Old Fashioned Rules for Teachers

Over the summer I enjoyed many adventures with my family. One was to a pioneer village and there was an old school house on the property. On the wall inside there were rules posted from the time period. I took two pictures of the rules that were printed out but only one turned out okay. The school house was quite dark so lighting was not great. It was a larger one room school house with a wood burning stove in it. Each desk connected tot eh one in front and had an ink well on it. My kids thought it was so interesting to see how children went to school so long ago.

I thought with many children going back right now to school this was perfect timing to share. Times have changed as well as society but sadly we see teachers often have a separate set of rules when it comes to how society expects them to live. Luckily it is nothing like it was back in the 1800’s and early 1900’s. I love to watch movies from this era but honestly I had no idea they were so strict towards they valuable members of the community. Take a look for yourself

This one is rules for female teachers in 1915.

A few that stand out to me are

“You may not ride in a carriage or automobile with any man, unless he is your father or your brother (No kissing cousin) “

“You must wear at least two petticoats” I had to look up for my children what a petticoat even was.

petticoat refers to skirt-like undergarments worn for warmth or to give the skirt or dress the desired fashionable shape. In this context a petticoat may be called a waist slip or underskirt (UK) or half slip (US), with petticoat restricted to extremely full garments.Petticoat can also refer to a full-length slip in the UK

Rules for Teachers – 1872

1. Teachers will fill the lamps and clean the chimney each day.
2. Each teacher will bring a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day’s sessions.
3. Make your pens carefully. You may whittle nibs to the individual tastes of the pupils.
4. Men teachers may take one evening each week for courting purposes, or two evenings a week if they go to church regularly.
5. After ten hours in school, the teachers may spend the remaining time reading the Bible or other good books.
6. Women teachers who marry or engage in improper conduct will be dismissed.
7. Every teacher should lay aside from each day’s pay a goodly sum of his earnings. He should use his savings during his retirement years so that he will not become a burden on society.
8. Any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, visits pool halls or public halls, or gets shaved in a barber shop, will give good reasons for people to suspect his worth, intentions, and honesty.
9. The teacher who performs his labor faithfully and without fault for five years will be given an increase of twenty-five cents per week in his pay.

I am glad things have changed as these rules seem brutal to me! Obviously male teachers were treated differently than female teachers during this time. Can you even imagine? Sounds like Barber shops were shady places to hang out back in the day as well 😉

Have you ever heard of these rules before? What do you think?