The Accountability of Teachers in One-Room Schools
Most teachers have always had to be accountable in one way or another. Today's teachers have standards that need to be learned. In the one-room schoolhouse, teachers had their own standards of accountability to adhere to. However, they were aimed primarily at the teacher, and not necessarily at the teacher's teaching.
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Dress
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The clothing that teachers usually had to wear to teach in one-room schoolhouses would have been similar to the students'. Generally, they would be simple and handmade. Female teachers needed to wear long skirts and petticoats, as well as puffy-sleeved blouses that needed to be tucked into the skirt. These educators also would have worn stockings and ankle-high shoes. Men would have been required to wear a plain suit, including a tie, socks and nice shoes.
Responsibilities
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When the teacher came into the schoolhouse, the educator had a list of duties she needed to complete before the students came in for the day. Included in this list were duties such as having to fill and light all the lanterns and clean the chimneys. She would also have to bring in the water that would be needed along with a scuttle of coal. A teacher would also have to start the stove to warm the room, depending on the season.
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Rules
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These teachers had many rules to live by that would make most teachers today cringe. Some of the rules included no smoking, no drinking alcohol, and no going to public halls or pool halls. Otherwise, their integrity and worth would be questioned. Men were not allowed to go to barbershops for a shave for the same reason. Teachers were not allowed to marry during their contract period, mainly because pregnancy often followed marriage and farmers did not want pregnant women teaching their children. Also, teachers would not be allowed to travel beyond the town or city limits without permission.
Living
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The living conditions for teachers would usually vary from place to place; however, many would board with local families until the teacher could manage to purchase a home, or until the teacher transferred to another school district.
There were some schools that would add a room onto the schoolhouse where the teacher would live when not teaching. This was a convenience for the school board, since the teacher would not have to travel to school. Instead, the teacher would just rise and prepare the school each day.
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