Dorothy taught in seven rural schools in Buffalo and Phelps Counties over the course of nineteen years, culminating in 1961. Her schools included, Buffalo Co. Dist. 93, Phelps Co. Dist. 30, Phelps Co. Dist. 2, Buffalo Co. Dist. 26, Buffalo Co. Dist. 29, Phelps Co. R3, and Phelps Co. R5. Dorothy began her teaching career at age 17 in the 1-room school house she attended as a child. Her annual salary was approximately $1800. She would walk to school, bringing a pail of water from home for drinking at school. Seven students attended her first year, however when 2 of the 3 families represented moved, the school was closed the following year.
A typical day started at 8:00, with classes beginning at 9:00. She taught in a building with no electricity, and no plumbing, and had to start the day by putting wood or coal in the stove. She raised the flag on the flagpole daily as well. If it snowed, it was her job to shovel. She cleaned the floors and the blackboards. She was responsible for multiple grades and multiple subjects, as well as music and the Christmas program. “If things got really bad, I told a joke. We’d laugh it off then get to work,” Dorothy reminisced. “Use some humor.”
At one of her other schools, during WWII gas rationing it was not uncommon to stay the entire week with the families of students, rather than drive all the way home. Conversely, former student Patti (Soderholm) Thorell remembered riding with Dorothy from school in Phelps County to the hospital in Kearney when Patti’s mom was having a baby.
Patti also recalled, “We wanted to surprise Miss Reiter with a birthday cake, but we had to get her out of the room first. R5 had 2 rooms, and we secured the cooperation of the other teacher to draw Dorothy out of her room so we could put her cake on the table in the front of her room. We lit the candles. They were burning down, and some of the boys began acting up. Not seeing the cake, Miss Reiter reentered the room and began lecturing us. We were scared to death. Then she turned her head, saw the cake, and started laughing and apologizing. Dorothy was a good teacher who had good control and made learning fun!”
One of Dorothy’s students from District 30, Phyllis (Ostgren) Westerlin, recalled, “There were probably 10 or 12 kids in our school in 1947, my 8th grade year. All four of us Ostgren kids attended this school. Dorothy was a very compassionate teacher and our favorite. We remember at least one time when she was snowed in at our place during a blizzard. We thought it was really fun having her stay at our house. We are still friends. Thanks, Miss Reiter!”
A typical day started at 8:00, with classes beginning at 9:00. She taught in a building with no electricity, and no plumbing, and had to start the day by putting wood or coal in the stove. She raised the flag on the flagpole daily as well. If it snowed, it was her job to shovel. She cleaned the floors and the blackboards. She was responsible for multiple grades and multiple subjects, as well as music and the Christmas program. “If things got really bad, I told a joke. We’d laugh it off then get to work,” Dorothy reminisced. “Use some humor.”
At one of her other schools, during WWII gas rationing it was not uncommon to stay the entire week with the families of students, rather than drive all the way home. Conversely, former student Patti (Soderholm) Thorell remembered riding with Dorothy from school in Phelps County to the hospital in Kearney when Patti’s mom was having a baby.
Patti also recalled, “We wanted to surprise Miss Reiter with a birthday cake, but we had to get her out of the room first. R5 had 2 rooms, and we secured the cooperation of the other teacher to draw Dorothy out of her room so we could put her cake on the table in the front of her room. We lit the candles. They were burning down, and some of the boys began acting up. Not seeing the cake, Miss Reiter reentered the room and began lecturing us. We were scared to death. Then she turned her head, saw the cake, and started laughing and apologizing. Dorothy was a good teacher who had good control and made learning fun!”
One of Dorothy’s students from District 30, Phyllis (Ostgren) Westerlin, recalled, “There were probably 10 or 12 kids in our school in 1947, my 8th grade year. All four of us Ostgren kids attended this school. Dorothy was a very compassionate teacher and our favorite. We remember at least one time when she was snowed in at our place during a blizzard. We thought it was really fun having her stay at our house. We are still friends. Thanks, Miss Reiter!”