Page 70 - 1930 October - To Dragma

OCTOBER, 1930 69

in knowledge and experience such material that not only later made
my return to Mansfield as hostess a joy—but gave me an appreciation
for the possible things college "co-eds" can be guilty of doing.

After two wonderful years here at D.P.U., and Theta chapter was no
small part of it, I spent two very rapid years at Madison, Wisconsin.
I was affiliated with Eta for a time, but not being so flushed with wealth,
I slipped out and enjoyed looking in on their pep and life, for they
were a most clever group.

Graduation day, 1923, found me signed for a position to teach at
Racine County Home Economics School, Rochester, Wis., thrilled to
death. The following September, I had hardly stepped from the train
in Burlington, Wis., until I ran on to Buster Zimmerman from Eta.
As a life saver "Bus" was wonderful, for when I found myself way off,
three miles from Burlington, in a town of about three hundred and no
young people, I turned right around and used literally that little AOII
motto of ours. We became fast friends, and in a short time the year
was over, and "Bus" and I were planning her wedding which was to
be that June. In that year I learned much and decided more. I taught
every possible subject having even a faint correlation to home eco-
nomics—even to girls' athletics. You should see me do wand drills and
invent games to suit occasions—you really can do so much when you
have to! But, since I am to offer advice to anyone beginning in home
economics or teaching, I recommend saying, " I can," to everything you
are asked to do; and don't spurn a job because you are asked to teach
many subjects; be glad of the opportunity. Use all your training,
and organize your thinking immediately. To teach three subjects in
one year is harder, but as good a recommendation as teaching three
different subjects, three different years.

That year's experiences decided me against high school work. I
didn't exactly love the attitude of many students; I found you were
supposed to teach them something no matter how hard they resisted
the idea. The whole idea seemed such a farce—for a school to hire
someone to make another learn something so he could probably enjoy
°is own life more, later on. So, I decided to secure a college position.
I learned about colleges and universities from a government bulletin
giving complete statistics on sizes, departments, and so forth. That
spring I wrote many letters and received only a few answers (those,
negative), but resigned my position anyway. Along in the summer,
when I was beginning to despair of a college job, I received a wire from
^•P-U. signed—George R. Grose. To some older DePauw students that
name will give quite a thrill. It was the one university to which I had
n ° t had nerve to send an application, and the one where I had hoped
["aybe, someday, to get in as instructor. I wired my answer, and Sep-
tember, 1924, found me loaded with lists of library books, outlines for
c°urses of study, illustrative material, and a schedule for classes, on my

a y to Greencastle, Ind. If anyone feels it an easy proposition at
wenty-three to be responsible for swinging a department and for teach-
8 a college major, just try it some time. I really managed to keep