Montpelier High School - Record Yearbook (Montpelier, VT)

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E. WINIFRED BRIGGS Director of Guidance of Montpelier High School My first experience in guidance was in a Teachers College where I had to live in a tem- porary army barracks dormitory with 160 girls. Besides the public rooms and the di- rector’s suite there were 20 rooms in w'hich the students lived. With four double-decker beds in each room, chests, study table, and chairs the girls were just barely able to squeeze themselves and their belongings into the space. My guidance consisted mainly of keeping the house comfortable, advising the girls to keep their belongings picked up, and helping them to learn to live peaceably with each other. GLENN AIKEN Science My first teaching experience occurred as a research fellow in the Physics Department at Amherst College. The salary, on which the instructor was expected to live on (and did) was 75 per month. The intellectual diet was very stimulating, but i % meals per day left something to be desired gastronomicly speaking. A visit to the football practice field brought down upon my head the wrath of an over-zealous manager who suspected me of “scouting” (a practice frownd on in those days.) Though somewhat inarticulate were his apologies when, the next morning, he discovered the erstwhile “scout” facing him across the demonstration desk in the lecture room where he had come for his first class in physics. MRS. ARLIE BARROWS Art My first teaching experience was in a rural school in New Haves Vermont in 1919. There were five pupils, one in each of the first five grades. Thirty-four weeks comprised the school year, and the salary was 540.00. I taught there 2 years paying 4.00 a week for board and room. The first summer, I at- tended summer school at U. V. M. The second summer at Columbia University in New York. It was a grand experience, and 540.00 was adequate. ROBERT F. BELDING Mathematics My first teaching experience was in a pri- vate school. I suppose I went through about the same experiences as all new' teachers. Like them, I gradually “learned the ropes.” One of these “ropes” is a fundamental prin- ciple: Concerning the status of pupils’ knowledge, a teacher must venture no pre- diction; they always know more than we ex- pect, but less than we hope for. KATHLEEN I. BRETTELL French and English My first teaching assignment included a seventh-grade English class, predominantly lively boys. A popular radio program that fall was the HIT PARADE with its tobacco auctioneer whose commercial always ended, “Sold, American!” On the day in question I had just delivered what I hoped was a firm enough reproof to bring at least temporary order, wrhen, at the very back of the room, a boy, known to his pals as Slugger, gave his desk a resounding slap and, with all the skill of a seasoned professional, chanted, “SO- L-D! A-MER-I-CAN!” HENRY W. CASWELL Social Studies My first experience at teaching school was at Middlebury High School while I was still in attendance there as a senior. My mathematics teacher was also the prin- cipal and was quite often called away from class on administrative matters. On those occasions he would enlist us mathematics majors to take over the first year classes of Algebra and Plane Geometry. Both the stu- dents and I enjoyed this change. This indoctrination into the teaching field played an important role in deciding my fu- ture and, I might add, in changing my atti- tude towards teachers and education. 7

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Back Rout Mr. Caswell. Mr. Coane. Mr. McDonald. Mr. Towle. Mr. Harmon; Second Rou-: Mrs. Spaulding. Mr. Tomat, Mr. Harvey. Mr. Aiken. Mr. Belding. Mr, Myrick. Mr Shipp. Mrs. Tohey. Mias Dixon; Seated Miss Briggs, Mrs. Small. Miss Sault, Mr. Chaatney. Mr. McClelland. Mrs Harrows, Mias Newton. Miaa Kettelle. Mias Brettelle. ROBERT H. CHASTNEY Principal of Montpelier High School My most vivid recollection of my first year of teaching is not an incident but the group of students I had in a class in beginning Latin. Among its forty-three members was a Russian boy whose father, an army officer loyal to his Czar, had been murdered by the Bolsheviks. The lad had made his escape to America with his mother by the way of Siberia, Manchuria, and China. Another member was a young South American whose family had come to America for refuge after the failure of a revo- lution. There was also a Chinese boy who later attended Norwich University; a young Afghan Moslem (later an officer in the United States Army who was killed a year ago in Korea). There were others in the group of equally diverse origins and of equally high quality —- born of many lands, but Americans all! It was these for whom the inscription on the Statue of Liberty was written: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free Send these, the homeless, the tem- pest-tossed, to me I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” This is the glory of our Country. 6

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GRAY R. COANE Mathematics and Science During the fall of 1932 I began as a teacher in the Manual Training department of Mont- pelier High School and as coach of basket- ball. Later in the year I taught social studies and geography. (Strange how versatile man can be!) My initial experience as a coach showed how inexperienced I was in this field of en- deavor. In the first game with Bradford the score was 48-16 in our favor before I dared to substitute. Mark me down as a conserva- tive! MILLICENT L. DIXON Commercial My first experience in teaching was in Enosburg Falls, Vermont, a small but lively community. I took over at the beginning of the second semester, just as mid years were over—in fact, just ??? years ago now (as I am writing this). The one thing I remember about that first semester is the difficult time I had trying to prepare each day for six or seven different commercial subjects, then trying to correct the papers received from all those classes, plus the extra duties required of all teachers. I soon caught on that teaching school was no “cinch”. Had it not been that my colleagues were most helpful to a beginner, the students a really fine group of youngsters, and the townspeople friendly and appreciative, I would probably have changed professions after that one semester. But I guess I’m glad I didn’t. MILDRED L. HALLGREN School Nurse My first experience in school nursing oc- curred in Windham County. The local doc- tor examined the children at the school. One day there were eight children from the “Little Red School House” referred for tonsil oper- ations. One of my duties was to make ar- rangements for the clinic. A local home was set up as a hospital; the anesthesia was given in the dining room; and the operations per- formed on the kitchen table. The sunporch was the recovery room. A few hours after the operations the children were given a treat of ice cream, and then taken to their homes. JOHN L. HARMAN English What do you know about Arkansas? I found on my first teaching job that Clarks- ville in the Ozark Mountains boasted a co- educational college with a student work pro- gram. We lived somewhat like pioneers, but what bountiful hospitality we received! The enthusiasm of the students for learning com- pensated for roughing it. Of course, there was no skiing, but plentiful Indian relics could be hunted around the neighboring mesas. LEON R. HARVEY Coach and Physical Training Director My first school teaching experience was an awe-inspiring lesson in how little I knew of those I was entrusted to handle. The theory of teaching is easy, the practice of teaching hard, so my first day in school was (as my last promises to be) a search for that elusive something that makes humanity click. ISABEL HOLMSTROM Physical Training My first experience in teaching was in Medford High School in Massachusetts. The school had a student body of about 3,000 and there were approximately one hundred girls in each gym class. We started the season with field hockey which necessitated a walk of three blocks to the playing field. I have often wondered what the many people thought who lived en-route to the field or were driving by when they saw 100 girls walking along in shorts carrying hockey sticks. violet e. kp:ttelle Biology and Botony My first teaching experience was at a pri- vate Methodist school. I had one biology, one general science, and three French classes. Besides teaching, I had to chaperone the girls 8