Teaching

The class pictures were taken each year in the fall, I think. The first photo with a shawl was taken as a joke by my father-in-law - this was supposed to represent the "old maid" school teacher. The second was 1959; the third 1957; the fourth - ? -; and the last was 1955. (sorry I didn't put them in order)

I really enjoyed teaching at Fort Riley. My contract for 1955-56 was $2,850; 1956-57 $3,050; 1957-58, $3,250; 1958-59, $3,450; and 1959-60, $4,050. We were paid once per month throughout the nine months of school. Then in June, we would receive a check for June, July and August.

My first year one of my students had epilepsy and his parents didn't see fit to advise the school nurse, the principal or me. It was very short-sighted of them because their son had a seizure in class and it was very traumatic for everyone. It turned out OK but it was wrong that I wasn't made aware of this so I could be prepared if anything happened.

The first two or three years, my principal was a lady. I really enjoyed working with her. The final years, we had a man principal at Fort Riley. He was a joy to work for. Both of them were very good at their job.

There were several sections of each grade. There were three of us teaching 4th grade. One lady was the wife of a Colonel stationed at Fort Riley. She was very helpful and encouraging to me. The other was an older local lady - her demeanor to everyone was very forbiding. She seemed to be "looking down her nose" at young teachers like me.

I was one of the younger teachers since I started teaching when I was 20. The age range included some teachers in the mid-20s right on up to those who were probably in their 50s. I am not sure because we never discussed age.

I don't know whether I was a good teacher or not. All I can say is the school district offered me a contract with a raise each of the four years after my first year.

We had an older lady, who was probably in her sixties, who acted as our supervising teacher. She would visit our classrooms two or three times a year. That could be a little nerve wracking but she was a gentle person who offered suggestions to help us become better teachers.

The students ranged from very bright to those who had low IQs. It made teaching every subject challenging. We had two or three reading sections. There were those who could do everything requested of them and do it very well and there were those who could do very little. They were all different. Some were a joy to have in class and some were problems. It kept me on my toes!