Lives of learning: teacher's hall of fame is nation's first

Kansas teachers have come a long way since 1872.
    Back then, school districts required them to carry buckets of water and coal, clean chimneys, fill kerosene lamps and whittle pens for the whole class.
 Teachers were forbidden to smoke, drink, play pool or "frequent public halls."
    Women couldn't marry or date and men had to shave at home. In fact, if they were spotted getting a shave at a barber shop, male teachers got the boot.
    But today, Kansas teachers have their own hall of fame. It's the first in the country, and one of only four in the nation. And it's located right here in Dodge City.
    Every year since 1977, teachers from all over the state are nominated for induction into the Kansas Teacher's Hall of Fame by their peers and administrators. Only those educators who have given at least a quarter-century of service are eligible for consideration by the hall's board of directors, all of whom are professional educators.
 The Hall of Fame display inhabits the front half of a space that also houses a museum and a gift shop. Photos of every inductee line the walls, along with several instructive displays. And beginning this year, the hall of fame is also starting to display the personal memorabilia of some of its members.

In a little one-room school
    In back of the hall of fame display, a replica of a little country school is open for public viewing. Lines of small, old fashioned desks face a big teacher's desk, surrounded by an amazing mish-mash of beautiful antiques — little tin lunch pails, an ancient Remington typewriter, engraved wooden pencil boxes, ink wells, slates, maps, a tiny globe, and a heavy cast iron school bell, its shiny wooden handle worn smooth with use. There's a big old chalk board, and a paddle tagged   "Board of Education" by some long-ago wag.
    An ingenious multi-subject teaching device is screwed to the wall near the front of the room. As its handle is turned, a variety of teaching tools is displayed - the Palmer Handwriting method, Morse Code, shorthand, botanical drawings of flowers, and sketches of famous artists, along with a 19th-century engineer's tips on how to draw bridges.
    Most of these beautiful tools are available for delicate handling and inspection, albeit under the watchful eye of volunteer teachers who really do  have eyes in the back of their heads. And there's always a bit of historical lore or instruction to accompany each item.
    "When I show children the first typewriter and our tiny mimeograph machine, they often ask 'Well, where's the first computer?'" said volunteer Judy Jones, who taught in the Dodge City schools for 33 years. " I tell them that if we did have one of the first computers, we'd need a whole room just to house it."
For the complete story go to http://dodgecitydailyglobe.ks.newsmemory.com/

Reach Claire O'Brien at (620)408-9931 or e-mail her at claire.obrien@dodgeglobe.com.