School Marm Story

Item #5171

(October, 1991) This statue honors teachers of the twentieth century with one from the turn of the century. The School Marm has seen many children pass through her classroom. She has a red pencil for checking her students’ homework, and her textbooks represent the three basic R’s of education: Reading, ‘Riting, and ‘Rithmetic. Her ruler warns students that discipline will be measured out if they’re given an inch and take a mile. But it also brings to mind her favorite song:

“School days, School days, Dear old golden rule days.”

She is the second member of my new “Professions” series, which began with M.D., the family doctor. The School Marm’s coin depicts a lightbulb, which, like this hard-working teacher, is dedicated to better vision. The acorns which secure her bun confirm what all students know–that a teacher has eyes in the back of her head.

Dr. Thomas F. Clark