Teacher Restrictions Abound… In 1915

My fabulous wife Sara is going to school to become a teacher.  She is working really hard and doing well and is prepared for the challenges to come. She is looking forward to the freedom and flexibility a teaching career will offer, but truth be told it wasn’t always that way! Check out the list of restrictions teachers faced 100 years ago. The following is a list of rules that American teachers in 1915, were told to obey.

• You will not marry during the term of your contract.
• You are not to keep company with men.
• You must be home between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless attending a school function.
• You may not loiter downtown in ice cream stores.
• You may not travel beyond city limits unless you have the permission of the chairman of the board.
• You may not ride in a carriage or automobile with any man, unless he is your father or brother.
• You may not smoke cigarettes.
• You must wear bright colors to school.
• You may under no circumstances dye your hair.
• You must wear at least 2 petticoats.
• Your dresses must not be any shorter than two inches above the ankle.