The Heroines of the Western Schoolhouse :: Teachers Education Papers

The Heroines of the Western Schoolhouse "School-Teacher Wanted: One room schoolhouse seeks a young, single white woman who is willing to leave her sheltered life and come teach twenty to thirty classes a day, for a variety of students ranging in ages from five to twenty-two. Teacher must be able to perform with inadequate teaching materials and minimal funding for her salary and for the maintenance of the school." If you fit these qualifications, you would've been a wonderful addition to the old Western schoolhouse. Women of the Western schoolhouse had a reputation for instilling values and lessons to the children of the frontier. They were historical heroines who chose to journey all the way from the East just to hear the sounds of children learning. According to Anne M. Butler, in her book Uncommon Common Women, these women left behind their family and friends, "took teacher training, signed two-year contracts, and set forth for unknown sites " (68). Schoolteachers on the frontier must have had an incredible love for children in order to deal with the difficulties the West placed in their way. Adventurous women came from the East to teach for many different reasons: some felt God's calling, others felt a sense of responsibility, and still others came because they needed money to support themselves and their families back home. But at the heart of all these women, was a love for children that allowed them to venture forth into the world unknown. In reality, was a love for children enough to keep these women in this land far from home? Well, there were other advantages for their staying, as well. When women left the East, they were uncertain of their skills, and many felt this was their only option. But these dedicated women stumbled upon a sense of inner confidence they had never known before, and they also gained a more creative outlook on things. Other young women came with the hope they'd meet their perfect match and live happily ever after. For them, the West offered a sense of adventure worth pursuing. Ladies certainly didn't choose the profession of teaching because of monetary benefits. Butler explained that schoolteachers were met with the challenge of having "low wages and a high cost of living" (73). Classes were only taught during the seasons that didn't coincide with the heaviest farm production, and many districts only paid "per head/per day, a system that lowered teacher salaries when children were absent for impassable travel conditions or seasonal farm and ranch responsibilities" (Butler 73).