Teacher Exam - Try It

We herewith publish a list of the questions used in this county in examining teachers, during the past month.

These questions were prepared by the State Superintendent, assisted by three County Superintendents, and are changed each month.

Teachers and those intending to become teachers will find it a profitable exercise to study those questions, and to write out answers to them.

[Note: I picked out two questions from each area. See how well you can answer these to become a teacher in 1877.]

GRAMMER

1. Give synopsis of the word sew, in the first person singular, throughout all the moods and tenses.
2. Write a complex sentence, illustrating the use of the subjunctive and potential moods. Analyze it, and parse all the nouns, pronouns and verbs.

GEOGRAPHY.

1. Describe a journey by water from Albany, N. Y., to St. Petersburg, Russia.
2. What are isothermal lines and what is their direction in the U. S. compared with the parallels of latitude?

READING.

1. Name the organs of speech used in pronouncing make.
2. What means do you use to interest reading classes and aid them in understanding the author?

ARITHMETIC.

1. At an election 18,000 votes were cast for three candidates, A. had 3,250 more votes than B.; C. had 1,000 less than B; how many had each?
2. A drover bought sheep for $3.40 each. If he had paid $4.25 each, they would have cost him $120.70 more. How many sheep did he buy?

PHYSIOLOGY.

1. Give the four general divisions of the bones, and the number in each.
2. Give your views on the subject of ventilating school rooms and dwellings, and reasons therefor; also the average temperature.

ORATORY

1. How many elementary sounds in the English language?
2. Classify the elementary sounds into vowels, sub-vocals and aspirates.

PENMANSHIP

1. How many kinds of lines are used in writing, and how are they combined in forming letters?
2. How many principles do you teach? Form them.

HISTORY

1. What theory and facts led to the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus?
2. How did European nations acquire possession of American territory?

[How well did you do? Personally, I'm in awe of the depth of knowledge these teachers were required to have. This article appeared in the Newton Journal April 12, 1877. Submitted by Barbara Hug.]

Student Exams

Up until the 1950s students had to pass a written exam to go on to high school. I suspect these tests were almost as difficult as some of our high school tests are today. This news item from the April 13, 1933 issue of The Newton Daily News gives a flavor of the day.

Rural Exams To Be Written In County In May
Second of Two Sets of Eighth Grade Exams
Will be Given May 4, and 5.

Places and Teachers in Charge Are Announced by County Superintendent Lucy E. Hall; Pupils May Choose Places.

The second of two sets of rural eight grade examinations for the school year of 1922-23 will be held in Jasper county on Thursday and Friday, May 4 and 5. County Superintendent Lucy E. Hall has announced. The first examinations were given in February.

Examinations in history, civics and citizenship and penmanship will be written Thursday morning followed by grammar, physical training and agriculture in the afternoon. Examinations will be written Friday morning in arithmetic, music and spelling.

The places in which the examinations will be written and those in charge are the county superintendents office in the courthouse, Miss Hall; Kellogg No. 7, Elnora Lenz and Helen Schnug; Mariposa No. 3 Minnie Kutcher and Lillian Zirbel; Ira, Irene Orr and Cecil Geisler; Greencastle, Merie Jorgensen and Mary Moore; Washington No. 6, Marguerite Schoondyke and Frances McCracken; Des Moines No. 9, Merie McQuire and Jennie VanderKraan; Warren Grove, Fern Beyer and Lena Kyerkerk; Galesburg, Freda DeJong and Blanche Den Hoedt; Lynn Grove No. 9, Cornelia Kleinendorst and Nadine Earp; Richland No. 2, Opal Stotler and Arlene Edgington; Killduff, Hazel Neff and Helen Holdsworth; Reasnor, Wanda Van Wyngarden.

Pupils may select the places to which they wish to go to write the examinations and will be expected to attend the place they chose, Miss Hall announced. Pupils are to take nothing with them but pencils or pen and ink, as all paper will be provided. Pupils may rewrite in any subject they wish and may keep the higher grade; but they must re-write in any subject to which they made less than 75 per cent in the February examination. ~ Newton Daily News, Newton Iowa, April 13, 1933.

Rural School Fade From Iowa At Sharp Pace

AMES, Ia. (AP) The small rural school is fading from the Iowa scene at an increasing rate.

The extent of its disappearance was traced today by J. Leonard Devries, research director of the Iowa state educational association.

Devries told officials at a school district, reorganization conference here today that in 78 of Iowa's 99 counties there are 3,135 fewer rural teaching positions occupied than in 1940.

The relative importance of this shrinkage may be gauged by the fact that in the whole state there were 6,429 rural teachers in the 1946-47 school year.

Devries, in an analysis of a study in which 78 counties replied, gave the conference these figures:

There have been 41 town school reorganizations in Iowa the past two years.

In 78 counties, 712 rural schools have made adjustments and 434 rural schools, including 21 rural schools, have been reported permanently closed.

There have been 841 rural teaching positions discontinued in 78 counties in the last two years, 1,441 discontinued since 1940, and there are 694 additional rural teaching posts which although not discontinued simply are vacant. ~ The Newton Daily News, July 25, 1947.