Teacher Code of Conduct- 1915
While I was taking grad classes for my education degree several years ago, one of my professors had us read a Teacher Contract from 1915. I remember thinking, “How outdated, I am so glad that these kind of rules don’t exist”.
I can’t seem to verify the authenticity of these rules in contracts for female teacher (they are floating around on several sites with no citation). I believe that all of us can agree, whether accurate or not, that times have changed for teachers in the past 100 years.
image by Magic Foundry
Rules of Conduct for Teachers
- You will not marry during the term of your contract.
- You are not to keep company with men.
- You must be home between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless
attending a school function.- You may not loiter downtown in ice cream stores.
- You may not travel beyond the city limits unless you have the permission of the chairman of the board.
- You may not ride in a carriage or automobile with any man unless he is your father or brother.
- You may not smoke cigarettes.
- You may not dress in bright colors.
- You may under no circumstances dye your hair.
- You must wear at least two petticoats.
- Your dresses must not be any shorter than two inches above the ankle.
- To keep the schoolroom neat and clean, you must sweep the floor at least once daily; scrub the floor at least once a week with hot, soapy water; clean the blackboards at least once a day; and start the fire at 7 am so the room will be warm by 8 am
How could an employer dictate someone’s private life (outside their hours of work) in such a way?
Once my initial outcry wore off, I started thinking and wondering how this would translate into today’s society? I believe it is worth taking another look at it from a different angle.
Watch for a blog post I am working on about the need (or not) for an updated teacher code of conduct.
What are your thoughts? Is there a need? Do schools have the right to mandate a certain conduct of their employees in their private lives?
I think that as long as the activities do not interfere with the teachers ability to conduct instruction than no. Once the outside activities impact the classroom or the school, then it is time for an intervention.
[...] Teacher Code of Conduct- 1915 [...]
These rules have been around a while and are probably not true. However, I do recall meeting a teacher in the mid 1970s who was keeping her recent marriage a secret from her employer. She said she would be fired if they found out. When I questioned her about that, she shrugged and said that was the way things were at her school. (She didn’t have tenure yet.) So while these rules may be spurious, they help to illustrate that teachers have long been held to a higher standard of personal conduct even than, say, presidents or governors.
Sorry for the typo. I met her in the mid 1980s. (Even worse!)
This is a slippery slope that scares me. On one hand if a teacher is posting pictures of them drinking to excess or using drugs on facebook – that underminds their authority in the classroom.
On the other hand I had a parent complain that I was not qualified Morally to teach. Her reason was I was single with with a child’s car seat in my car. It was for my niece – but even if I had a child it was none of her business.
I’m in Texas – so the specter of someone being fired for not being a “real Christian” is something very real – especially in the isolated districts. (Some of those districts can be 3 hours across flying low so the district isn’t small but rural)
Interestingly this same issue has just come up in the media in the UK, with a dance teacher being accused of ‘bringing the school into disrepute’ because of her modeling portfolio which is available online.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1166044/Teacher-faces-disciplinary-action-parent-uncovers-racy-lingerie-photos-online.html
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