SCHOOLMASTER OF YESTERDAY

Ninety-nine years of teaching are spanned in this book as experienced by the author's grandfather, father and himself, which gives a detailed picture of the life of the times and the teacher's role in the community. Thomas Kennedy migrated from Kentucky to central Indiana, boarded with his pupils' families, and struck a new note by his disbelief in corporal punishment, Ben, his son, lived under less rigorous conditions, but had new problems to face -- greater attendance, the independence of pupils, and the necessity of taking examinations for a teacher's certificate. Finally the author's experiences as he witnessed the change from the close relationship of teacher and pupil to the impersonal attitude of larger educational institutions. Of interest primarily in educational circles, but the pleasant, patriarchal feel of the book may expand its appeal.