Thursday, July 10, 2008

GRAND LAKE SCHOOLS IN THE 1880'S

In the 1890's Grand County had only four log and two frame schoolhouses. The total of 59 pupils and five female teachers in 1890 increased to 123 pupils and 14 teachers, six of them men, in 1899.

Teachers were usually boarded at ranches, riding each morning on borrowed, often unproven horses to their schoolrooms. Their salary: $40.00 per month.

School was not held every year in Grand Lake. Sufficient taxes could not be raised to pay a teacher. The school year was generally April through October.

The first school in Grand Lake was in the east room of the Grand Central Hotel. Twenty-four pupils of varying sizes and ages were in this first class.

The first school house in Grand Lake was built in 1910 and remained a one-teacher school until 1935.

Although out-of-door church services were held in 1879, by 1892 Grand Lake still had no established, regularly attended church. First building used exclusively for a church was erected in 1896. Services were irregularly held in summers only.


Rules for Teachers Circa 1872

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


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


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


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


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


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


7. Every teacher should lay aside from his pay a good sum of his earnings for his benefit for his declining years so that he will not be 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,m integrity and honesty.


9. The teacher who performs his labors faithfully and without fault for five years, will be given an increase of 25 cents per week in his pay, providing the Board of Education approves.
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9 comments:

Woman in a Window said...

Wow, teacher's unions should have a little look here to recognize what things were. Geesh...

Love the picture of the old school house.

Threeundertwo said...

Oh my word! I guess I've engaged in unseemly conduct! But men get one night off a week to tempt women into it? What on earth?

Love the photo.

S said...

Wow, that's a lot of great information! Seems the classroom setting hasn't changed but the rules sure have. Thanks for sharing all of it.

The Apron Queen said...

Teachers had it rough! I have an old nursing book with similiar rules. You were either young & unmarried or an old maid. Thank goodness for hte changes.

For your daily dose of vintage goodness & a bit of silliness, stop by Confessions of an Apron Queen

JEWELGIRL said...

So that's why it took for-ever for
my great grandma's sis to get married. She never got out much!
Great photo!

Anonymous said...

Very interesting, #6.

The classroom reminds me of Little House on the Prairie. On T.V., the classroom looked similar. ;-)

Paz

Carol said...

Do you know I wonder what this world would be like if we were still that strict! I think we have lost the plot a wee bit!
I am all for rules in school...at this time it seems the Kids make the rules.
Lovely and interesting post.
Carol x

Cheryl said...

Gosh that is some set of rules, isn't it? Could you imagine what would happen today......

PAT said...

Very interesting post! My mother attended a one room school, very much like this one, during the late 1920's. Her cousin taught school at another one room school house. I believe she attended a business school before teaching. I wonder if her list was this strict.

Have a great week. I'm celebrating my 200th post.
Pat