I graduated from North Platte High School in 1941 with Normal Training background,
which means I was qualified to teach in a rural school for three years without going to college.
My first position was at Huebner School, south of Hershey, Nebraska. The president of the
board gave me a contract which I then had to take to the other two board members for
their signatures. When I met the third board member, before signing he told me, “We always
board the teacher.” The contract was for $50.00 per month, for nine months, and out of that
amount I paid the third board member $18.00 monthly for room and board. My lodging
was one mile from school, which I walked both ways.
The school was a one-room building that had no indoor plumbing. Kerosene lamps were
fastened on the walls with reflectors behind them. Our water was from a pump outside,
which was often frozen during the winter. A pot-bellied stove provided our heat, for which
I carried in the cobs and coal. I also carried out the ashes. There was a pump organ, which was
used for music instruction and programs. I was teacher, custodian, nurse, playground supervisor, and more importantly, Christmas program
producer. Back then, decisions about rehiring were dependent on the quality of the Christmas program, and the contract for the following
year typically followed shortly after a successful event. The program was a success, and I was invited back. During my second year, I lived
with a different family, which required me to ride a horse 3 ½ miles each way.
After marrying, my husband Quinten and I moved to Maxwell, Nebraska, where I taught at Long School and then Hansen School. We
moved to a farm south of Hershey, and I taught at West Osgood, North Osgood, Nichols, Star, Miller and Platte Valley – all one-room schools.
In order to continue teaching, I began attending summer school and spent many hours driving back and forth to Kearney, McCook, Chadron,
and Lincoln. For many years, school would end on a Friday in May, and I would begin summer classes the following Monday; then summer
classes would end on a Friday in August, and school would begin that next Monday.
Year-round school paid off, because over the years I earned a B.A. in Education, a Masters Degree in Administration, a Specialist Degree
in Curriculum and Supervision, and finally, a Doctorate in Administration. Teaching in Lincoln County one-room rural schools from 1941-1970 prepared me for a long career in education that included being a building principal and staff development director in the North Platte Public Schools, and supervisor of student teachers for various colleges and universities. After 54 years I retired, and then was elected to serve as a member of the North Platte School Board. My fondest memories are of those early years, when I developed close bonds with my students and
their families. They are still like family to me, and we often reminisce about the special times we spent together.
which means I was qualified to teach in a rural school for three years without going to college.
My first position was at Huebner School, south of Hershey, Nebraska. The president of the
board gave me a contract which I then had to take to the other two board members for
their signatures. When I met the third board member, before signing he told me, “We always
board the teacher.” The contract was for $50.00 per month, for nine months, and out of that
amount I paid the third board member $18.00 monthly for room and board. My lodging
was one mile from school, which I walked both ways.
The school was a one-room building that had no indoor plumbing. Kerosene lamps were
fastened on the walls with reflectors behind them. Our water was from a pump outside,
which was often frozen during the winter. A pot-bellied stove provided our heat, for which
I carried in the cobs and coal. I also carried out the ashes. There was a pump organ, which was
used for music instruction and programs. I was teacher, custodian, nurse, playground supervisor, and more importantly, Christmas program
producer. Back then, decisions about rehiring were dependent on the quality of the Christmas program, and the contract for the following
year typically followed shortly after a successful event. The program was a success, and I was invited back. During my second year, I lived
with a different family, which required me to ride a horse 3 ½ miles each way.
After marrying, my husband Quinten and I moved to Maxwell, Nebraska, where I taught at Long School and then Hansen School. We
moved to a farm south of Hershey, and I taught at West Osgood, North Osgood, Nichols, Star, Miller and Platte Valley – all one-room schools.
In order to continue teaching, I began attending summer school and spent many hours driving back and forth to Kearney, McCook, Chadron,
and Lincoln. For many years, school would end on a Friday in May, and I would begin summer classes the following Monday; then summer
classes would end on a Friday in August, and school would begin that next Monday.
Year-round school paid off, because over the years I earned a B.A. in Education, a Masters Degree in Administration, a Specialist Degree
in Curriculum and Supervision, and finally, a Doctorate in Administration. Teaching in Lincoln County one-room rural schools from 1941-1970 prepared me for a long career in education that included being a building principal and staff development director in the North Platte Public Schools, and supervisor of student teachers for various colleges and universities. After 54 years I retired, and then was elected to serve as a member of the North Platte School Board. My fondest memories are of those early years, when I developed close bonds with my students and
their families. They are still like family to me, and we often reminisce about the special times we spent together.