Berniece Hartman Loskill
District #27 & #50 - Webster County
District #39 -- Adams County
1940 - 1946
At Blue Hill High School I pursued a career in teaching by completing Normal Training and two weeks of student teaching. After passing the teaching exams, I was qualified to teach for three years.
My first year of teaching (1940) was at District 27 in Webster County, a school five miles north of Red Cloud. Since the school was 20 miles from my home and I didn't have a car, I boarded at the school board president's house with he and his wife, walking half a mile to school. The beginning salary was $37.50 a month and I paid $12.50 for room and board. After waking up in a cold house and walking through the snow to get to school, I had to put coal and cobs in a big pot belly stove to heat the room before students arrived. The school closed that year.
The next two years I taught at District 50. I lived at home and rode the Blue Hill school van 2 miles to school carrying a three gallon can of water. The water was poured into a big crock jar and each child had their own drinking cup. We put potatoes on the top of the stove and they baked all morning long during our lessons. Sometimes we had government commodities like cheese to go with our potatoes.
I was lured to Adams County because of higher wages. I took a job at District 39 that doubled my salary to nearly $110 a month. I had 17 students that year, 8 of which had to pass 8th grade exams. The academic achievement of these students was very impressive. Three of them had the highest scores in the county. Upon graduating from Roseland High School, two of them had the honor of being valedictorian and salutatorian. Working with them was a rewarding experience. The next two years the enrollment was down.
In 1946 I quit teaching and married Buster Loskill, a WWII veteran. We lived on a farm two miles west of Roseland and had 2 children, Don and Barb. When the children were in grade school I resumed my teaching career. In 1956 I accepted a job at the Roseland School assisting in the superintendent's office and as a substitute teacher. I continued my education at Kearney State's Teachers College in the summers until receiving my bachelor's degree in 1970.
In 1958 was approached by the Ayr school board to teach K-2 at their school. That is where I spent the next 29 years teaching and also as head teacher and hot lunch supervisor. It was wonderful to enter a school with electricity, heat, running water, and above all, indoor restrooms. I was also blessed that Ayr had a custodian!
I believe the secret of good discipline is providing the students with sufficient learning activities that there isn't time for negative behavior. I am proud to support the project that UNK has decided to undertake preserving "One Room, One Teacher" an integral part of education in Nebraska's history.
District #27 & #50 - Webster County
District #39 -- Adams County
1940 - 1946
At Blue Hill High School I pursued a career in teaching by completing Normal Training and two weeks of student teaching. After passing the teaching exams, I was qualified to teach for three years.
My first year of teaching (1940) was at District 27 in Webster County, a school five miles north of Red Cloud. Since the school was 20 miles from my home and I didn't have a car, I boarded at the school board president's house with he and his wife, walking half a mile to school. The beginning salary was $37.50 a month and I paid $12.50 for room and board. After waking up in a cold house and walking through the snow to get to school, I had to put coal and cobs in a big pot belly stove to heat the room before students arrived. The school closed that year.
The next two years I taught at District 50. I lived at home and rode the Blue Hill school van 2 miles to school carrying a three gallon can of water. The water was poured into a big crock jar and each child had their own drinking cup. We put potatoes on the top of the stove and they baked all morning long during our lessons. Sometimes we had government commodities like cheese to go with our potatoes.
I was lured to Adams County because of higher wages. I took a job at District 39 that doubled my salary to nearly $110 a month. I had 17 students that year, 8 of which had to pass 8th grade exams. The academic achievement of these students was very impressive. Three of them had the highest scores in the county. Upon graduating from Roseland High School, two of them had the honor of being valedictorian and salutatorian. Working with them was a rewarding experience. The next two years the enrollment was down.
In 1946 I quit teaching and married Buster Loskill, a WWII veteran. We lived on a farm two miles west of Roseland and had 2 children, Don and Barb. When the children were in grade school I resumed my teaching career. In 1956 I accepted a job at the Roseland School assisting in the superintendent's office and as a substitute teacher. I continued my education at Kearney State's Teachers College in the summers until receiving my bachelor's degree in 1970.
In 1958 was approached by the Ayr school board to teach K-2 at their school. That is where I spent the next 29 years teaching and also as head teacher and hot lunch supervisor. It was wonderful to enter a school with electricity, heat, running water, and above all, indoor restrooms. I was also blessed that Ayr had a custodian!
I believe the secret of good discipline is providing the students with sufficient learning activities that there isn't time for negative behavior. I am proud to support the project that UNK has decided to undertake preserving "One Room, One Teacher" an integral part of education in Nebraska's history.