CEN TU RY OF PR OG RE SS Howthe jobofteacher haschanged –1922-2022

By NICK VLAHOS

Sometimes, changes in teaching take decades. Sometimes, changes can take less than adecade.

George Capps is among educators, active and retired, who have seen both.

When Capps began his teaching career in the early 1970s, the education process hadn’t altered muchfromthree or four decades earlier.

“Desks in rows,teachers in the front of the class,” the 34-year teacher and school administrator said recently. “It’s like it had always been.”

By the time Capps retired, in 2005 fromPlainfield Consolidated Community School District 202, that scenario was obsolete. Technology was muchmoreadvanced. Government dictates were much more prolific.

In Plainfield’s case, teachers and administrators also were dealing with explosive growth in student enrollment and in facilities to house them. Theyalsowere recovering froma 1990 tornado that caused $165 million in damage, including to some school buildings.

None of it was easy, to hear Capps describe it.

“Building schools was away of life,” he said.“Hiring and training teacherswas away of life.

“As we got bigger, if you were at all reflective or worked with agroup of people who could sit down and say, ‘What canwelearnfromthis?’ you can learna lot. Instead of the whole ‘It’s not my job’ thing, we shrugged our shoulders and said, ‘Let’s go.’ ”

That might summarizethe attitude of alot of teachers over the past century. From one-room schoolhouses to Zoom-based learning, adaptability and flexibility have been vital.

“You had to be ajack-of-alltrades,” saidKurt Begalka,administrator of the McHenry County Historical Society and Museum in Union.

One-room schoolhouses were common 100years ago

Begalka could have been commenting about any era of teaching, perhaps. But given his organization’s focus, it particularly fits early-to-mid-20th century McHenry County education.

In the pre-Depression era, one- and two-room schools were common. McHenry County had more than 100 of them, according to Bob Frenz, who taught 35 years in Huntley. He wrote a book about suchfacilities –“Historic Country SchoolsofMcHenryCounty, Illinois.”

The historical society maintains more tactile reminders of that era. On its campus is the restored West Harmony Schoolhouse, which from 1895 until 1955 stood near Marengo.

By the 1920s, almost all who taught at West Harmony and at comparable facilities were women. They replaced men who went off to fight in World War I, according to Frenz.

“Whentheycame back, there were more[other] job openings for them,” he said. “Some women were nurses, butmany of them had to take the jobs in the schools.”

Said Begalka: “It’s kind of ascary thing, in the sense of when you think about women’s rights and the opportunities they had. Then, one of the few careersawomancould have was a teacher.”

One-room teachers taught students from first through at least eighth grades. Buildingshad separate entrances for boys and girls.

Depending on timeofyear and grade level, girls might predominate in class, because boys were helping to plant or harvest on their family farms

Curriculumemphasized the three R’s, alongwith another one. Recess was important, in part because the one-room rural school was more than just aplace to learn.

“Therewas alot of interaction in class, games inside andoutside the schools,”Begalka said. “Schools back then were sort of like the community hubs for the entire area.”

For teachers, it led to alot of long days andweekends. Frenz discovered that through his research and by talking with educators from that era. Some still were active when Frenz began work at Huntley in the late 1960s.

“It was avery difficult job,” he said. “They had alot of help from families. The families were very supportive, unlike somesituationstoday. It was like afamily.”

Economic,governmentfactors

By the late 1940s and early 1950s, that family was less and lessconfined to one-room education.

Consolidation sweptMcHenry County. Single-school districtsin rural areas merged with colleagues in cities and villages. Some of those old schools had 20 to 30 students, but others had fewer.

“It didn’tseemcost-effective to employ ateacher for five or six students,” Frenz said.

As schools consolidated, working conditions for teachers changed.

In the 1930s, astate-organized teacher pensionsystem was organized. That enabled teachers to have a retirement fund, something that didn’t exist before, according to Frenz.

Unionization in the 1960s and 1970s helped leadtohigher teacher salaries and benefits. Still, professional training might not have advanced quite as rapidly, Capps said.

“In the 1970s, when we went to school to be teachers, we didn’t really knowwhat the heck we weredoing,” he said. “You hoped you had agood experience with your teacher, and you modeledyourselfonwhat youthink would work.

“There wasn’t alot of research on teaching. What was being applied was punishment-and-rewardstuff, not much beyond that.”

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Professional development became more emphasized as the 1970s progressed, Capps suggested. Also evident was more federal- and state-government involvement, including special education programs and standardized testing.

Tools of teachingchanged,too.By thetime the 1980s ended, personal computers were becoming common. As time progressed, possession became more widespread and devices became smaller.

“Almost all students probably were carrying around something with more computing power than we have,” Capps said. “It’s like the whole thing has turnedonits head, and people have ahardtimedealing with it.”

Today’steachers

During almost 30 years as ateacher, Bryan Leonard has dealt with it. Some might say he’s excelled at it.

The advanced chemistry and physicsteacher at Ottawa Township High School has adapted his curriculum to fit modern technology, as wellasthe short attention spans that mightbea result of it.

Leonard uses DVDs, laptop computers, projectors and the internet to convey his lessons. He’s created eight- to 10-minute videos he’s posted on YouTube.

“I always had the idea that in teaching,you’re kind of not only giving them the material, but you have to keep it entertaining as well. You’re part P.T. Barnum,” said Leonard, who since 1996 has taught at his high school alma mater.

“The material really hasn’t changed alot over the past 25 years. It’show you present it.”

In some ways, the students haven’t changed, either,Leonard said.Some are eager to learn.Others do the bare minimum.

But the omnipresence of email, social media and other forms of communication has altered the nature of teacher-student interaction.

“They want everything instantly,”

Leonard said about his charges. “You’ll have kids email at 11 o’clock on aSaturday night, thinking they’re goingtoget aresponse right away. I think kids have more stress because of that.”

Perhapssome teachers do, too. As the52-year-old Leonardapproaches retirement, he said he isn’t sure if he’d do it all over again. Aprivate-sector chemistryjob would have been more lucrative.

“It’s nice to make alot of money,” Leonard said, “but on the other hand, it’s nice to see former students and see how they succeed.”

That appeared to be Capps’ philosophy, too. He continues to regard teaching as anoble profession,despiteall thechanges in society andineducation. Andthere havebeen plenty,as Capps noted.

“Rap music and hip-hop will destroy theworld,” he said. “Which Iguess was already destroyed by grunge, which was already destroyed by heavy metal, which was already destroyed by the Rolling Stones, which was destroyed by Elvis Presley.

“Which should have been destroyed in the ’20s by jazz music.”