Valentines for our Greene County teachers
~a column by Mary Weaver
It is appropriate to show appreciation and honor our teachers during this Valentine’s Day week. Greene County has a rich tradition and reverence for education.
The first school in Greene County originated 166 years ago in 1857 and was known as the Brand School. It was located about three miles southwest of the current town of Rippey. Teacher Azor Mills taught about 60, mostly male students ranging in ages from 10-25. It was a subscription school, in that the parents paid for their child to attend. Some traveled as far as five miles. The school was a tight budget experience, as the parents built the wooden frame structure, and Mr. Mills boarded with the parents of the students.
Mr. Mills and 30 scholars enlisted in the War of the Rebellion, (Civil War) and “wore the government blue in glad defense of the stars and stripes, against the slaveholders of the rebellion.” Many did not return, and Mr. Mills himself was seriously injured, losing his arm during the war.
Greene County grew in population, and rural schools were built every two miles for children to have access to an education. My grandmother, mother, and mother-in-law all taught in country schools. Upon graduation from high school, they attended “normal training,” a short course in how to teach. The schools housed first through eighth grade students. This close-to-home accessibility gave all children an opportunity to learn.
We all have our favorite teachers, and most likely you can easily recall every teacher from every grade, and maybe even be able to do that for the teachers who taught your children. I can still recall distinct conversations with some of our children’s teachers during parent-teacher conferences.
Which brings us to our teacher situation today. It seems our current political direction is to politicize public school boards, administrators, and teachers. Financial cuts and mistrust prevail.
Iowa teachers, according to the Iowa Department of Education, must complete a four-year bachelors program available in one of 30 Iowa institutions of higher education. The curriculum includes …. “Specific coursework in content knowledge and pedagogy.” Pedagogy is a term that refers to the method of how teachers teach, in theory and in practice. The Department of Education defines a teacher “as a professional educator who uses a thorough understanding of content, developmental patterns, and individual differences to guide learning and create a supportive, safe learning environment. A teacher prepares and implements effective lessons, provides ongoing feedback on student work, manages classes and classroom materials, productively navigates the curriculum, and collaborates with other professionals and regularly communicates with the students’ parents”.
The entry level teacher salary in Iowa is at an average of $40,464, but the range is $33,793 to $49,345. A beginning teacher at Greene County Community Schools earns $39,350. The contracts are for 190 days, 180 being direct student time.
My niece by a special relationship has a bachelor of science in chemistry and a masters in education which includes an endorsement in physics. She is certified to teach chemistry and physics. She estimates because the school system maxes out at 17 years, had she made her career in the science industry her salary would have continued to grow. She estimates that she is making about 50 percent of what she could have made had she stayed in the private sector. She continues, “It is difficult to be a teacher in a public school right now, not because of the students, but because of negative governmental and society feedback we continue to hear.”
Greene County has an upcoming opportunity to give our Greene County Community Schools teachers support through BOOST, an acronym for Bringing Optimism and Opportunity to Students and Teachers. This celebration will be held on April 1 at Clover Hall. It is a celebration of the good things happening in our classrooms, a recognition time for our educators and an opportunity for our community to provide financial support for continued success. This is the 6th year for this event, and it has generated more than $300,000 in the past five years. Projects funded include field trips, musical instruments, 3-D printers, microphones for the high school auditorium, and playground equipment.
This year show your appreciation to our educators of Greene County with more than a Valentine.
