Tag: 1912

High Teacher Turnover

16-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today: 

Friday, February 16, 1912: And this is the last day of that wonderful teacher of ours. I wonder how he felt this afternoon. I expected he would give some kind of an address, but he didn’t. Oh well, I don’t think I’ll be sorry of his leaving if the next one comes up to the average.  

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Grandma wrote the previous Friday that her old teacher was staying for one more week.

I learned a little more about the mid-year change in teachers in the  History of the McEwensville Schools by Thomas Kramm:

. . . The high teacher turnover rate, especially in the high school prior to 1916, resulted in a new teacher almost every year. At least one teacher, and perhaps more, would not return to teach the following school year because the school board refused to increase the teacher’s salary. Although it did not occur often, when a teacher resigned in mid-term it was sometimes a challenge to find a replacement. During the 1911-12 school year, when high school teacher Howard Northrop wanted to resign mid-term, his resignation was not permitted until he personally recruited his own replacement.

Whew, it doesn’t sound like the school board did much vetting of teachers. Hopefully the new teacher will be good.

Valentine’s Day

16-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today: 

Wednesday, February 14, 1912:  I didn’t get any valentines today, although they would have been accepted if I had. Our future teacher arrived at school this morning, but he isn’t going to commence until next Monday. Gee whiz, but he is tall. I wonder if I will like him, but I think I will.

Grandma didn't get any, but here is an example of a nice 1912 valentine postcard.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Grandma sounds kind of sad that she didn’t get any valentines.  Though getting nothing was probably better than she deserved since she only sent ugly, vinegar valentines.

Is it worse to be ignored than to get a vinegar valentine?

State of Pennsylvania Responsible for Provision of Public Education

16-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today: 

Tuesday, February 13, 1912:  We had an inspector up at school this morning. You can bet I was glad when he had gone. Ruth and I went up to Oakes this evening. I took my Algebra along and Rachel helped me with it some.

Click on the picture to enlarge the words.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

The previous Friday Grandma wrote that this would be the last week for her teacher and that she’d then get a new teacher.

I suppose that the school inspector visited McEwensville High School to make sure that all was on-course and to prepare for the transition to the new teacher.

A hundred years ago there were many schools scattered across the county. A county superintendent was responsible for making sure that they followed state requirements.

The state, then as now, was responsible for providing public education.  In a 1912 book I found the language in the Pennsylvania constitution:

The General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public schools, wherein all the children of this Commonwealth above the age of six years may be educated, and shall appropriate at least one million dollars each year for that purpose.

Source: Pennsylvania Constitution as quoted in The Status of the Teacher by Arthur Perry, Jr.  (1912)

Over the years this provision has been shortened. It now says:

Public School System

Section 14

The General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth.

I guess there no longer is a need to indicate that at least a million dollars of state money will be spent on public education. According to Wikipedia the state of Pennsylvania allocated more than $11.4 billion for education-related programs for the 2008-2009 fiscal year. 🙂

Bought Some Vinegar Valentines

16-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today: 

Saturday, February 10, 1912:  I got some ugly valentines today. I had all the milking to do tonight and will have it for tomorrow morning. Our dear Ruthie is spending the time with Tweet.

Pride Goeth Before Fall

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Tweet is the nickname of Helen Wesner. She was a friend of Grandma and her sister Ruth.

A hundred years ago people sometimes gave ugly valentines that were often called vinegar valentines. Who did Grandma plan to give them to?

To see more vinegar valentines see these posts from last year:

Valentines: The Good, the Bad, and the Horrid

Anonymous Comic Valentines

“I Didn’t Cheat”

16-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today: 

Friday, February 9, 1912:  I am disgusted with the marks I made in my examination, but although my marks are low I am not losing faith for I can truthfully say, “I didn’t cheat.” I had not much of a desire to cheat after that awful lecture and what desire I had left I managed to trample down. I intend to improve for next month and make my next teacher happy.  Jake is going to stay one week longer.

Recent photo of building that once housed McEwensville School.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

In January Grandma got caught cheating. Even though these events happened a hundred years ago and logically it makes no sense—I feel bad that Grandma wasn’t rewarded with good grades when she studied hard.

Jake was Grandma’s teacher. It sounds like he was quitting and that she was soon going to have a new teacher.

Grandma indicated that she was going to continue studying hard to impress her new teacher. Hmm . . . I can’t help wondering if she might have failed to trample all temptation at some point and “tested” her new teacher to see if he let her get away with cheating.

Will Be Glad When Exams Are Over

16-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Thursday, February 8, 1912:  I didn’t study much this evening. We have two more examinations tomorrow. Will be glad when they are over. 

I can picture Grandma sitting in this house a hundred years ago today as she worried about her upcoming exams.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Grandma’s diary entries that I’ve posted over the past two weeks indicated that she was working really hard on algebra. In January her teacher caught her cheating—and she’s really been trying to turn a new leaf. And, the entry I posted yesterday indicated that Grandma missed some questions on the history exam because she’d studied the wrong things.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that all went well with the remaining exams.

Studied the Wrong Things!

16-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today: 

Wednesday, February 7, 1912:  I certainly was a blundering dummy in my examinations today. I happened to get in General History four questions that I hadn’t looked up before. It sometimes seems that you study the very things you are least liable to get.

Recent photo of the building that once housed the McEwenvsille School. I can almost picture an upset teen--who was mad at herself for missing a couple questions--- slowly descending the stairs from her second floor classroom and heading out into the cold to begin the long walk home.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

How frustrating to have studied the wrong things!

Did the teacher ask for arcane facts about minor Civil War battles or generals?? . . .  or the disputed election of 1876 between Hayes and Tilden? ?. . .or the Panic of 1837?? . . . .or . . .??