Zearing, Iowa 1956 History

The Zearing school house in this picture was originally a one room building. The one room building was built in 1883. Later the building was enlarged to the size shown in the picture. This picture is approximately fifty years old. The picture was furnished for this history by Florence Hix Lightfoot.

Iowa. Ellis was one of the pupils. He said that more than seventy pupils came the first day. Some of them were from outside the official district.

Miss Frances McGloffen was the teacher. She found that none of the pupils had been in a graded school before. She was astounded at the task before her. However, she graded the pupils as best she could. It was a week before she had the school in operation.

The teacher selected several of the advanced pupils and put them in charge of the lower grades. Sometimes three or more classes would be reciting at the same time in the one room school.

The school authorities finally consented to the employment of an assistant teacher. Effie, the sister of Frances, came to help. Ellis said that Zearing's first teachers did an excellent job under very trying conditions.

The teachers, 1883-93 were: