Georgia Thompson Birkenholz
Georgia Thompson Birkenholz's teaching story starts spring of 1927 in Parnell School District. She didn't think she had a chance for a job without 60 hours, but was hired to teach at Miller School and received $90 a month. Miller was a one-room school with windows on two sides. It was heated with a big pot-bellied stove, which was in the middle of the room, and she was expected to be the janitor. Birkenholz had thirteen pupils in the fall of 1927, in all eight grades. She lived with her parents in Parnell and drove a Model A Coupe, rode a horse, or walked to school when the roads were bad. Miller was three miles from town on an all-dirt road. She then went to Mt. Everett in 1929; at one time, about 20 pupils were enrolled in all eight grades, and the older students assisted her by helping with the younger students. This school had windows on one side, and a big stove had a jacket around it. She then moved to a bigger town school to teach the first and second grade where the salary was still $90 a month. In 1933, the Farmers Bank of Parnell closed, and the salaries skidded to a low of $40 a month. Her last year in Parnell was 1940-1941. as she married Tom Birkenholz in September 1940, and the school board didn't want married teachers.
Mrs. Birkenholz, on the left, and the other retiring teacher, Miss Opal Orme, taking a photo together
Photo from Maryville Daily Forum
​In January 1945 she was hired to teach the fourth grade at Eugene Field for $120 a month. She taught the fourth grade 1.5 years, and was then placed in the second grade, where she stayed until her retirement in 1971. The rooms in Eugene Field were more modern and better equipped. When Birkenholz left Eugene Field, there were four teachers in each grade and many special teachers. The experience of the rural school was also different because one teaches all grades and older students assist the teacher while teaching two grades makes it difficult to get all necessary content done. Additionally at Eugene Field, she had 20-40 students each year which was difficult because each student has a different ability level. In looking back at her years of teaching she believes students today know more about things than they used to, but as a whole, do not learn the basic subjects as well and are less respectful to older people. She also denotes that her salary has changed drastically over her time in teaching, especially during the Great Depression.