jumping rope and a soft rubber ball. At the age of 19 it was a pleasure for me to join in the fun ballgames, jumping the rope, or throwing the ball over the school house.
We had reading, writing, arithmetic, English, spelling, history, geography and physiology. It took some planning for all eight grades and 28 pupils, but the courses were followed with combinations being made in grades five and six and grades seven and eight in subjects other then 3 R’s. Children learned by listening to others since workbooks and seatwork were unheard of. However, copies were made on the blackboards. Children sat together in double seats and came to recitation bench for classes.
Question boxes and spelling matches were looked forward to on a Friday afternoon. Parents really liked to visit, but there were no P. T .A ‘s There were programs for special holidays. Sheets curtained a comer for the stage and there being no piano, I played my violin. And did we sing! Parents and neighbors too came for the special events-Christmas programs, Thanksgiving, Valentine and the last day of school programs and basket dinner.
I do not want to forget the ‘ole time” box socials which were held to make a few dollars to purchase extra supplies and a few library books. Of course, the teacher’s box filled with pie, fruit, chicken and other goodies usually brought a good price. The bids were usually high if there happened to be a boyfriend and other young swains to run up the price.
Children graduating from elementary school were required to take a county examination and these were graded by the county superintendent. There were no multiple choice, no true-false- you answered any six out of eight.
Teacher evaluation! Well we had it in the 30’s. We were visited at least twice a year by the county superintendent and then given a percentage success grade. Needless to say, we were scared stiff.
It was quite common to be invited as an overnight guest into every home at least once during the school year. This made for understanding and a very personal interest in each child, which I feel is missing in consolidation and our crowded classrooms of today.
CONTIUBUlED BY Bernice Pontrich Laman