By The Light of The Silvery Moon Teacher Moonlighting and The Dark Side of Teachers Work 1st Edition Eleanor J. Blair

By the Light of the Silvery Moon
Teacher Moonlighting and the Dark

Side of Teachers Work 1st Edition
Eleanor J. Blair
Visit to download the full and correct content document:
https://ebookmeta.com/product/by-the-light-of-the-silvery-moon-teacher-moonlighting-
and-the-dark-side-of-teachers-work-1st-edition-eleanor-j-blair/
More products digital (pdf, epub, mobi) instant
download maybe you interests ...
Dancing By The Light of The Moon 1st Edition Gyles

Brandreth
https://ebookmeta.com/product/dancing-by-the-light-of-the-
moon-1st-edition-gyles-brandreth/
Dark Social: Understanding the Darker Side of Work,

Personality and Social Media 1st Edition Ian Macrae
https://ebookmeta.com/product/dark-social-understanding-the-
darker-side-of-work-personality-and-social-media-1st-edition-ian-
macrae/
Light in the Dark Moon Harbor 1 1st Edition Kate

Mcwilliams
https://ebookmeta.com/product/light-in-the-dark-moon-
harbor-1-1st-edition-kate-mcwilliams/
The Cactus and Snowflake at Work How the Logical and

Sensitive Can Thrive Side by Side 1st Edition Devora
Zack
https://ebookmeta.com/product/the-cactus-and-snowflake-at-work-
how-the-logical-and-sensitive-can-thrive-side-by-side-1st-
edition-devora-zack/
The Dark Side of Translation 1st Edition Federico
Italiano Editor
https://ebookmeta.com/product/the-dark-side-of-translation-1st-
edition-federico-italiano-editor/
The Dark Side of Deceit (The Colby Tate Mysteries #4)

1st Edition Allen Kent
https://ebookmeta.com/product/the-dark-side-of-deceit-the-colby-
tate-mysteries-4-1st-edition-allen-kent/
Guardians of the Light Omnibus Guardians of the Light 1

4 1st Edition J A Armitage
https://ebookmeta.com/product/guardians-of-the-light-omnibus-
guardians-of-the-light-1-4-1st-edition-j-a-armitage/
Teacher of the Year Teachers in Love 1 1st Edition M A

Wardell
https://ebookmeta.com/product/teacher-of-the-year-teachers-in-
love-1-1st-edition-m-a-wardell-2/
Teacher of the Year Teachers in Love 1 1st Edition M.

A. Wardell
https://ebookmeta.com/product/teacher-of-the-year-teachers-in-
love-1-1st-edition-m-a-wardell-3/
T
Blair, Ed.
eacher moonlighting has been studied and documented since at least the early 1960s,
and yet, it can be easily argued that the phenomenon is still not understood. Teachers
moonlight in higher numbers than other professions, and yet while most teachers claim
that they do it for the money, increases in their compensation have not reduced the prac-
tice. By the Light of the Silvery Moon is the first book to provide a thorough review of the
research on the topic, looking deeply into the intricate workings of a profession that is at
least imperiled or, in the best of scenarios, a profession that is in transition. Teachers play
a critical role in society, so teaching needs to be a sustainable profession where teachers
may still moonlight, but the opportunities to expand the status as well as the content and
context of their work are unlimited. This book will fill an important gap in the literature

by bringing together the research and situating it within a broader conversation about
teachers’ work.
“By the Light of the Silvery Moon is a must-read for pre-service teachers, teachers, policy-
makers and all those interested in understanding how social, ethical, economical, and po-
litical factors can shape the teaching profession when working conditions of teachers are
framed by market-fundamentalism.”
By the Light
Ana Cruz, St. Louis Community College-Meramec
“Blair opens up moonlighting and invites us to join her and her contributing authors in
exploring its many and often multifaceted meanings. (She) breaks new and very intriguing
ground here for everyone from theorists to policymakers.”
David Gabbard, Boise State University
Eleanor J. Blair is a faculty member at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North

OF THE
Silvery Moon
Carolina, and teaches foundations of education courses in assessment, teacher leadership
and history/philosophy of education. Her research utilizes critical pedagogical frameworks
to analyze teachers’ work, promote critical media literacy and understand the significance
of place in teacher leadership.
Teacher Moonlighting and the

ISBN 978-1-9755-0017-7 Dark Side of Teachers’ Work
EDITED BY
$39.95
HIGHER EDUCATION / PUBLIC SCHOOLS / TEACHER EDUCATION / FACULTY DEVELOPMENT
ELEANOR J. BLAIR
A D VA N CE PRA I S E FO R

“With By the Light of the Silvery Moon, Eleanor Blair presents us with a ground-
breaking book that shines the light on a phenomenon of teachers’ work not rec-
ognized by most: teacher moonlighting. The contributors to this provocative and
deeply engaging edited volume keep the readers captivated by essays that cover a
broad range of perspectives on moonlighting, including its manifestations in the
digital age. These essays reveal a complex set of motivations that cause teachers to
take on additional jobs and how this multiplicity of jobs can affect teachers at the
professional and personal levels, and the teaching profession overall. The book is a
must-read for pre-service teachers, teachers, policy-makers and all those interested
in understanding how social, ethical, economical, and political factors can shape the
teaching profession when working conditions of teachers are framed by market-fun-
damentalism.”
Ana Cruz, St. Louis Community College-Meramec
“Ellie Blair opens up moonlighting and invites us to join her and her contribut-
ing authors in exploring its many and often multifaceted meanings. What do these
meanings mean in the lives of teachers? Moonlighting, it turns out, is not a simple
matter. For anyone who takes collective learning seriously, moonlighting is a symp-
tom of a larger reality. This is the reality of how and why we mistreat teachers as
we do. Has this mistreatment and total disrespect led some teachers to no longer
hear teaching as their all-consuming calling? Have we so badly alienated them that
teaching ceases being a life’s vocation and gets reduced to “just another job?” Or
maybe, for those who never really heard it as their calling, moonlighting just helps a
teacher take the edge off their day. Ellie breaks new and very intriguing ground here
for everyone from theorists to policymakers.”
David Gabbard, Boise State University
“What does it mean to be an American teacher? Thanks to Dr. Blair’s work on

moonlighting, we know it means finding a second income.”
J. Casey Hurley, Western Carolina University
blair-moonlighting3P.indd 1 3/30/18 11:28 AM

“By the Light of the Silver Moon offers students, teachers, administrators, and poli-
cy makers a fresh perspective on the topic of teacher moonlighting. There is no other
book like this on the market. Readers will find a delightful variety of works done
around an issue that all teachers know about but are afraid to talk about in public.
By the Light of the Silver Moon can initiate needed conversations about teachers’
lives, the culture of teaching, and the impact that teacher moonlighting has on the
profession.”
Yolanda Medina, Borough of Manhattan Community College
“Finally, a collection of essays that confronts the economic reality of the lives of
teachers. A society that takes one of its most treasured professions—teaching and
denies that profession decent wages forcing teachers to moonlight is reprehensible.
This book enlightens readers through a number of provocative essays that focus
upon the necessity of numerous teachers working additional jobs to survive econom-
ically and the consequences of that moonlighting. It should be required reading for
all those concerned about the state of education and the profession of teaching in the
present historical moment.”
William M. Reynolds, Georgia Southern University
“Blair has indeed illuminated a dimension of the lives of teachers about which few
non-teachers are aware . . . we are not yet a true profession. And those who teach
and strive for middle class lives make tough choices. Historically, teaching was
something one did on the way somewhere else or because the school year aligned
with farming and childcare. Blair’s close examination of the prevalence of the two-
job teacher in the 21st century shows how little the semi-profession has changed.”
Michelle Collay, University of New England

By the Light
OF THE
Silvery Moon

By the Light
OF THE
Silvery Moon
Teacher Moonlighting and the
Dark Side of Teachers’ Work
edited by
ELEANOR J. BLAIR

Copyright © 2018 | Myers Education Press, LLC
Published by Myers Education Press, LLC

P.O. Box 424 Gorham, ME 04038
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced in any form or by
any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including pho-
tocopying, recording, and information storage and retrieval, without permission in writing
from the publisher.
Myers Education Press is an academic publisher specializing in books, e-books, and digital content
in the field of education. All of our books are subjected to a rigorous peer review process and
produced in compliance with the standards of the Council on Library and Information Resources.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available from Library of Congress.
13-digit ISBN 978-1-9755-0017-7 (paperback)

13-digit ISBN 978-1-9755-0016-0 (hard cover)
13-digit ISBN 978-1-9755-0018-4 (library networkable e-edition)
13-digit ISBN 978-1-9755-0019-1 (consumer e-edition)
Printed in the United States of America.
All first editions printed on acid-free paper that meets the American National Standards
Institute Z39-48 standard.
Books published by Myers Education Press may be purchased at special quantity discount
rates for groups, workshops, training organizations, and classroom usage. Please call our
customer service department at 1-800-232-0223 for details.
Cover and text design by Sophie Appel
Visit us on the web at www.myersedpress.com to browse our complete list of titles.

This book is dedicated to the thousands of moonlighting teachers across the world.
Your efforts to persevere as teachers despite the low salaries
And challenging working conditions is to be commended.
My hope for you and all teachers is that the
21st century will see a re-visioning of teachers’ work
That produces meaningful, sustainable changes in the profession.
And finally, Richard Wisniewski,

thank you for writing the foreword to this book.
As a doctoral student, I viewed you as both muse and mentor;
Your efforts on my behalf have always been appreciated.
This book finally brings our work on teacher moonlighting full circle;
Not finished, but not forgotten.
.

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Foreword xi
Richard Wisniewski
Introduction: Those Who Can, Teach…and Work Two Jobs 1
Eleanor J. Blair
Section One: Teacher Moonlighting: Studied and Still Misunderstood
1. Shedding Light on the Dark Side of Teacher Moonlighting 15

Jeffrey A. Raffel & Lance R. Groff
2. A Study of Moonlighting by Public School Teachers 36
Doyne M. Smith & Bernice Cooper
3. Teacher Moonlighting: Interviews with Physical Educators 45
Jacqueline A. Williams
4. Teacher Moonlighting: An Unstudied Phenomenon 69
Richard Wisniewski & Paul Kleine
Section Two: Teacher Moonlighting IS Teachers’ Work

5. Gender Differences in Multiple Jobholding: Moonlighting among
Teachers 81
Stephen C. Betts
6. Moonlighting and Morale: The Impact on Educators Who Moonlight
and How Classroom Teaching Suffers 99
Sharon Brown, Sam L. Sullivan, & Bob Maninger
7. Characteristics and Working Conditions of Moonlighting Teachers:
Evidence from the 2011–2012 Schools and Staffing Survey 121
Paul G. Fitchett, Tina L. Heafner, & Susan B. Harden

x By the Light of the Silvery Moon
Section Three: Teacher Moonlighting in the 21st Century:

An Old Wine in a New Bottle
8. Teacher Moonlighting: The Good, the Bad, and the Possible 151
Stephen P. Gordon & Janis Newby Parham
9. New Moon: Teacher Moonlighting in the Digital Age 170
Rick Hartsell & Sarah Hunt-Barron
10. I’m a Sinner, I’m a Saint: A Teacher’s Perspective on Moonlighting in
the Nightlife Industry 189
Cara Kronen
11. Sabriya and Me: An Essential Conversation about the Nontraditional
Teacher Professional and a Life of Teacher Moonlighting 200
Hilton Kelly
12. Conclusion: Where Do We Go from Here? 216
Eleanor J. Blair
Contributors 235

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The present book presents a collection of essays, several of which have been
previously published. We gratefully acknowledge the permission to reprint
from the respective copyright holder.
Betts, S.C. (2004). Gender differences in multiple jobholding: Moonlighting among

teachers. Journal of Business & Economics Research, 2(8), 25–34.
Brown, S., Sullivan, S. L., & Maninger, B. (2015). Moonlighting and morale: The
impact on educators who moonlight and how classroom teaching suffers. The Jour-
nal of Multidisciplinary Graduate Research, 1, Article 8, 1–17.
Fitchett, P. G., Heafner, T. L., & Harden, S. B. (2016). Characteristics and work-
ing conditions of moonlighting teachers: Evidence from the 2011–2012 schools and
staffing survey. Current Issues in Education, 19(1). Retrieved from http://cie.asu
.edu/ojs/index.php/cieatasu/article/view/1672
Raffel, J. A., & Groff, L. R. (1990, Winter). Shedding light on the dark side of
teacher moonlighting. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 12(4), 403–414.
American Educational Research Association. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/
stable/1164474
Smith, D. M., & Cooper, B. (1967, January). A study of moonlighting by public

school teachers. American Educational Research Journal, 4(1), 51–58.
Williams, J. A. (1993). Teacher moonlighting: Interviews with physical educators.

Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 13, 62–77.
Wisniewski, R., & Kleine, P. (1984, April). Teacher moonlighting: An unstudied

phenomenon. The Phi Delta Kappan, 65(8), 553–555. Retrieved from http://www.
jstor.org/stable/20387118

FOREWORD
“Seems Like Old Times”
“ Seems Like Old Times” (1945) seemed an apt subtitle since it comple-
ments the reference to another song, the title of this book: “By the Light
of the Silvery Moon” (1909). The latter song is a part of Americana, a staple
of barbershop quartets, sing-alongs, and events evoking times long gone.
The wide need for many teachers to seek a second income also has a long
and persistent history.
Even so, most studies, debates and policies governing teaching and
teachers ignore the phenomenon and its implications, to their detriment and
that of the profession. Teachers and their work life are often debated with-
out confronting the singular fact that moonlighting by teachers is an integral
part of teaching. Eleanor Blair has provided a compendium of work that can
help correct that deficit.
This book brings back memories of my years as a teacher. I began my
career in the Detroit Public Schools in 1951. During my first several years
of teaching, I supported myself during summer “vacations” by driving taxi
cabs, fabricating sheet metal doors in a factory, moving crates in a soft
drink plant, and fabricating auto window frames at yet another factory.
Like many other teachers, I simultaneously took evening courses at the uni-
versity to earn a master’s degree. These work experiences greatly expanded
my understanding of life and people, a deficit in the lives of many teachers
who move directly from high school to college, and to the front of a class-
room with little or no experience beyond going to school. While earning
money is at the heart of the phenomenon, moonlighting surely helps to ex-
pand one’s knowledge of social conditions and people beyond one’s own
upbringing. Most of the male teachers and some of the female teachers with
whom I worked also had second jobs, sometimes during the school year as

xiv By the Light of the Silvery Moon
well as the summer. I do not recall any of us complaining about having to

work outside the classroom. It seemed like such a common practice that we
simply assumed it was part of what being a teacher required.
This recollection partially explains why, during my career in higher
education, studies of the teaching profession became a central focus. I be-
came ever more interested in the work life of teachers going beyond gener-
alities and idealistic hopes. Happily, the research community was adding
to a realistic knowledge base in teaching. My interest in the phenomenon
led to working with colleagues on the extent of teacher moonlighting in
two states. The first study was done with my late colleague Paul Kleine in
Oklahoma. Writing the above reveals why I am writing this foreword with
pleasure. The second study probed moonlighting among Tennessee teachers.
Ellie Blair was my graduate assistant when I was the dean of education at
the University of Tennessee. We collaborated on that study and here we
find ourselves still interested in learning more, Ellie taking the lead and I a
cheerleader for her efforts.
We have remained in touch over the many years since we did that study.
I have watched with pleasure her active and productive career. In this vol-
ume, she has compiled a range of studies and analyses of the many facets of
moonlighting. It deserves widespread reading by those in the profession and
any who wish to understand what being a teacher often requires of many. I
especially value the book since it brings me up to speed on issues in which
I am no longer immersed. Writing these remarks, I can imagine Ellie and I
both humming “By the Light of the Silvery Moon.” It is a catchy tune. Like
teacher moonlighting, it seems destined to be around for the long haul.
Richard Wisniewski
Dean of Education Emeritus,
The University of Tennessee

INTRODUCTION
Those Who Can, Teach…

and Work Two Jobs
Eleanor J. Blair
All of the moonlighting jobs came first. Teaching came along later, and I
was already so accustomed to them. I cannot imagine life without that. It’s
just non-existent. I just felt like working another job was a part of life. I
didn’t feel like it was any different. Most everybody that lives around here
that works in a factory will also come home and moonlight at a job or they
will raise a tobacco crop. If you have time, why not do it? (teacher and
hair stylist)
Nobody thought it [moonlighting] was bad at all. It was just like that’s what
teachers do, they moonlight. So, if anything, I think people maybe admired
me for doing it; they didn’t think badly of me. I wouldn’t think it was bad
for anybody else to work another job, especially if you’re the breadwinner
in the family; I’m not, I didn’t have to work. (teacher, tutor, and bus driver)
T eachers moonlight. Many teachers moonlight on a continual basis

throughout their careers. Others moonlight according to needs, both
personal and financial. In the past, numbers have varied because of incon-
sistencies in what is defined as moonlighting. Is moonlighting the work that
teachers do in the summer or does it also include additional work during
the school year? Additionally, when teachers assume extra responsibili-
ties during the school year and receive stipends, should that also be con-
sidered moonlighting? Blair (published as Hilty, 1987) found that when
teachers were asked what constituted moonlighting behavior, all of the

2 Eleanor J. Blair
above could be included. In her research, teachers suggested that additional

compensation for anything beyond their contractual teaching responsibili-
ties should be considered teacher moonlighting. Taking this into account,
statistics on teacher moonlighting ranging from 15% (Bobbitt, 1988) to
65% (Wisniewski & Hilty, 1987) have been published. More recently, Blair
(published as Hilty, 2008) found that 71% of North Carolina teachers had
other sources of income beyond their base teacher salaries. These statistics
led Gordon and Parham (2011) to claim that “between one-third and two-
thirds of teachers moonlight, making moonlighting teachers a significant
subculture in the profession” (p. 51). Early research documenting the prev-
alence of moonlighting among American teachers dates back to the 1950s
and 1960s (Anderson, 1966; Hilty, 1987, 2008; Norris & Hecker, 1962;
Schiffman, 1963; Smith & Cooper, 1967; Turner, 1962; Yeager, 1956). Re-
gardless of the pattern, this research forms a foundation for the continued
study of teacher moonlighting and speculation regarding its impact on the
profession. By the end of the 20th century, it could be clearly documented
that teacher moonlighting was persistent and was an important part of the
culture of teaching. And yet, no one had ever attempted to assemble the
research from the last 50 years and initiate a more in-depth conversation
about the complex relationship between teacher moonlighting and tradi-
tional notions of teachers’ work. The goals of this book are to fill that gap in
the literature and to provide a stage for future work in this area. Additional-
ly, this book will hopefully find its way into the hands of teacher education
students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels to provide the impe-
tus for a discussion of teachers’ work and the role of teacher moonlighting
in the lives of both beginning and experienced teachers.
As a preface to this book, I ask you to consider what we know about
teacher moonlighting. Common sense tells us that teachers in fact moon-
light, and that they probably moonlight in larger numbers than most sus-
pect. Among those who study teacher moonlighting, two things are appar-
ent. First, most teachers indicate that moonlighting is all about low teacher
salaries; teachers moonlight for money. Second, for many teachers, the
moonlighting jobs are important facets of their work lives; they like their
moonlighting jobs. Many teachers would be reluctant to simply give them
up their second jobs even if their salaries were increased. Less obvious, but
equally well-known, is the fact that teacher moonlighting is a covert activ-

introduction 3
ity; teachers don’t like to talk about their moonlighting activities in public.
Researchers have regularly documented the prevalence of teacher moon-
lighting, and yet public discussions of teacher moonlighting are largely non-
existent. Teachers seem to be most comfortable discussing moonlighting in
private settings, where they can share the information with other interested
teachers and even recruit these teachers to moonlight, but it is done behind-
the-scenes, not in public. Is this because they are embarrassed that they need
extra income, or is it related to concerns about the appropriateness of the
moonlighting jobs? Given the powerlessness and lack of autonomy felt by
many teachers, some may fear being reprimanded for having a second job
that might be perceived as interfering with their primary teaching responsi-
bilities. Several weeks ago, I was on Facebook and stumbled upon @eddieb
comedy, who has a following on social media. What (teachers) really say
about what they get paid! pt.1 (@eddiebcomedy, 2017) had @eddiebcom
edy ranting about teacher salaries. He stated that “it’s a shame that every
teacher I know gotta have a side hustle.” His examples of side jobs included
the following: teach, do hair, bake cakes, bake cookies, sell insurance and
Uber. Interesting that he would reference Uber, since teachers, as a group,
are targeted by Uber as prime potential employees:
For the last two years, the company has sponsored initiatives to
encourage teachers to moonlight as chauffeurs. The campaigns dif-
fer from city to city and from year to year. In 2014, the Uber cam-
paign’s discomfiting motto was “Teachers: Driving Our Future.” In
2015, Uber offered teachers in Chicago a summer job; to sweeten
the deal, the ride-share company gave a $250 bonus to any teach-
er who signed up to drive by a certain date and completed 10 car
trips. In Oregon, Uber notifies riders when their driver is a teacher
and trumpets the fact that 3 percent of each fare goes back to the
driver’s classroom. The company also offers a $5,000 bonus to the
school with the most active drivers. (Quart, 2016, para. 4)
I am certain that teachers make great Uber drivers: they are educated, reli-
able and generally have their own cars. However, I am also a little uncom-
fortable with the idea that teachers who are better educated than ever before

4 Eleanor J. Blair
in our history are feeling a financial necessity to drive a taxi during evenings
and weekends. I am equally certain that there are some enjoyable aspects of
being an Uber driver, but it would seem that with the challenges associated
with teaching today, there might be more productive ways for a teacher to
spend that time. So, perhaps, I should add one more caveat to the things I
know for sure about teacher moonlighting: the professional status of teach-
ers will always be in question as long as teachers work blue-collar jobs in
order to make ends meet at the most minimal financial level.
Research also indicates that some teachers work as bartenders, strippers
and even as porn movie stars in settings that might cause some concern from
those who believe that teachers should be held to higher moral standards
because of the important work they do with young impressionable chil-
dren (“California teacher fired for moonlighting as porn star fighting to get
her job back,” 2012; “Teacher reprimanded for moonlighting as stripper,”
2011; Kronen, 2018). A search through popular media sites reveals numer-
ous references to teachers who have chosen to moonlight in unconventional
jobs and faced the scrutiny of punitive school boards. And yet, these kinds
of issues represent one facet of the “dark side” of teachers’ work. Moon-
lighting is a part of teachers’ work, and as such, it occurs in myriad contexts
and conditions that may or may not be related to education. Interestingly,
at times, these “side hustles” are not jobs that encompass roles that are con-
gruent with our expectations for a person who is simultaneously a teacher
and a role model for children. If we don’t talk about teacher moonlighting,
we don’t ask questions regarding the appropriateness of one job over anoth-
er. These kinds of questions don’t have easy answers. Any job that is legal
and involves the opportunity to work and make extra money should be ac-
ceptable for teachers who moonlight, but having said that, I know it is not
entirely true. Ingersoll (2003) found that within schools, an important goal
of education was to “shape conduct, develop character and impart values”
(p. 227), and thus, a teacher’s conduct, character and values are front and
center in any discussion of the roles and responsibilities of teachers as role
models. Obviously, there are multiple perspectives on the different kinds of
moonlighting jobs held by teachers, but the lack of a definitive answer on
the kinds of jobs that are acceptable and those that are not is one of the rea-
sons for the secrecy surrounding teacher moonlighting. Again, these ques-
tions need to be debated in a public forum, especially a non-punitive forum

introduction 5
dedicated to understanding the phenomenon. Twenty-first-century teacher

moonlighting does not seem to be different from the moonlighting activi-
ties of previous generations despite changes in the profession—for example,
modest increases in teacher salaries, support for graduate education and na-
tional board certification, increased opportunities for career differentiation
and merit pay. And yet efforts to explore the impact of those changes on the
professional status of teachers’ work are still meager and limited. Research-
ers and policy makers should be seeking to ask new questions and expand
our understanding of 21st-century teachers’ work. This kind of knowledge
could be used to make teaching a different kind of career, a higher status
profession with the autonomy, control and financial compensation that is
typically found in other comparable professions.
So, teachers have “side hustles,” and for many people that somehow
balances the inequities and contradictions present in their salaries and work-
ing conditions. Most would agree that teaching is an important job, one of
the most important in our society, but teachers don’t work 12 months a
year, right? Therein lies part of the misunderstanding about teachers’ work.
It is disturbing that this view of teachers’ work is perpetuated in textbooks
for pre-service teacher candidates. For example, the following statement ap-
peared in Those Who Can, Teach (Ryan, Cooper & Bolick, 2016):
Compared with other workers, teachers spend much less time at

their work sites. If we ignore what teachers do at home by way of
preparing lessons, correcting papers, and checking homework, we
can say they work six or seven hours a day for fewer than half the
days of the year. Compared with those in power-and-status occupa-
tions, such as corporate finance or law, teachers have less demand-
ing work schedules. (p. 6)
There is so much wrong with this statement that it leaves me speechless.

First, it is difficult to believe that in the 21st century, judgments about a
person’s work are made by how much time they spend at their work site. In
this age of technology and digital resources, many workers complete their
work-related tasks at home, and often, outside of the traditional workday.
Additionally, how can one “ignore” preparing lessons, correcting papers,

6 Eleanor J. Blair
and checking homework “at home.” These are important, essential and
time-consuming tasks for most teachers. And finally, teachers clearly don’t
have the power and status they deserve, but I would be quite comfortable
arguing that teachers’ work is equally, if not more, important as jobs in cor-
porate finance or law. Obviously, the educators who wrote this textbook are
promoting a popular view of teachers’ work, but these perspectives are dan-
gerous and contradict efforts to establish teaching as a full-fledged profes-
sion with all of the associated benefits that other professionals enjoy. While
it is true that most teachers have 10-month contracts, the other two months
are often filled with continuing education classes, workshops, planning for
the next year, and other related activities. These are important tasks that
contribute to the efficacy of teachers’ work during the traditional academic
year. And yet, for many teachers, their schedules during the summer are also
filled with the second jobs that make being a teacher financially possible.
Riggs (2015) described the challenges of being a teacher as follows:
Teaching entails a schedule unlike that of most other careers. Os-

tensibly, the typical teacher in the United States works 180 or so
days annually, which comes with an average starting salary of a
little over $36,000. But that excludes the work that he or she prob-
ably does throughout the summer, after school hours, and on the
weekends. That 180-day policy is also a measure of the amount
of time students—not necessarily teachers—must be in school. It
doesn’t take into account professional-development time, parent-
teacher conferences, and “in-service” skills-training days, for ex-
ample. (para. 3)
For the teachers interviewed by Riggs, the conclusion was that, “(a)t the end
of the day, you definitely don’t do teaching for the money” (para. 11). A
teacher recently explained to me that a downside of working at an inner-city
year-round school is the impossibility of having a second job in the summer.
The potential educational benefits of year-round schools are diminished by
the need to supplement low teacher salaries with summer jobs. Another
teacher, who was privy to this conversation, explained to me her need to
work at Steak and Shake, a hamburger restaurant, because of her student

introduction 7
loans. She owes $80,000+ in student loans, and her $800 monthly payment
on those loans makes it impossible to pay rent, own a car and buy groceries
on a typical starting salary of $35,000 for a teacher. It was both interesting
and humorous that in her job as a waitress at Steak and Shake, she regularly
works side-by-side with a parent of one of her students. While one could
argue that the collegiality fostered by such an arrangement could be posi-
tive, I question the authority and respect that a teacher commands when one
simultaneously works as a waitress or waiter in a semi-skilled position with
limited authority and respect. Both of these teachers work in challenging
circumstances that can result in burnout and attrition.
Teacher moonlighting is, for most teachers, an innocuous activity.
Teachers engage in jobs that are primarily in retail, education or school-
related activities; some teachers have moonlighting jobs in all three areas.
The financial rewards are fairly modest, averaging around $5,000 or less
(Hilty, 2008). And yet, teacher moonlighting persists despite raises in teach-
er salaries and expanded opportunities for teacher leadership. Armario
(2011) found evidence that, “While moonlighting isn’t unique to teachers,
they do tend to have second or third jobs at a higher rate than other profes-
sionals” (para. 13). She continues by noting that “the average salary for a
public school teacher nationwide in the 2009-10 school year was $55,350,
a figure that has remained relatively flat, after being adjusted for inflation,
over the last two decades. Starting teacher salaries can be significantly low-
er; compared to college graduates in other professions, they earn more than
$10,000 less when beginning their careers” (para. 9). Earlier research by
Wisniewski and Kleine (1984) had indicated that the primary reason for
teacher moonlighting was supplemental income, and yet, later research by
Wisniewski and Hilty (1987) found that when teachers were asked if they
would continue moonlighting if given comparable raises in salary, a fairly
large number indicated that they would not surrender their other jobs.
In the past, researchers primarily belonged to two camps: those who
focused on the negative implications of moonlighting and those who viewed
moonlighting as a positive activity for teachers. Both groups viewed teaching
as a deprived profession, disagreeing only over the specificity of that depri-
vation. Many researchers in the negative camp argued that higher salaries
would raise teaching to a loftier professional status. Those in the positive
camp indicated that the deprivation was much more general: teachers had

8 Eleanor J. Blair
many needs and dissatisfactions with the profession, and salary was only
one of those needs. Until the school culture can be changed to meet those
needs, moonlighting may have positive implications for the profession.
I was a teacher moonlighter, and that experience later shaped and de-
fined the work that I would do as I worked on my doctorate. I worked as a
waitress throughout my early years as a teacher. The benefits were twofold:
I was able to earn extra money, while at the same time the job provided
me with an adult social life that was not possible in my job as a teacher.
Because of the teacher moonlighting experience, my dissertation in 1987 fo-
cused on teacher moonlighting: Moonlighting Teachers: A Thematic Anal-
ysis of Personal Meanings (Hilty, 1987). In that work I explored the idea
that teacher moonlighting was much more complex than simply presenting
teachers with a quick way to make extra cash, and yet I wanted to under-
stand what moonlighting meant to teachers, not researchers. How would
teachers define moonlighting? How would they talk about their other jobs?
Or, more importantly, how would they talk about teaching? In the end, I
found that moonlighting was a complicated behavior that was not easily
explained even by the teachers whom I interviewed. Teacher moonlighting
intersected with teachers’ work in ways that I had not originally anticipated.
Five conclusions emerged from this earlier work, conclusions that are still
relevant to teachers today:
1. Moonlighting among teachers is related to being a teacher. Teachers

who find teaching fulfilling will often seek moonlighting jobs that are
a continuation of those roles and responsibilities, e.g., adult education,
continuing education, tutoring, etc.
2. Teachers often experience dissatisfaction with the tasks and responsibil-

ities of teaching. Moonlighting is a response to those perceived needs
and dissatisfactions, resulting in teachers who might seek out a job that
provides immediate feedback and gratification.
3. Teachers struggle with the “fit” between the moonlighting job and
teaching. If the second job doesn’t “fit” or if it ceases to make sense,
they will quit or move to another type of second job.
4. Teachers moonlight for the money, but the money alone is not enough
motivation for most to continue working side jobs.

introduction 9
5. Not all second jobs provide satisfaction, but most teachers enjoy their
moonlighting activities. (Hilty, 1987)
There does seem to be ample evidence that teacher moonlighting is a complex

issue that can be viewed as impacting the teaching profession in both nega-
tive and positive ways. However, when one digs beneath the surface, larger
questions regarding the relationship of teacher moonlighting to the status
of the profession and school culture persist and remain unanswered. In one
sense, teacher moonlighting is like an iceberg, a large floating mass seemingly
detached from other educational issues and concerns, and like an iceberg, the
part below the surface is much larger than the part that is visible above surface.
More importantly, like an iceberg, the connections we can’t see, the things we
don’t know, can hurt us. We all know about teacher moonlighting, since it is
visible and acknowledged by teachers and researchers alike, and yet, the larger,
more complex issues related to teacher moonlighting are largely unseen and
frequently ignored. Educational anthropologists George and Louise Spindler
(1982) frequently referred to the idea of “making the familiar strange and the
strange familiar.” Moonlighting is so familiar to teachers that we don’t recog-
nize that the high levels of moonlighting among educators are a very strange
phenomenon. Attempts to study moonlighting have failed from attempts
to make what is commonplace appear disconcerting and worthy of serious
consideration by policymakers, researchers, or members of the profession.
The essays in this book are an attempt to pull together in one place the most
significant work that has been done on teacher moonlighting and to provide
a context for further investigation and speculation regarding a phenomenon
that has been frequently studied, but seldom understood.
References
@eddiebcomedy. (2017, November 16). What (teachers) really say about what
they get paid! pt.1 [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-
vi3r3LK0Dxo&list=RDvi3r3LK0Dxo&t=2
Anderson, W.D., Jr. (1966). Supplemental income survey: Oklahoma classroom

teachers and counselors K–12 (doctoral dissertation). The University of Oklahoma,
Norman, Oklahoma.

10 Eleanor J. Blair
Armario, C. (2011). Teachers, facing low salaries, opt to moonlight. Boston.com. Re-
trieved http://archive.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2011/11/11/teachers
_facing_low_salaries_opt_to_moonlight/?page=1
Bobbitt, S. A. (1988). Moonlighting among public school teachers: Survey report

(No. CS-89119). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
California teacher fired for moonlighting as porn star fighting to get her job back.
(2012, October 23). NY Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/
news/national/porno-teach-fighting-job-article-1.1190928
Hilty, E. B. (1987). Moonlighting teachers: A thematic analysis of personal mean-

ings (doctoral dissertation). The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee.
Hilty, E. B. (2008). Teacher moonlighting in North Carolina: Implications for the

profession. Paper presented at the North Carolina Association for Research in Edu-
cation Conference, North Bern, NC.
Ingersoll, R. M. (2003). Who controls teachers’ work? Power and accountability in

America’s schools. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Educational Press.
Kronen, C. (2018). I’m a sinner, I’m a saint: A teacher’s perspective on moonlighting

in the nightlife industry. In Blair, E. (Ed.), By the light of the silvery moon: Teacher
moonlighting and the dark side of teachers’ work. Gorham, ME: Myers Publishing.
Norris, W., & Hecker, S. E. (1962). Are Michigan educators moonlighters? Michi-
gan Education Journal, 39, 559–61.
Parham, J. N., & Gordon, S. P. (2011). Moonlighting: A harsh reality for many
teachers. Phi Delta Kappan, 92(5), 47–51.
Quart, A. (2016). Teachers are working for Uber just to keep a foothold in the middle-
class. The Nation. Retrieved from https://www.thenation.com/article/teachers-are-
working-for-uber-just-to-keep-a-foothold-in-the-middle-class/

introduction 11
Riggs, L. (2015). The myth of the teacher’s summer vacation. The Atlantic. Retrieved
from https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/07/myth-of-teacher-sum-
mer-vacation/397535/
Ryan, K., Cooper, J. M., & Bolick, C. M. (2016). Those who can, teach (14th ed.).
Boston: Cengage Learning.
Schiffman, J. (1963). Multiple jobholders in May 1962. Monthly Labor Review, 86,
516–23.
Smith, D. M., & Cooper, B. (1967). A study of moonlighting by public school teach-
ers. American Educational Research Journal, 4(1), 51–58.
Spindler, G., & Spindler, L. (1982). Roger Harker and Schöenhausen: From familiar
to strange and back again. In G. Spindler (Ed.), Doing the ethnography of schooling:
Educational anthropology in action (pp. 20–46). New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart,
and Winston.
Teacher reprimanded for moonlighting as stripper. (2011, August 31). Independent.

Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/
teacher-reprimanded-for-moonlighting-as-stripper-2347021.html
Turner, E. (1962). Moonlight over the chalkboard. National Education Association

Journal, 51, 29–30.
Wisniewski, R., & Hilty, E. B. (1987). Moonlighting: An education tradition we

could do without. Tennessee Teacher, 30, 8–11.
Wisniewski, R., & Kleine, P. (1984). Teacher moonlighting: An unstudied phenom-

enon. Phi Delta Kappan, 65(8), 553–55.
Yeager, W. A. (1956). Teaching is still a part-time profession. The Nation’s Schools,

57, 61–62.

SECTION ONE
Teacher Moonlighting
Studied and Still Misunderstood

CHAPTER ONE
Shedding Light on the

Dark Side of Teacher
Moonlighting
Jeffrey A. Raffel and Lance R. Groff

University of Delaware
To date, research has emphasized the dark side of teacher moonlighting,

linking moonlighting to teacher alienation and attrition. Research in Dela-
ware, however, indicates that although some moonlighters were “reluctant”
and would have quit if their income were increased, a majority were “will-
ing” and would have continued to moonlight even if their salaries were
increased enough to replace moonlighting income. Differences in the mo-
tivations, type of moonlighting position, job satisfaction, life impacts, and
job search activity between willing and reluctant moonlighters are reported
A constructive model of moonlighting, with related policy implications, is
proposed to balance the dominant constraining view.
T eaching is an “imperiled profession” filled with ranks of alienated,

dissatisfied, and soon-to-exit individuals. This is the image portrayed in
Originally published in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Vol. 12, No. 4
(Winter, 1990), pp. 403–414.
Published by: American Educational Research Association.
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1164474.
Accessed: 09-08-2017 19:37 UTC.

16 Jeffrey A. Raffel and Lance R. Groff
much of the recent research and depictions of teaching in America (Duke,

1984; Dworkin, 1987). In this context the holding of second jobs during the
school year by a significant number of teachers, referred to as moonlighting,
is a phenomenon to document, dissect, and decry.
Wisniewski and Hilty (1987) have argued that moonlighting is a sign
that teachers are not professionals. In their view, moonlighting is so limiting
that there is no hope that teaching can reach the status of a profession: “The
reality of moonlighting mocks efforts to increase the status of the profession.
So long as moonlighting remains an integral part of the teacher’s world, the
reforms being sought will only be partially achieved” (p. 1).
In a much quoted and stirring television documentary, Tom Brokaw
began with the moonlighting activities of a liquor store clerk, an outstand-
ing high school teacher moonlighting to make ends meet. “I wanted to be
a teacher—and this is what I have to do,” Leonard Stanziano, a “teach-
er’s teacher” of mathematics at Toms River High School East in New Jer-
sey, declared (National Education Association [NEA], 1987). In a July 1,
1987, press release the NEA noted that Stanziano “faces the same dilemma
confronted by thousands of his colleagues across the country…turning to
moonlighting to make ends meet or keep from falling into debt” (p. 1).
Despite the apparent importance of moonlighting by teachers, little em-
pirical research has been conducted on this topic. In 1978, Divocky com-
plained that “literature about the profession includes studies concerning
almost every variable that could possibly affect teacher performance—the
color of classroom walls, the espirit in the teachers lounge” (p. 40)—but
nothing about the costs of moonlighting. A decade later Wisniewski and
Hilty (1987) lamented that “studying moonlighting practices among teach-
ers is almost a surrealistic experience…[because] the moonlighting phenom-
enon is virtually ignored by those who should be most concerned” (p. 1). To
the extent that research has been conducted, it has been primarily limited to
frequency counts and the investigation of simple relationships.
To date research has emphasized the dark side of moonlighting. Louis
Harris and Associates Inc. (1986) found that teachers who moonlighted were
more likely to report that they were not likely to remain as teachers over
the next 5 years. Harris and associates (1985) also found that more former
teachers (54%) were likely to have moonlighted when they were teaching than
those who remained in teaching (28%). Thus one dark side of moonlighting

S hedding L ight on the Dark S ide of Moonlighting 17
is that it is a sign of teacher alienation and an early signal of, or step toward,
teachers leaving the profession (Henderson & Henderson, 1986).
Moonlighting may lead to teachers leaving the profession because it
interferes with the professional development and work as well as personal
lives of teachers. Wisniewski and Kleine (1984) found that over one-third
of teachers in Oklahoma who moonlighted perceived that moonlighting in-
terfered with their advanced graduate study (34%) and in-service training
(59%) as well as physical well-being (37%) and family life (59%). Thus a
further dark side of moonlighting is that teachers who moonlight are likely
to have less time to devote to the teaching profession and presumably are
shortchanging their students as well as their families.
Moonlighting is viewed as a response to a negative condition—the low
salary of teachers. The necessity of earning supplementary wages has been
seen as the driving force behind teachers holding a second job (Henderson
& Henderson, 1986; Divocky, 1978). According to Wisniewski and Kleine
(1984), “an alarming number of teachers depend on some form of moon-
lighting to supplement their incomes” (p. 555). The NEA press release and
Brokaw special, in addition, imply that teachers are moonlighting in low-
skill, nonprofessional jobs.
Thus teacher moonlighting has been viewed as an indicator of teacher
dissatisfaction and the low status of this career, harming the education of chil-
dren and leading to the exit of many teachers The Brokaw special exemplified
a stereotype, hyped by the NEA, of a dedicated teacher forced by a low salary
to work in a low-status job, alienated, searching for a way out, not able to
devote the time to teaching, and upset at the loss of family and personal time.
Higher teacher salaries are touted as a solution to this problem.
Questioning the Stereotype
Many of those who have written about the negative aspects of teacher
moonlighting would probably be staunch defenders of university faculty
consulting. Although some negatives have been identified with faculty earn-
ing supplemental income, the opportunity to supplement one’s income by
extending one’s professional activities and engage in interesting professional
work is generally viewed as positive in academia (Allard, 1982; Howsam,
1985; Langway, 1978; Linnell, 1982; Plante, 1987). Linnell (1982) reported

that “the vast majority (80-90%) of faculty engage in additional remuner-

ative work, much of it professionally related” (p. viii). Finkelstein (1984)
found that approximately one-third of American academics earn their pri-
mary or secondary supplementary income from consulting. Over 60% of
American academics engage in some type of consulting during the year (Fin-
kelstein, 1984). In fact, limits have been placed on this activity at two-thirds
of the nation’s doctoral institutions to ensure that faculty keep their atten-
tion on their primary teaching and research responsibilities (Linnell, 1982).
Although sometimes criticized, moonlighting by resident physicians has also
been recognized as a means to increase professionalism through greater ex-
posure to patients and their problems (Banahan Jr., Anderson, Banahan III,
& Crump, 1987). We conclude that moonlighting per se is not necessarily a
negative or unprofessional activity, and thus it is appropriate to ask deeper
questions about the speculation and research presenting the dark side of
teacher moonlighting.
What kind of moonlighting positions do teachers hold? Are most moon-
lighters teaching courses in night school or tutoring students who need help,
hence extending their professional activities, or are moonlighters working as
sales people in department stores?
Moonlighters may well be more likely to leave the teaching profession
than those who do not hold second jobs. Yet what is the nature of the
exiting process? Are all those who moonlight searching for a way out of
their teaching positions when they accept a moonlighting position? How is
moonlighting related to teachers’ satisfaction with their positions? Is moon-
lighting necessarily linked to job dissatisfaction?
Faculty are encouraged to conduct research and consult in part to en-
liven their classroom teaching with “real world” examples. “According to
most of the academics...being in touch with the ‘world of action’ through
consulting allows them to transmit to students the relevance of the academic
discipline” (Finkelstein, 1984, p. 333). Their activities are thought to add to
their classroom performance. To what extent do elementary and secondary
teachers detract from their classroom activities by engaging in moonlight-
ing? How is moonlighting related to teachers’ time allocations?
What are the motivations for moonlighting? What types of teachers are
the most likely to moonlight? To what extent are moonlighters not the fi-
nancially desperate, but rather individuals seeking to expand their horizons?

If the primary motivation of teacher moonlighters is financial, does this

mean that as salaries increase, moonlighting will decrease? What are the
policy implications if other motivations come into play and if the stereotyp-
ical view is not the reality?
We address these questions in the context of more extensive work we are
conducting in the state of Delaware on teacher recruitment and retention.
The Delaware Study
Worried about the impending teacher crisis, in 1986 a committee of the

Delaware General Assembly requested that the University of Delaware’s
College of Urban Affairs and Public Policy conduct a survey of current and
former Delaware teachers (Raffel, 1986; Raffel & Groff, 1987). With the as-
sistance of the Delaware Department of Public Instruction, a one-in-ten ran-
dom sample of public school teachers in Delaware was drawn. In the spring
of 1986 a survey was sent out to the selected teachers and a follow-up was
sent to those who did not respond to the first mailing. In all, 488 teachers
in the sample of 570 returned their questionnaires, a response rate of 86%.
In the 1986 survey we asked, “During the last school year did you work
at any other kind of job for pay in addition to your teaching/school activi-
ties?” Forty-two percent of the respondents answered yes to this question.
This percentage was large relative to similar national surveys and surveys
in other states.1 The 1985 national Harris et al. study had found that 21%
of the teachers reported moonlighting during the school year, whereas the
1985–1986 NEA study suggested a higher rate. A study of teachers in near-
by New Jersey found 29% holding second jobs during the school year (Cen-
ter for Public Interest Polling, 1986). A study of rural Arkansas, a state tra-
ditionally at the bottom of the list in teacher salaries, found 38% of teachers
in second jobs, but this included summer positions (Bell & Roach, 1988).
Given the large percentage of Delaware’s teachers who reported moon-
lighting in 1986 and the issues surrounding such behavior, we designed
questions focused on moonlighting in a follow-up survey in the spring of
1988 to administer to our 1986 respondents (Raffel, 1989).
In the 1988 survey we asked, “In which...years did you hold an extra (moon-
lighting) job during the regular school year which supplemented your teaching
salary?” Approximately one-third of the respondents reported that they had

moonlighted in 1987–1988, 1986–1987, and 1985–1986. Overall, 39.8% of

the respondents reported having moonlighted at least once during these three
years. To simplify the analysis we focus on the 1987–1988 moonlighters.
Findings
We began our analysis with the question of motivation: Why do teachers

moonlight? Wisniewski and his associates (Wisniewski & Hilty, 1987;
Wisniewski & Kleine, 1984) have suggested three reasons for moonlight-
ing: to improve one’s financial situation, as a diversion from teaching or to
develop one’s interests, and to prepare for leaving the teaching profession.
These three reasons are not mutually exclusive.
Building on the work of Wisniewski and Hilty (1987), the 1988 survey
asked Delaware teachers, “How important was each of the following for
your taking an extra job?” with five reasons pertaining to the factors list-
ed previously (Wisniewski & Hilty, p. 10, 1987). These five reasons were
evaluated on a three-point scale with the choices being “very important,”
“somewhat important,” and “not important.” Over 80% of teachers who
moonlighted considered financial reasons—that is, improving their standard
of living and maintaining their current standard of living—as “very” or
“somewhat important” reasons for working an extra job. More than half
of the teachers who moonlighted cited diversion or development—that is,
pursuit of a secondary interest or diversion from teaching—as “very” or
“somewhat important” reasons for moonlighting. Over one-third of the
teachers who moonlighted cited preparation to leave teaching as a “very”
or “somewhat important” reason for moonlighting.
The data confirmed that many teachers who moonlight do so for finan-
cial reasons. The results also indicated, however, that finances were not the
only reason teachers moonlight. To get a better handle on the financial fac-
tors behind moonlighting, we reworded a question asked by Henderson and
Schleslinger (1988) and asked teachers, ‘‘If your teaching salary had been
increased by the same amount of money that you made on your second job
during the school year, would you have continued to moonlight?” Of the 92
teachers who moonlighted, 52 of them, a majority (56.5%), said they would
still continue to moonlight; 40 of them, a minority, said they would not.
The fact that a majority of moonlighters would continue their after-
hours work even if the financial need was reduced was not expected. Given

the literature’s emphasis on the financial roots of moonlighting, this distinc-

tion suggested that moonlighting might not be a singular phenomenon and
might have different meanings across the teacher force.
We therefore focused our research on the differences between the moon-
lighters who would continue even if salaries were raised to offset their in-
come loss (hereafter we call them “willing” moonlighters) and those who
would not (we call them “reluctant” moonlighters).
To first examine the meaning and significance of the differences between
willing and reluctant moonlighters, the answers to the question “How import-
ant was each of the following for your taking an extra job?” were compared
among the two groups (Table 1). Financial reasons for moonlighting were less
important to the willing moonlighters than to the reluctant moonlighters. Al-
though 92.5% of the reluctant moonlighters reported moonlighting to improve
their standard of living, 73.1% of the willing moonlighters saw this as a “very”
or “important” reason. The willing moonlighters placed the same level of sig-
nificance on moonlighting as a developmental activity as they did on financial
reasons. The reluctant moonlighters were more likely than willing moonlighters
to say that preparing to leave was a reason for their after-hours job.
The degree of financial dissatisfaction among reluctant moonlighters is
further evidenced when one examines the three groups on working during
the summer, or “sunlighting.” Over 70% (71.7%) of moonlighters reported
holding a summer job for pay, whereas only 13.9% of nonmoonlighters
reported sunlighting. However, 85% of the reluctant moonlighters worked
during the summer of 1987 as compared to 59.6% of the willing moonlight-
ers. These differences are statistically significant.
The different motivations are apparent in a further comparison: differ-
ences among the three groups in the primary reason they came to Delaware
to teach. This question was asked in 1986. One-third of nonmoonlighters
reported coming to Delaware to teach because it was their home and one-
third because of their spouse’s job (Table 2). Half of the willing moonlighters
came to Delaware to teach because of the pull of the state or the job. Almost
one-quarter (23.1%) of the reluctant moonlighters, double the percentage of
willing moonlighters, reported coming to Delaware to teach because of high
salary. These findings further support the financial inclination of the reluctant
moonlighters and the more pronounced diversion/development motivation
of willing moonlighters.

The 1986 Brokaw special on teachers focused on a teacher working in

a liquor store, but is this the typical teacher’s moonlighting job? Teachers in
the 1988 survey were asked what job they held while moonlighting. Over
one-fifth of the Delaware teachers who moonlighted did so in coaching or
afterschool activities (Table 3). Another one-fifth of the teachers moonlight-
ed in the educational field, as teachers or tutors. Almost one-fifth (17%)
of the teachers who moonlighted held managerial, administrative, or pro-
fessional jobs, for example, consultant or department chair. Slightly under
one-fifth (19%) of the teachers who moonlighted hheld jobs such as desk
clerk or data entry clerk, or sales-type jobs such as store clerk. One-tenth of
the teachers who moonlighted had their own business, for example, charter
fishing or an antique store. Slightly less than one-tenth held jobs not easily
classified, such as horseshoeing or exercise class instructor, and 4% of the
moonlighters sold real estate Willing moonlighters were twice as likely to
hold education-related positions than reluctant moonlighters.
These results clearly show that the stereotype of the liquor clerk moon-
lighter does not hold for the Delaware teaching force. Two-thirds of Delaware’s
moonlighters are engaged in an educational activity, a professional position, or
operating a business. Only one-fifth were clerks or in routine sales positions.
Previous research has suggested that moonlighters are more dissatisfied
with their jobs and careers than nonmoonlighters. Dissatisfaction may lead
to moonlighting or vice versa. We examined the relation between moon-
lighting and job and career satisfaction not only between moonlighters and
nonmoonlighters but also between the types of moonlighters.
Table 1. Importance of reasons for moonlighting (“very” or “somewhat” important)
Reasons All Willing Reluctant

moonlighters moonlighters moonlighters
(N = 92) (N = 52) (N = 40)
Improve standard of living 81.5% 73.1% 92.5%
Maintain standard of living 81.5% 71.2%* 95.0%*
Pursuit of secondary interest 67.4% 75.0% 57.5%
Diversion from teaching 56.6% 55.7% 57.5%
Preparation to leave teaching 34.7% 28.8% 42.5%
Note: Statistical significances of nonmoonlighters versus all moonlighters and will-

ing versus reluctant moonlighters are reported as appropriate.
*p ≤ 05.

Table 2. Main reasons teachers came to Delaware to teach
Reasons Non All Willing Reluctant

moonlighters moonlighters moonlighters moonlighters
(N = 208) (N = 92) (N = 52) (N = 40)
Delaware is home 34.6% 25.4% 23.1% 28.2%

Spouse’s job in Delaware 33.7% 9.0% 5.8% 12.8%
Prefer to live in Delaware 11.1% 15.9% 25.0% 5.1%**
Best job offer 7.2% 21.5% 28.8% 12.8%
High salary 6.7% 16.8% 11.5% 23.1%
Other 6.7% 11.3% 5.8% 17.9%
Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
** p ≤ 05.
Table 3. Type of moonlighting position
Position All Willing Reluctant

(N = 92) (N= 52) (N = 40)
Management 16.5% 13.5% 20.0%

Education-related 36.5% 46.2% 25.0%
Sales 14.2% 11.5% 17.5%
Clerical 5.4% 5.8% 5.0%
Public service 1.1% 0.0% 2.5%
Service occupation 3.3% 1.9% 5.0%
Agriculture 4.3% 5.8% 2.5%
Labor 2.2% 1.9% 2.5%
Other 16.3% 13.5% 20.0%
Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
More nonmoonlighters (82%) than moonlighters (67%) were “very satis-

fied” or “satisfied” with their teaching career. In addition, the average level
of job satisfaction on a composite scale of 14 items was higher (4.00 = very
satisfied, 1.00 = very dissatisfied) among nonmoonlighters (2.59) than that
among moonlighters (2.48). Although the difference is small, it is statis-
tically significant. We compared moonlighters to nonmoonlighters on the

14 specific satisfaction items (Table 4). The only statistically significant dif-
ference between the two groups on a specific item was with satisfaction with
salary. On this item, the nonmoonlighters were much more satisfied than
moonlighters: 61% of nonmoonlighters were satisfied with salary versus 43%
of those without a second job. Although Table 4 suggests that moonlighters
were more dissatisfied than nonmoonlighters, especially about their salaries,
it also suggests that moonlighters varied in satisfaction. Willing moonlight-
ers were similar in their satisfaction levels to nonmoonlighters. Reluctant
moonlighters were more negative than these two groups. A comparison of
Table 4. Satisfaction with job dimensions (“very” or “somewhat” satisfied)
Non- All Willing Reluctant

Job dimensions (N = 208) (N = 92) (N = 52) (N = 40)

Challenge 86.5% 81.9% 82.7% 80.0%
Autonomy 78.3% 75.8% 84.6% 65.0%
Fringe benefits 76.3% 70.5% 82.7% 57.5%
Supervisor 67.8% 67.7% 73.1% 60.0%
Students 63.6% 62.0% 67.3% 57.5%
Salary 60.7%* 43.2%* 51.9% 35.0%
Supplies 58.9% 49.5% 50.0% 55.0%
Work site 58.7% 51.6% 50.0% 57.5%
Appreciation/Prestige 53.9% 41.5% 42.3% 45.0%
Discipline 51.0% 48.4% 61.5%** 32.5%**
Career advancement 46.8% 32.6% 36.5% 25.0%
Influence 41.5% 27.4% 30.8% 22.5%
After hours work 33.5% 38.3% 44.2% 30.0%
Clerical duties 21.4% 29.5% 34.6% 25.0%
Overall satisfaction 2.59* 2.48* 2.57** 2.38**
scale
Your job 85.7% 74.7% 80.8% 67.5%
Career 82.0%* 67.0%* 71.2% 62.5%
Note. “Your job” and “career” are not included in overall satisfaction scale.
* p ≤ .05; **p ≤ .05.

overall satisfaction among the three groups, using the job satisfaction scale,
shows that the mean score of the reluctant moonlighters (2.38) was statis-
tically significantly lower than that of the willing moonlighters (2.57) and
of the nonmoonlighters (2.59). The lower overall average indicates a great-
er amount of dissatisfaction with teaching in general among the reluctant
moonlighters. This is supported by the lower level of satisfaction on the
specific items of teaching as a career and on job satisfaction. These results
indicate that those moonlighters who would not continue to hold an extra
job if their salaries were increased were dissatisfied with their career. Inter-
estingly, there were no statistically significant differences between willing
moonlighters and nonmoonlighters, again suggesting that the image of the
disgruntled moonlighter is inaccurate or incomplete.
The Effect of Moonlighting on a Teacher’s Time
An extra job, in all likelihood, will have some ramifications on a person’s

primary job and on his or her personal or nonworking time. To ascertain
the perceptions of teachers who held extra jobs on this dimension, they
were asked to “please rate each of these as to how it was affected by your
extra job during the school year.” Nine items were evaluated on a three-
point scale of “helped,” “did not effect,” and “hindered” (Wisniewski &
Hilty, 1987). This was further broken down between the two groups of
moonlighters.
Again we found differences between the willing moonlighters and the
reluctant moonlighters (Table 5). A scale from 1.00 to 3.00 was created
to measure overall hindrance, with 3.00 indicating maximum hindrance.
Overall, the reluctant moonlighters (2.23) felt more hindered by their sec-
ond job than willing moonlighters (1.99). It is no surprise that family and
social activities was the most hindered item cited by both groups. A majority
of the willing moonlighters and two-thirds of the reluctant moonlighters felt
this area was hindered by holding an extra job. Reading and private study
was the next highest affected area, with one-third of the willing moonlight-
ers and almost half of reluctant moonlighters feeling hindered in this area
by holding an extra job. The other areas are shown in decreasing order of
hindrance. Reluctant moonlighters felt much more hindered by a second job
in the areas of physical well-being and morale or mental health.

Although teachers’ perceptions of the effect of holding an extra job on

various aspects of their lives, including teaching, are important, so is the
actual effect of holding an extra job on their teaching performance. One
important dimension is the time allocation of moonlighters as compared
with nonmoonlighters. One question on the survey asked the respondents
to report the number of hours spent on various activities (e.g., classroom
teaching, lunchroom monitoring) during the school week previous to filling
out the questionnaire. The responses to this question were then compared
across the types of moonlighters and nonmoonlighters. Surprisingly, we
found little difference among the groups. Two areas where there were statis-
tically significant differences were time in school spent tutoring students and
time in school spent on administrative activities. Willing moonlighters re-
port spending more time tutoring students in school than the other groups.
This is consistent with a National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES)
report (Bobbitt, 1988), which also found that moonlighters spent more time
tutoring students in school than nonmoonlighters. Reluctant moonlighters
reported spending more time on administrative duties in school than the
other groups. This would seem to indicate (along with other data) that will-
ing moonlighters tutored students because they liked to do so. The frustra-
tion of the reluctant moonlighters may have led them to perceive that they
spent more time on administrative duties than their less dissatisfied peers.
Table 5. Perceived hindrance on life because of extra job
Factors All Willing Reluctant

(N = 92) (N = 52) (N = 40)
Family and social activities 59.8% 53.8% 67.5%
Reading and private study 39.1% 32.7% 47.5%
Advanced graduate study 31.5% 28.8% 35.0%
In-service seminars 29.4% 23.1% 37.5%
Physical well-being 32.6% 21.2% 47.5%
Morale/Mental health 27.2% 15.4%* 42.5%*
Preparation for teaching 14.1% 7.7% 22.5%
Teaching performance 8.7% 5.8% 12.5%
Hindrance scale 2.09 1.99* 2.23*
Note In hindrance scale, 1 = helped, 2 = did not affect, and 3 = hindered

* p ≤ 05.

Finding that moonlighters do not devote less time to their teaching re-
sponsibilities would seem to be counter-intuitive. Teachers who moonlight,
holding all other factors in abeyance, do not have the same amount of hours
in the day to devote to teaching as nonmoonlighters. Therefore, one would
expect a difference between the two groups. One possible explanation is
that, as previously noted, moonlighting first has an effect on family and
social activities. Therefore, the time that is spent on moonlighting is taken
from the time allocation for these areas, not professional time. Also, it is
important to keep in mind that these results were obtained from the teach-
er’s own perception of his or her time allocation. It may be that, in reality,
moonlighting does have a noticeable effect on teaching time allocation and
that this effect is not recognized or acknowledged by the moonlighter. It is
also possible that willing moonlighters are energized by their work and en-
joy working more than reluctant moonlighters.2
Background Characteristics of Moonlighters
Presumably, policies aimed at moonlighting should be based in part on who

moonlights. The NCES (Bobbitt, 1988) conducted a survey in 1985 that in-
cluded questions on the frequency and nature of moonlighting by teachers.
They found that 16.8% of teachers moonlighted during the school year.
They also found that males were more likely to moonlight than females,
moonlighters were younger than nonmoonlighters, moonlighters had less
experience than nonmoonlighters, secondary teachers moonlighted more
than elementary teachers, and more moonlighters had a master’s or PhD
degree than nonmoonlighters. In their 1987–1988 survey NCES (Bobbitt,
1990) found moonlighting rates had dropped some (15.4% moonlighted
during the school year); the correlates of moonlighting did not change.
We found only two significant demographic differences between moon-
lighters and nonmoonlighters in Delaware. Moonlighters were more likely
to be males than nonmoonlighters: 52% of the male teachers moonlighted,
whereas only 20.3% of the females moonlighted. When teachers were fur-
ther broken down by marital status and sex, we found that 54.9% of the
married males moonlighted, 33.3% of the single males moonlighted, 30.3%
of the single females moonlighted, and 17.6% of the married females moon-
lighted. This suggests that the more a teacher is in the role of breadwinner,
the more likely he or she is to moonlight.

The second demographic difference we found between moonlighters and

nonmoonlighters was related to the first. Among nonmoonlighters, 51.9%
were elementary teachers, but among the moonlighters only 19.6% were
elementary teachers. One should note that most elementary teachers were
females; therefore one would expect a difference among the two groups in
this area. Demographic factors that were not significantly different in Dela-
ware were teacher salary, household salary, age, and experience. Evidently
moonlighting behavior is a function of more than financial factors, at least
as we could measure it here.
We attempted to predict moonlighter status using the multivariate tech-
nique of logit analysis, but we found that logit analysis allowed us to ex-
plain very little about moonlighting behavior. The best logit model predicted
that only 5% of each moonlighting group would moonlight.
Moonlighting, Search, and Exit
Moonlighting behavior is strongly related to the likelihood of teacher re-

tention. When asked about their job search behavior in the past two years,
16.5% of the nonmoonlighters indicated that they had searched and/or
searched and interviewed for a different full-time job (Table 6). Among
the willing moonlighters, 30.8% said they had searched and/or searched
and interviewed. Among the reluctant moonlighters, however, 53.8% had
searched and/or interviewed for a new position.
The percentage of reluctant moonlighters indicating their likelihood of
leaving the teaching profession in Delaware for another job was consistently
higher than willing moonlighters or nonmoonlighters. We created a sum-
mary scale of the likelihood of leaving the teaching profession in Delaware.
On each of five items, respondents were asked how likely it was that they
would leave the Delaware teaching profession (options ranged from “very
likely” through “very unlikely”). The items included were leaving the teach-
ing profession in Delaware for (a) the private sector, (b) a counseling or an
education-related administrative job, (c) a government or nonprofit posi-
tion, (d) a public school position outside of Delaware, and (e) a nonpublic
school teaching job. We determined the mean response so that a score of 4
meant that a teacher reported he or she was “very likely” to leave for all five
alternatives and a score of 1 meant that a teacher was “very unlikely” to

leave for any of the items. We found that reluctant moonlighters were more
likely to expect to leave the teaching profession in Delaware for another job
(1.70) than willing moonlighters (1.55) and nonmoonlighters (1.44).
From 1986 to 1988 the state of Delaware made a major effort to increase
teacher salaries, rising in state rankings from 21st in 1986–1987 to 10th in
1988–1989. The salary increases were aimed more at veteran than beginning
teachers. For example, salaries at the master’s plus 10 years of experience level
increased by 43.5% from 1985–1986 to 1989–1990, whereas salary increases
at the beginning of the scale, bachelor’s with no experience, increased 34.9%
over this period (Crowley & Moorehead, 1990). Presumably moonlighters
would have been delighted with the salary increase and the decreased need for
extra income. Yet again we find differentiated reactions among moonlighters.
Both nonmoonlighters in general and willing moonlighters in particular had
a large increase in satisfaction with salary from 1986 to 1988 (30.1% and
28.1%, respectively). However, the reluctant moonlighters only had an 8%
increase in salary satisfaction. This is a statistically significant difference.
Increased salaries, at least at the level experienced in Delaware, did not have
much of an impact on the satisfaction levels of reluctant moonlighters.
Table 6. Job search activity
Job search Non All Willing Reluctant

(N = 208) (N = 92) (N = 52) (N = 40)
Did not search 83.5%* 58.7%* 69.2% 46.2%

Searched but found 7.3% 9.0% 5.8% 12.8%
nothing
Searched and 9.2%* 32.3%* 25.0% 41%**
interviewed
Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
* p ≤ 05.
Two Models
We began with the stereotypical view of a moonlighting teacher—working

as a clerk, dissatisfied, trying to leave teaching, and primarily motivated
by money. This research indicates that this stereotype holds for a subset of

moonlighting teachers, but only a minority. These reluctant moonlighters

were dissatisfied with a number of aspects of teaching, especially salary.
What is not clear is whether moonlighting caused this dissatisfaction or
whether the dissatisfaction caused moonlighting. After two years of large
salary increases in Delaware, however, reluctant moonlighters maintained
their dissatisfaction. For some moonlighters, the willing moonlighters, it is
clear that moonlighting was a diversion or a developmental activity, and
thus it seemed to have little or no negative effect on their attitude toward
teaching. The stereotype of the moonlighting teacher who has had to take
a part-time low-status job to make ends meet, neglecting his or her stu-
dents, and waiting for an opportunity to leave teaching is not supported
by our results. Although we did find a substantial number of reluctant
moonlighters, we found a higher percentage of willing moonlighters. These
moonlighters were in higher status, education-related, part-time positions;
were not likely to quit moonlighting even if their incomes were proportion-
ately increased; viewed their second jobs as diversions or developmental
opportunities; and spent as much time preparing for teaching as their non-
moonlighting counterparts. They were not unhappy and were not looking
to leave the profession.
We propose that the stereotypical model of moonlighting, a model
based on the notion of moonlighting as a constraining activity, needs to be
balanced by a constructive model of moonlighting. Table 7 summarizes the
differences in the constraining and constructive models on the dimensions
of the nature of the moonlighting position, the motivation for moonlight-
ing, the effects of moonlighting, and the policy implications of the model.
Having discussed the first three dimensions, we now turn to the policy im-
plications of this research.
Policy Implications
The differentiated nature of teachers who moonlight complicates the possi-

ble policy approaches to address the moonlighting “problem.” In fact, the
complexity of moonlighting suggests that working to eliminate moonlighting
may not be the proper approach. Any policy that addresses moonlighting
should address the reasons teachers moonlight. We found that the two largest
motivational factors were financial and diversionary/development factors.

Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
Léon, avec l’autorisation de son père, avait déjà fait préparer ses
armes, ses chevaux, et était parti, emmenant avec lui une suite
selon son rang. Il avait à côté de lui Roger auquel il avait fait rendre
ses armes et Frontin. De journée en journée, ils marchèrent si bien,
qu’ils arrivèrent en France, sous les murs de Paris.
Léon ne voulut pas entrer dans la ville. Il fit dresser ses tentes
dans la campagne, et, le jour même, il fit prévenir par ambassade le
roi de France de son arrivée. Le roi en témoigna sa satisfaction en
lui faisant force présents, et en allant à plusieurs reprises lui rendre
visite. Léon lui exposa le motif de sa venue, et le pria de hâter le
combat.
Il le pria de faire descendre au plus tôt dans la lice la damoiselle
qui ne voulait pas avoir un mari moins vigoureux qu’elle, car il était
venu dans l’intention de la conquérir pour femme, ou de recevoir la
mort de sa main. Charles y consentit, et décida que le combat aurait
lieu le jour suivant, hors des portes de la ville, dans une enceinte
que l’on prépara en toute hâte pendant la nuit, sous les remparts.
La nuit qui précéda le jour du combat fut pour Roger semblable à
celle que passe un homme condamné à mourir le lendemain matin.
Il avait choisi de combattre armé de toutes pièces, afin de ne pas
être reconnu. Il ne voulut prendre ni lance, ni destrier, et se contenta
de son épée pour toute arme offensive.
Il ne choisit pas la lance, non qu’il craignît la lance d’or qui avait
appartenu d’abord à l’Argail, puis à Astolphe et que possédait
actuellement Bradamante. C’était cette lance qui faisait vider les
arçons à tous ceux qui en étaient touchés. Personne ne connaissait
du reste ce pouvoir surnaturel ; on ignorait même qu’elle fût l’œuvre
de la nécromancie ; seul le roi qui l’avait fait faire et qui l’avait
donnée à son fils, l’avait su autrefois.
Astolphe et la dame qui l’avaient portée après l’Argail, ne
savaient pas qu’elle était enchantée ; ils attribuaient ses coups
merveilleux à leur propre vigueur, et ils croyaient qu’ils en auraient
fait autant avec toute autre lance. La seule raison qu’eût Roger pour
ne pas jouter avec la lance, fut la crainte de voir son bon Frontin
reconnu.
La dame aurait pu facilement le reconnaître en le voyant, car elle
l’avait longtemps monté, et elle l’avait gardé avec elle à Montauban.
Roger qui n’avait d’autre souci, d’autre préoccupation que de n’être
pas reconnu par elle, ne voulut pas prendre Frontin, ni conserver
aucune marque extérieure qui eût pu donner le moindre soupçon.
Il voulut même prendre une autre épée que son épée ordinaire. Il
savait trop bien que, pour résister à Balisarde, toute armure serait
comme une pâte molle, et qu’aucune trempe ne pouvait l’arrêter. Il
eut soin encore d’enlever avec un marteau le tranchant de sa
nouvelle épée, afin de la rendre moins dangereuse. C’est armé de la
sorte que Roger, aux premières lueurs qui pointèrent à l’horizon,
entra en champ clos.
Afin qu’on le prît pour Léon, il avait endossé la soubreveste que
ce dernier portait la veille. Sur son écu, peint en rouge, s’étalait
l’aigle d’or à deux têtes. On pouvait d’autant plus facilement s’y
méprendre, que tous deux étaient de même taille et de même
grosseur. Tandis que l’un se montrait avec ostentation, l’autre se
dissimulait avec mille précautions.
Les dispositions de Bradamante étaient bien différentes de celles
de Roger ; si ce dernier avait pris la peine de frapper sur le tranchant
de son épée afin de la rendre moins dangereuse, la dame au
contraire avait aiguisé la sienne et n’avait qu’un désir, celui de la
plonger dans le sein de son adversaire, et de lui arracher la vie. Elle
aurait voulu que chaque coup de taille ou de pointe pût pénétrer
jusqu’au cœur.
De même qu’en deçà de la barrière, le cheval sauvage et plein
de feu, qui attend le signal du départ, ne peut se tenir tranquille sur
ses pieds, gonfle les narines et dresse les oreilles, ainsi l’impatiente
dame qui ignore qu’elle va combattre contre Roger, attend le signal
de la trompette ; elle semble avoir du feu dans les veines, et ne peut
rester en place.
Souvent, après un coup de tonnerre, un vent violent s’élève
soudain, soulevant les vagues de la mer et faisant voler jusqu’au ciel
des tourbillons de poussière ; on voit alors fuir les bêtes féroces, les
pasteurs et leurs troupeaux, tandis que les nuées se résolvent en
grêle et en pluie. Ainsi la damoiselle, à peine a-t-elle entendu le
signal, saisit son épée et se précipite sur son Roger.
Mais le chêne antique ou les épaisses murailles d’une tour, ne
cèdent pas davantage sous les efforts de Borée ; l’écueil impassible
n’est pas plus ébranlé par la mer en courroux dont les vagues
l’assaillent jour et nuit, que le brave Roger, en sûreté sous les armes
que Vulcain donna jadis à Hector, ne ploie sous la tempête de haine
et de colère qui fond sur ses flancs, sur sa poitrine, sur sa tête.
La damoiselle frappe de taille et d’estoc ; elle n’a d’autre
préoccupation que de plonger son fer dans le sein de son
adversaire, afin d’assouvir sa rage. Elle le tâte d’un côté et d’autre,
tournant de çà, de là. Elle se plaint, elle s’irrite de voir qu’elle ne peut
aboutir à rien.
De même que celui qui assiège une cité forte et bien pourvue de
fossés et de murailles épaisses, redouble ses assauts, essaye tantôt
d’enfoncer les portes, tantôt d’escalader les tours élevées, tantôt de
combler les fossés, et voit ses gens tomber morts autour de lui sans
qu’il puisse pénétrer dans la place ; ainsi, malgré tous ses efforts, la
dame ne peut ouvrir une seule pièce, une seule maille de son
adversaire.
Mille étincelles jaillissent de l’écu, du casque, du haubert, sous
les coups terribles qu’elle porte aux bras, à la tête, à la poitrine, plus
rapides et plus pressés que la grêle qui rebondit sur les toits sonores
des grandes cités. Roger se tient sur la défensive et détourne les
coups avec beaucoup d’adresse, sans riposter jamais.
Tantôt il s’arrête, tantôt il bondit de côté ; tantôt il recule, se
couvrant de son écu ou de son épée qu’il oppose sans cesse à
l’épée de son ennemie. Il ne la frappe point, ou s’il la frappe, il a bien
soin de ne l’atteindre que là où il pense lui nuire le moins. La dame,
avant que le jour ne s’achève, n’a d’autre désir que de mettre fin au
combat.
Elle se rappelle le ban publié, et s’aperçoit du danger qu’elle
court, si, à la fin du jour, elle n’a pas tué ou fait prisonnier celui qui l’a
provoquée. Déjà Phébus est prêt à plonger sa tête dans les flots par
derrière les colonnes d’Hercule, lorsqu’elle commence à se défier de
ses forces, et à perdre l’espérance.
Mais plus son espérance décroît, plus sa colère augmente, et
plus elle redouble ses bottes furieuses. Elle voudrait mettre en
pièces d’un seul coup ces armes dont elle n’a pu, pendant tout un
jour, détacher une seule maille. C’est ainsi que l’ouvrier en retard
pour un travail qu’il doit livrer, et qui voit venir la nuit, se dépêche en
vain, s’inquiète et se fatigue, jusqu’à ce que les forces viennent à lui
manquer en même temps que le jour.
O malheureuse damoiselle ! si tu connaissais celui à qui tu veux
donner la mort ; si tu savais que c’est Roger, auquel la trame de ta
vie est attachée ; tu voudrais j’en suis sûr te tuer plutôt que
d’essayer de le faire périr, car je sais que tu l’aimes plus que toi-
même. Et quand tu sauras que c’est Roger, tu regretteras, je le sais,
les coups que tu lui portes maintenant.
Charles et la plupart de ceux qui l’entourent, croyant que c’est
Léon et non Roger qui combat, et voyant combien il a déployé de
force et d’adresse contre Bradamante, sans jamais lui porter un
coup qui pût la blesser, changent de sentiment à son égard, et
disent : « — Ils se conviennent bien tous deux, car il est digne d’elle,
et elle est digne de lui. — »
Dès que Phébus s’est tout entier caché dans la mer, Charles fait
arrêter le combat ; il décide que la dame doit prendre Léon pour son
époux, et qu’elle ne peut plus refuser. Roger, sans prendre le
moindre repos, sans ôter son casque ou s’alléger d’une seule pièce
de son armure, monte sur une petite haquenée, et se hâte de
regagner la tente où Léon l’attend.
Léon se jette à plusieurs reprises au cou du chevalier qu’il
accueille comme un frère. Il lui retire lui-même son casque, et
l’embrasse avec de grands témoignages d’affection : « — Je veux
— dit-il — que tu fasses compte de moi comme de toi ; sans jamais
me lasser, tu peux disposer de ma personne et de mes États selon
ton désir.
« Je ne vois pas de récompense qui puisse jamais m’acquitter de
l’obligation que je viens de contracter envers toi, quand même je
m’ôterais la couronne de la tête pour la poser sur la tienne. — »
Roger, sous le coup d’une angoisse amère, et maudissant la vie, lui
répond à peine. Il rend à Léon ses insignes, et reprend la devise de
la Licorne.
Feignant d’être fatigué et las, il prend congé de lui le plus tôt qu’il
peut, et rentre tout armé dans sa tente, un peu après minuit. Aussitôt
il selle son destrier, et sans se faire accompagner, sans prévenir
personne, il monte à cheval, et prend le chemin qu’il plaît à Frontin
de suivre.
Frontin s’en va tantôt droit devant lui, tantôt faisant de longs
détours. Il franchit les forêts et les champs, emportant son maître qui
passe toute la nuit à se plaindre. Roger appelle la mort, et n’a plus
d’espérance qu’en elle, pour s’affranchir de la douleur qui l’obsède. Il
ne voit que la mort qui puisse mettre fin à son insupportable martyre.
« — Hélas — disait-il — à qui dois-je m’en prendre de la perte
de mon unique bien ? contre qui faut-il venger mon injure ? mais je
ne vois personne qui m’ait offensé ; c’est moi seul qui suis coupable
et qui me suis rendu malheureux. C’est donc contre moi-même que
je dois me venger, car c’est moi qui ai fait tout le mal.
« Cependant si je n’avais nui qu’à moi seul, j’aurais pu peut-être
me pardonner, bien que difficilement. A vrai dire, je ne le voudrais
pas. Mais lorsque Bradamante ressent l’offense autant que moi, je le
voudrais encore moins. Quand je serais assez faible pour me
pardonner à moi-même, je ne puis laisser Bradamante sans être
vengée.
« Pour la venger, je dois et je veux de toute façon mourir. Ce
n’est pas cela qui me pèse, car je ne vois pas d’autre soulagement à
ma douleur, si ce n’est la mort. Je regrette seulement de n’être pas
mort avant de l’avoir offensée. Heureux, si j’étais mort alors que
j’étais prisonnier de la cruelle Théodora !
« Si j’avais péri dans les supplices que sa cruauté me destinait,
j’aurais du moins espéré que mon malheureux sort inspirerait
quelque pitié à Bradamante. Mais quand elle saura que j’ai aimé
Léon plus qu’elle, et que j’ai, de ma propre volonté, renoncé à elle
pour la lui donner, elle aura raison de me haïr, mort ou vivant. — »
Tout en exhalant ces plaintes et bien d’autres, entrecoupées de
soupirs et de sanglots, il se trouve, au lever du soleil, au milieu d’un
bois sombre, dans un endroit désert et inculte. Désespéré, voulant
mourir et cacher sa mort le plus possible, ce lieu reculé lui paraît
propice à son dessein.
Il pénètre au plus épais du bois, là où l’obscurité est plus
profonde et le taillis plus enchevêtré. Mais auparavant il délivre
Frontin de la bride et lui rend la liberté. « — O mon Frontin — lui dit-
il — si je pouvais te récompenser selon tes mérites, tu n’aurais rien à
envier à ce destrier que l’on voit courir dans le ciel parmi les étoiles.
« Cillare et Arion, je le sais, ne furent pas meilleurs que toi, ni
plus dignes de louange. Aucun destrier dont il est fait mention chez
les Grecs et les Latins ne t’a surpassé. Si, en quelques
circonstances, ils t’ont égalé, pas un d’eux ne peut se vanter d’avoir
jamais joui de l’honneur que tu as eu.
« Tu as été cher à la plus gente, à la plus belle, à la plus vaillante
dame qui fût jamais ; elle t’a nourri de sa main et t’a mis elle-même
le frein et la selle. Tu étais cher à ma dame. Hélas ! pourquoi
l’appeler ainsi, puisqu’elle n’est plus à moi ; puisque je l’ai donnée à
un autre ? Ah ! qu’attends-je plus longtemps pour tourner cette épée
contre moi-même ? — »
Si, dans ce lieu, Roger s’afflige et se tourmente, et émeut de pitié
les bêtes et les oiseaux de proie, seuls témoins de ses cris et des
larmes qui baignent son sein, vous devez bien penser que
Bradamante n’est pas moins malheureuse à Paris, où rien ne peut
plus empêcher ou retarder son mariage avec Léon.
Mais plutôt que d’avoir un autre époux que Roger, elle est
résolue à tenter l’impossible, à manquer à sa parole, à braver
Charles, la cour, ses parents et ses amis. Et quand elle aura tout
essayé, elle se donnera la mort par le poison ou par le fer, car elle
aime mieux mourir que de vivre séparée de Roger.
« — O mon Roger — disait-elle — où es-tu ? Es-tu donc allé si
loin, que tu n’as pas eu nouvelle du ban publié par Charles ? Tout le
monde le connaît-il donc, excepté toi ? Si tu l’avais connu, je sais
bien qu’aucun autre ne serait accouru avant toi. Ah ! malheureuse,
que dois-je croire, sinon ce qui serait pour moi le pire des malheurs ?
« Est-il possible, Roger, que toi seul n’aies pas appris ce que tout
le monde a su ? Si tu l’as appris et si tu n’as pas volé vers moi, se
peut-il que tu ne sois pas mort ou prisonnier ? Mais qui connaît la
vérité ? Ce fils de Constantin t’aura sans doute retenu dans les fers ;
le traître t’aura enlevé tout moyen de partir, dans la crainte que tu ne
sois ici avant lui.
« J’ai imploré de Charles la faveur de n’appartenir qu’à celui qui
serait plus fort que moi, dans la croyance que toi seul pourrais me
résister les armes à la main. Hors toi, je ne craignais personne. Mais
Dieu m’a punie de mon audace, puisque Léon, qui jamais de sa vie
n’a accompli d’action d’éclat, m’a faite ainsi prisonnière.
« A vrai dire, je ne suis sa prisonnière que parce que je n’ai pu ni
le tuer, ni le faire prisonnier lui-même. Mais cela ne me paraît pas
juste, et je ne veux pas me soumettre au jugement de Charles. Je
sais que je me ferai accuser d’inconstance si je reviens sur ce que
j’ai promis ; mais je ne serai pas la première ni la dernière qui aura
paru inconstante.
« Il me suffit de garder la foi que j’ai jurée à mon amant, et de me
garer de tout écueil. En cela, j’entends laisser bien loin derrière moi
tout ce qui s’est fait dans les temps anciens et de nos jours. Que
pour tout le reste on me traite d’inconstante, je n’en ai nul souci,
pourvu que je retire les profits de l’inconstance. Pourvu que je ne
sois pas contrainte à épouser Léon, je consens à passer pour plus
mobile que la feuille. — »
C’est en se plaignant de la sorte, et en poussant des soupirs
mêlés de larmes, que Bradamante passa la nuit qui suivit ce jour
fatal. Mais quand le dieu de la nuit se fut retiré dans les grottes
cimmériennes où il renferme ses ténèbres, le ciel, qui avait résolu
dans ses décrets éternels de faire de Bradamante l’épouse de
Roger, lui apporta un secours inattendu.
Il poussa Marphise, l’altière donzelle, à se présenter le matin
suivant devant Charles. Elle lui dit qu’on faisait la plus grande injure
à son frère Roger ; qu’elle ne souffrirait pas qu’on lui ravît sa femme,
ni qu’on prononçât une parole de plus à ce sujet. Elle s’offrit à
prouver, contre quiconque le nierait, que Bradamante était la femme
de Roger.
En présence de tous, elle s’offrit à combattre contre quiconque
serait assez hardi pour le nier. Elle affirma que Bradamante avait, en
sa présence, dit à Roger les paroles sacramentelles qui engagent
dans les liens du mariage. Ces paroles avaient été plus tard
consacrées par les cérémonies d’usage, de sorte que ni l’un ni
l’autre ne pouvait plus se délier de son serment, et contracter une
nouvelle union.
Que Marphise dît vrai ou faux, je l’ignore, mais je crois qu’elle
parlait ainsi pour arrêter les projets de Léon, bien plus que pour dire
la vérité. Elle ne voyait pas de moyen plus prompt et plus loyal pour
dégager la parole de Bradamante, écarter Léon et la rendre à Roger.
Le roi fort troublé par cette déclaration, fait sur-le-champ appeler
Bradamante. En présence d’Aymon, il lui fait savoir ce que Marphise
offre de prouver. Bradamante tient les yeux baissés vers la terre, et
dans sa confusion, ne nie ni n’avoue rien, et les assistants en
concluent que Marphise pouvait bien avoir dit vrai.
Renaud et le chevalier d’Anglante sont heureux de cet incident,
qui leur paraît devoir arrêter les projets d’alliance déjà presque
conclus avec Léon. Roger obtiendra la belle Bradamante malgré
l’obstination d’Aymon, et quant à eux, ils n’auront pas besoin de
l’arracher de force des mains de son père, pour la donner à Roger.
Car si les paroles susdites ont été prononcées entre Roger et
Bradamante, l’hymen est chose arrêtée et ne tombera pas à terre.
De la sorte, ils rempliront leur promesse envers Roger, sans être
obligés de soutenir une nouvelle lutte. « — Tout cela — disait de
son côté Aymon — tout cela est une ruse ourdie contre moi. Mais
vous vous trompez. Quand même ce que vous avez imaginé entre
vous tous serait vrai, je ne m’avouerais pas encore vaincu.
« Je suppose — et je ne veux pas encore le croire — que
Bradamante se soit liée secrètement à Roger, comme vous le dites,
et que Roger se soit lié à elle. Quand et où cela s’est-il passé ? Je
voudrais le savoir d’une manière plus expresse et plus claire. Le fait
est faux, je le sais ; en tout cas, il ne pourrait s’être produit qu’avant
le baptême de Roger.
« Mais si la chose a eu lieu avant que Roger fût chrétien, je n’ai
pas à m’en préoccuper, car Bradamante étant alors chrétienne et lui
païen, j’estime que ce mariage est nul. Léon ne doit pas, pour un
motif si vain, risquer le combat, et je ne pense pas non plus que
notre empereur le trouve suffisant pour revenir sur sa parole.
« Ce que vous me dites maintenant, il fallait me le dire quand rien
n’était encore décidé, et avant que Charles, sur les prières de
Bradamante, n’eût fait publier le ban qui a fait venir ici Léon, et qui
l’a fait affronter la bataille. — » C’est ainsi qu’Aymon raisonnait
contre Renaud et contre Roland, pour prouver la fausseté de la
promesse contractée par les deux amants. Quant à Charles, il se
bornait à écouter, et ne voulait se prononcer ni d’un côté ni de
l’autre.
De même que, lorsque l’austral et l’aquilon soufflent, on entend
les feuilles frémir dans les forêts profondes, ou de même que l’on
entend mugir les ondes sur le rivage, quand Éole se dispute avec
Neptune, ainsi, par toute la France, court et se répand une rumeur
immense. A force de se propager de côtés et d’autres, la nouvelle
finit par se dénaturer tout à fait.
Les uns prennent parti pour Roger, les autres pour Léon.
Cependant le plus grand nombre est pour Roger. Aymon a à peine
une voix sur dix en sa faveur. L’empereur ne se prononce pour
aucune des deux parties, mais il renvoie la cause à son parlement.
Marphise, voyant que le mariage est différé, s’avance et propose un
nouveau moyen.
Elle dit : « — Comme je sais que Bradamante ne peut appartenir
à un autre, tant que mon frère sera vivant, si Léon le veut, qu’il se
montre assez hardi et assez fort pour arracher la vie à Roger. Celui
des deux prétendants qui plongera l’autre dans la tombe restera
sans rival, et possédera l’objet de ses désirs. — » Aussitôt Charles
transmet cette proposition à Léon, comme il lui avait transmis les
autres.
Léon est tellement assuré de vaincre Roger, tant qu’il aura avec
lui le chevalier de la Licorne, qu’aucune entreprise ne lui paraît à
craindre. Ignorant que le chagrin a poussé le chevalier jusqu’au fond
d’un bois solitaire et sombre, et croyant qu’il est allé se promener à
un mille ou deux, et qu’il reviendra bientôt, il accepte la proposition.
Il ne tarde pas à s’en repentir, car celui sur lequel il compte ne
reparaît pas, ni ce jour, ni les deux jours suivants, et l’on n’a de lui
aucune nouvelle. Entreprendre sans lui de lutter contre Roger, paraît
dangereux à Léon. Désireux d’échapper au péril et à la honte, il
envoie messager sur messager à la recherche du chevalier de la
licorne.
Il envoie par les cités, les villas et les châteaux, aux environs et
au loin, afin de le retrouver. Non content de cela, il monte lui-même
en selle et part à sa recherche. Mais il n’en aurait pas eu de sitôt des
nouvelles, non plus que les messagers envoyés par Charles, si
Mélisse ne s’était pas trouvée là pour accomplir ce que je me
réserve de vous faire entendre dans l’autre chant.
CHANT XLVI.
Argument. — Le poète, se sentant arriver au port, nomme les

nombreux amis qui l’attendent pour fêter son retour. — Mélisse
va à la recherche de Roger, et lui sauve la vie avec le concours
de Léon qui, ayant appris le motif du désespoir de Roger, lui
cède Bradamante. Tous vont à Paris, où Roger, élu déjà roi des
Hongrois, est reconnu pour le chevalier qui a combattu contre
Bradamante. On célèbre les noces avec une splendeur royale ; le
lit nuptial est préparé sous la tente impériale que Mélisse, grâce
à son art magique, a fait venir de Constantinople. Pendant le
dernier jour des fêtes, survient Rodomont qui défie Roger ; le
combat a lieu, et Rodomont reçoit la mort de la main de Roger.
Maintenant, si ma carte dit vrai, je ne serai pas longtemps à

découvrir le port. C’est pourquoi j’espère, en abordant au rivage,
accomplir les vœux de ceux qui m’ont suivi sur la mer dans ce long
voyage, pendant lequel la crainte de voir mon vaisseau brisé, ou de
m’égarer à tout jamais, m’a fait pâlir bien souvent. Mais il me semble
apercevoir, mais j’aperçois certainement la terre, et je vois le rivage
à découvert.
J’entends comme un cri d’allégresse qui fait frémir les airs et
frappe les ondes. J’entends un bruit de cloches et de trompettes qui
se confond avec les acclamations du peuple. Voici que je commence
à distinguer ceux qui remplissent les deux jetées du port. Tous
semblent se réjouir de me voir revenu d’un si long voyage.
Oh ! comme je vois le rivage orné de dames belles et sages, et
de chevaliers illustres ! Que d’amis, et combien je suis touché de la
joie qu’ils montrent de mon retour ! je vois sur l’extrémité du môle,
Mamma et Ginevra, et les autres dames de Corregio. Véronique de
Gambera, si chère à Phébus et au cœur sacré d’Aonie, est avec
elles.
Je vois une autre Ginevra, issue du même sang. Près d’elle se
tient Julie. Je vois Hippolyte Sforce, et Trivulzia, la damoiselle élevée
dans l’antre sacré. Je te vois, ô Émilia Pia, et toi, Marguerite, qui as
auprès de toi Angela Borgia et Graziosa. Avec Ricciarda d’Este, voici
les belles Bianca et Diana, ainsi que leurs autres sœurs.
Voici la belle, mais plus sage encore et plus modeste Barbara
Turca, qui a Laure pour compagne. Des Indes aux plus lointains
rivages maures, le soleil n’éclaire pas un couple plus parfait. Voici
Ginevra dont la maison de Malatesta tire un éclat tel, que jamais
palais impériaux ou royaux ne possédèrent pierre plus précieuse.
Si elle se fût trouvée à Rimini, à l’époque où César, tout glorieux
de la Gaule domptée, hésitait à passer le Rubicon pour marcher sur
Rome, je crois qu’il aurait ployé à tout jamais sa bannière, et, se
dépouillant de ses riches trophées, il les aurait mis à la disposition
de Ginevra, et n’aurait plus songé à étouffer la liberté.
Voici la femme, la mère, les sœurs et les cousines de mon
seigneur de Bozzolo, avec les Torella, les Bentivoglio, les Visconti et
les Palavicini. Parmi toutes les dames de nos jours, parmi celles que
la renommée a rendues illustres chez les Grecs, les Barbares ou les
Latins, aucune n’a eu et n’a la grâce et la beauté
De Giulia Gonzaga. Partout où elle porte ses pas, partout où elle
tourne ses regards sereins, non seulement toutes les autres beautés
s’effacent, mais on l’admire comme une déesse descendue du ciel.
Près d’elle est sa cousine, dont la fortune en courroux n’a jamais pu
ébranler la fidélité. Voici Anna d’Aragon, flambeau de la maison du
Guast,
Anna, belle, gente, courtoise et sage, sanctuaire de chasteté, de
fidélité et d’amour. Sa sœur est avec elle ; partout où rayonne son
altière beauté, toutes les autres sont éclipsées. Voici celle qui,
donnant un exemple unique au monde, et bravant les Parques et la
mort, a arraché aux sombres plages du Styx, et a fait resplendir au
ciel son invincible époux.
Là sont les dames de Ferrare et celles de la cour d’Urbino. Je
reconnais celles de Mantoue, et toutes les belles que possèdent la
Lombardie et le pays toscan. Si mes yeux ne sont point éblouis par
l’éclat de visages si beaux, le chevalier qui s’avance au milieu
d’elles, et qu’elles entourent de tant de respect, est la grande
lumière d’Arezzo, l’unique Accolti.
Je vois aussi dans ce groupe Benedetto, son neveu, qui porte le
chapeau et le manteau de pourpre ; il est, avec le cardinal de
Mantoue et celui de Campeggio, la gloire et la splendeur du saint
consistoire. Si je ne me trompe, chacun d’eux paraît si content de
mon retour, qu’il ne me semble pas facile de jamais m’acquitter de
tant d’obligation.
Avec eux je vois Lactance, Claude Toloméi, Paulo Pansa, et le
Dresino qui me fait l’effet du Juvénal latin, et mes chers Capilupi, et
le Sasso, et le Molza, et Florian Montino, et celui qui, pour nous
guider vers les rives poétiques, nous montre un chemin plus facile et
plus court que tous les autres, je veux dire Giulio Camillo. Je crois
distinguer encore Marc-Antoine Flaminio, le Sanga, le Berna.
Voici mon seigneur Alexandre Farnèse. Oh ! quelle docte
compagnie l’entoure ! Fedro, Capella, Porzio, le Bolonais Philippe, le
Volterrano, le Madalena, Blosio, Pierio, Vida de Crémone, à la veine
intarissable, et Lascari, et Musuro, et Navagero, et Andrea Marone,
et le moine Severo.
Voici deux autres Alexandre dans le même groupe ; l’un est de la
maison des Orologi, l’autre est le Guarino. Voici Mario d’Olvito ; voici
le flagellateur des princes, le divin Pierre Arétin. Je vois deux
Jérôme, l’un est celui de Verita, l’autre est le Cittadino. Je vois le
Mainardo, je vois le Leoniceno, le Pannizzato, et Celio et le
Teocreno.
Là je vois Bernardo Capello, là Pierre Bembo, qui a délivré notre
pur et doux idiome des langes du parler vulgaire, et qui nous a
montré, par son exemple, ce qu’il devait être. Celui qui le suit est
Gaspard Obizi, qui admire et observe si bien ses excellentes leçons.
Je vois le Fracastorio, le Bevazzano, Trifon Gabriele, et plus loin le
Tasso.
Je vois Niccolo Tiepoli, et, avec lui, Niccolo Amanio, qui ont les
yeux fixés sur moi ; Anton Fulgoso, qui se montre étonné et joyeux
de me voir si près du rivage. Celui qui s’est mis à l’écart des dames
est mon cher Valerio ; sans doute il cause avec Barignano, qui est
près de lui, du mal que n’ont cessé de lui faire les femmes, bien qu’il
ait toujours été fort épris d’elles.
Je vois, esprits sublimes et surhumains, le Pico et le Pio, unis par
les liens du sang et de l’affection. Je n’ai jamais vu celui qui vient
avec eux, et devant qui les plus illustres s’inclinent ; mais, si mes
pressentiments ne me trompent pas, c’est l’homme que j’ai tant
désiré connaître, c’est Jacob Sannazar, qui, faisant déserter
l’Hélicon aux Muses, les a attirées sur le rivage de la mer.
Voici le docte, le fidèle, le diligent secrétaire Pistofilo qui se
réjouit avec les Acciaiuoli, et mon cher Angiar, de ne plus craindre
pour moi les dangers de la mer. Je vois avec l’Adoardo, mon parent
Annibal Malaguzzo, qui me fait espérer que le nom de ma ville
natale retentira des colonnes d’Hercule aux rivages de l’Inde.
Victor Fausto, Tancrède, se font une fête de me revoir, et cent
autres se réjouissent avec eux. Je vois toutes ces dames, tous ces
hommes illustres se montrer joyeux de mon retour. Aussi je ne veux
plus mettre de retard à parcourir le peu de chemin que j’ai encore à
faire, maintenant que le vent m’est propice. Revenons à Mélisse, et
disons comment elle s’y prit pour sauver la vie au brave Roger.
Mélisse, comme je crois vous l’avoir dit souvent, avait le plus
grand désir de voir Bradamante s’unir à Roger dans les liens étroits
du mariage. Elle prenait tellement à cœur ce qui pouvait arriver de
bon ou de mauvais à l’un et à l’autre, qu’elle ne les perdait pas une
heure de vue. C’est dans ce but qu’elle entretenait sans cesse de
nombreux esprits sur tous les chemins, en en faisant partir un dès
qu’un autre était revenu.
C’est ainsi qu’elle vit Roger dans un bois obscur, en proie à une
douleur forte et tenace, et fermement résolu à se laisser mourir de
faim. Mais voici qu’aussitôt Mélisse lui vient en aide. Quittant sa
demeure, elle prit le chemin par où Léon s’avançait.
Celui-ci, après avoir envoyé l’un après l’autre tous ses gens, afin
de fouiller les environs, était parti en personne à la recherche du
guerrier de la Licorne. La sage enchanteresse, montée sur un esprit
auquel elle avait donné la forme d’une haquenée, vint à la rencontre
du fils de Constantin.
« — Seigneur — lui dit-elle — si la noblesse de votre âme
répond à celle de votre visage, si votre courtoisie et votre bonté sont
telles que l’indique votre physionomie, venez en aide au meilleur
chevalier de notre temps. Si vous ne vous hâtez de le secourir et de
lui rendre le courage, il ne tardera pas à mourir.
« Le meilleur chevalier qui ait jamais porté épée au côté ou écu à
son bras ; le plus beau, le plus accompli qui ait jamais existé au
monde, est sur le point de mourir des suites d’un acte de générosité,
si personne ne vient à son aide. De par Dieu, seigneur, venez vite et
essayez, si vous pouvez, quelque chose pour le sauver. — »
Il vint sur-le-champ à la pensée de Léon que le chevalier dont
parlait son interlocutrice était celui qu’il avait fait chercher partout et
qu’il cherchait lui-même. Aussi s’empressa-t-il de la suivre. Mélisse
lui montrant le chemin, ils ne tardèrent pas à arriver à l’endroit où
Roger était près de mourir.
Lorsqu’ils le trouvèrent, il n’avait pris aucune nourriture depuis
trois jours, et il était si abattu, que, s’il s’était à grand’peine levé, il
serait vite retombé, s’il n’avait pas expiré. Il était étendu, tout armé,
sur le sol, le casque en tête et l’épée au côté. Il s’était fait un oreiller
avec l’écu sur lequel était peinte la licorne blanche.
Là, pensant à l’offense qu’il a faite à sa dame, et combien il a été
ingrat envers elle, il s’abîme dans sa douleur. Son affliction est telle,
qu’il se mord les mains et les lèvres, et ne cesse de répandre des
torrents de larmes. Il est tellement absorbé dans sa pensée, qu’il ne
voit venir ni Léon, ni Mélisse.
Il n’interrompt point ses lamentations ; il ne cesse de soupirer et
de verser des pleurs. Léon s’arrête un instant pour l’écouter, puis il
descend de cheval et s’approche de lui. Il voit bien qu’Amour est
cause d’un tel martyre, mais il ne sait pas le nom de la personne qui
en est l’objet, car Roger n’a point encore fait entendre son nom.
Léon s’approche doucement, doucement, jusqu’à ce qu’il soit
face à face avec Roger ; il l’aborde avec l’affection d’un frère,
s’incline vers lui et lui jette les bras autour du cou. Je ne saurais dire
si l’arrivée imprévue de Léon est agréable à Roger ; il craint qu’il ne
vienne le troubler dans ses projets, et qu’il ne veuille pas le laisser
mourir.
Léon, du ton le plus doux, le plus affable qu’il peut trouver, de l’air
le plus affectueux qu’il peut prendre, lui dit : « — Ne crains pas de
m’apprendre le motif de ta douleur. Il y a bien peu de maux sur la
terre dont l’homme ne puisse se guérir, alors qu’on en connaît la
cause. On ne doit point désespérer, tant qu’il reste un souffle de vie.
« Je vois avec beaucoup de peine que tu as voulu te cacher de
moi ; tu sais cependant que je suis pour toi un ami véritable. Non
seulement depuis que je te connais, je n’ai jamais manqué aux
devoirs de l’amitié, mais je t’en ai donné des preuves, alors même
que j’aurais dû voir en toi un ennemi à jamais mortel. Sois persuadé
que je suis tout disposé à employer pour toi ma fortune et mes amis,
à donner ma vie s’il le faut.
« Ne crains donc pas de me confier ton chagrin ; laisse-moi voir si
la force, la ruse, les richesses, l’astuce, pourront te tirer de peine. Si
tout cela ne réussit pas, tu pourras toujours avoir recours à la mort.
Mais tu ne dois pas en venir à cette extrémité, avant d’avoir fait tout
ce qu’il faut pour l’éviter. — »
Il poursuit en lui adressant de si touchantes prières, en lui faisant
entendre un langage si doux, si affectueux, que Roger ne peut se
défendre d’en être ému, car son cœur n’est ni de fer, ni de marbre. Il
comprend que, s’il refuse une réponse, il commettra un acte de
discourtoisie et de grossièreté. Il va pour répondre, mais à deux ou
trois reprises, les mots lui rentrent dans la gorge avant de pouvoir
sortir de sa bouche.
« — Mon seigneur — dit-il enfin — quand tu sauras qui je suis —
et je vais te le dire sans plus tarder — je suis certain que tu ne seras
pas moins désireux que moi de me voir mourir. Sache que je suis
celui que tu hais tant ; je suis Roger, qui t’ai également haï autrefois.
C’est dans l’intention de te donner la mort que j’avais, il y a quelque
temps, quitté cette cour.
« Je voulais t’empêcher de m’enlever Bradamante, car je voyais
bien qu’Aymon s’était prononcé en ta faveur. Mais l’homme propose
et Dieu dispose ; ta générosité envers moi me fit changer de
sentiments, et non seulement je dépouillai la haine que je t’avais
d’abord portée, mais je me fis pour toujours ton fidèle.
« Ne sachant pas que j’étais Roger, tu m’as prié de te faire avoir
Bradamante ; c’était m’arracher le cœur de la poitrine et me voler
mon âme. Je t’ai fait voir si j’ai hésité à satisfaire ton désir plutôt que
le mien. Bradamante est à toi ; possède-la en paix. Ton bonheur
m’est plus cher que mon propre bonheur.
« Mais puisque je suis séparé d’elle, laisse-moi quitter la vie, car
j’aime mieux mourir que vivre sans Bradamante. Du reste, tu ne
saurais la posséder légitimement tant que je vivrai ; nous sommes,
elle et moi, unis déjà par les liens du mariage, et elle ne peut avoir
deux maris en même temps. — »
Léon est resté si pétrifié d’étonnement, quand Roger s’est fait
connaître à lui, que, la bouche ouverte, les yeux fixes, il est immobile
sur ses pieds, comme une statue. Il ressemble en effet beaucoup
moins à un homme qu’à ces statues que l’on place en ex-voto dans
les églises. L’acte de Roger lui semble si grand, si généreux, qu’il ne
croit pas qu’on en ait jamais vu, ni qu’on en voie jamais de
semblable.
Non seulement cette découverte ne change pas son amitié pour
Roger, mais elle l’accroît au point qu’il ne souffre pas moins des
maux de Roger, que Roger lui-même. Pour le lui témoigner, pour lui
montrer qu’il est digne fils d’empereur, il ne veut pas être vaincu en
générosité par lui, s’il doit lui céder pour le reste.
Il dit : « — Roger, bien que j’eusse dû te haïr le jour où mon
armée fut défaite par ton étonnante vaillance, si ce jour-là j’avais
appris, comme je l’apprends maintenant, que tu étais Roger, ta vertu
ne m’aurait pas moins séduit qu’elle ne le fit alors que j’ignorais ton
nom. Elle ne m’en aurait pas moins chassé la haine du cœur, et
inspiré l’amitié que je te porte depuis ce jour.
« Que j’aie haï le nom de Roger, avant de savoir que tu étais
Roger, je ne le nierai pas ; mais maintenant, ne te préoccupe pas de
la haine que j’ai eue pour toi. Sois persuadé que le jour où je te tirai
de prison, si j’avais su la vérité, j’aurais agi de même en ta faveur.
« Et si j’eusse volontiers agi ainsi, alors que je n’étais pas,
comme maintenant, ton obligé, quelle ingratitude ne montrerais-je
pas en me conduisant autrement aujourd’hui ? N’as-tu pas renoncé
à ton propre bien pour me le donner ? Mais je te le rends, et
j’éprouve plus de plaisir à te le rendre, que je n’en ai eu à le recevoir
de toi.
« Bradamante te convient bien plus qu’à moi ; je l’aime, il est vrai,
pour ses grandes qualités, mais la pensée qu’un autre doit la
posséder ne saurait me pousser à mourir. Je ne veux pas, au prix de
ta mort qui la délivrerait des liens du mariage contracté avec toi,
avoir le droit de la prendre légitimement pour femme.
« Non seulement je renonce à elle, mais j’aimerais mieux me
dépouiller de tout ce que je possède au monde, et même perdre la
vie, que de m’entendre accuser d’avoir causé la mort d’un chevalier
tel que toi. Je me plains seulement de ta défiance ; alors que tu
pouvais disposer de moi comme de toi, tu as mieux aimé mourir que
me demander aide. — »
Ces paroles et beaucoup d’autres qu’il serait trop long de
rapporter, et qui allaient au-devant de toutes les objections de Roger,
firent tant, qu’à la fin celui-ci dut se rendre et dit : « — Je consens à
vivre. Mais comment m’acquitterai-je jamais envers toi, à qui je dois
deux fois la vie ? — »
Mélisse fit apporter sur-le-champ des mets exquis et des vins
généreux, grâce auxquels Roger, prêt à tomber de faiblesse, put se
réconforter. Pendant ce temps, Frontin qui avait entendu hennir les
chevaux, était accouru. Léon le fit prendre par ses écuyers, lui fit
mettre la selle, et l’amena à Roger.
C’est avec beaucoup de peine que ce dernier, bien qu’aidé par
Léon, put se mettre en selle. Il avait perdu cette vigueur dont,
quelques jours auparavant, il avait donné des preuves si éclatantes
sous des armes d’emprunt, et qui lui aurait permis de vaincre toute
une armée. Ils quittèrent enfin ces lieux, et arrivèrent en moins d’une
demi-heure à une abbaye
Où ils passèrent le reste de la journée et les deux jours suivants,
jusqu’à ce que le chevalier de la Licorne eût retrouvé sa vigueur
première. Puis, accompagné de Mélisse et de Léon, Roger revint
dans la cité royale où était arrivée la veille au soir une ambassade
des Bulgares.
Cette nation, après avoir élu Roger pour son roi, avait envoyé
des ambassadeurs à Paris, croyant qu’il était en France auprès de
Charlemagne. Ils étaient chargés de lui jurer fidélité, de le mettre en
possession de leurs États, et de le couronner. L’écuyer de Roger, les
ayant rencontrés, leur avait donné des nouvelles de son maître.
Il raconta la bataille que Roger avait livrée à Belgrade en faveur
des Bulgares, et dans laquelle Léon et l’empereur avaient été
vaincus, après avoir vu leur armée défaite et en partie massacrée.
En reconnaissance de ce fait d’armes, les Bulgares, à l’exclusion de
tous ceux de leur race, l’avaient pris pour leur roi. Puis il dit comment
il avait été fait prisonnier à Novigrade par Ungiard, et livré à
Théodora,
Et qu’il était venu la nouvelle certaine qu’on avait trouvé le geôlier
étranglé, la porte de la prison ouverte et le prisonnier enfui. Depuis,
on n’en avait pas eu d’autre nouvelle. Roger entra dans la ville par
un chemin ouvert, et sans être vu de personne. Le lendemain matin,
accompagné de Léon, il se présenta devant Charlemagne.
Ainsi qu’il était convenu entre Léon et lui, Roger se présenta
avec l’oiseau d’or à deux têtes sur champ de gueule, la même
soubreveste et les mêmes insignes qu’il avait lors de son combat
avec Bradamante, et qui étaient encore toutes tailladées, toutes
percées de coups, de sorte qu’on le reconnut tout de suite pour le
chevalier qui avait combattu contre Bradamante.
Léon se tenait à ses côtés sans armes, revêtu de ses riches
habits royaux, et entouré d’une suite nombreuse et choisie. Il
s’inclina devant Charles, qui s’était déjà levé pour venir à sa
rencontre, et, tenant par la main Roger, sur lequel tous les regards
étaient fixés, il s’exprima ainsi :
« — Celui-ci est le brave chevalier qui s’est défendu depuis le
lever de l’aurore jusqu’à la chute du jour. Puisque Bradamante n’a
pu le mettre à mort, le faire prisonnier, ou lui faire abandonner la
place, je crois, magnanime seigneur, si j’ai bien compris votre ban,
qu’il l’a gagnée pour femme. Aussi vient-il pour qu’on la lui donne.
« Outre que les termes du ban sont précis, aucun autre guerrier
ne saurait lui disputer Bradamante. Si elle doit être le prix de la
vaillance, quel chevalier est plus digne d’elle que lui ? Si elle doit
appartenir à celui qui a le plus d’amour pour elle, il n’est personne
qui l’aime plus ardemment. Il est, du reste, prêt à soutenir ses
raisons par les armes, contre quiconque les contredira. — »
Charles, ainsi que toute la cour, resta stupéfait en entendant ces
paroles. Tout le monde avait cru que c’était Léon, et non pas ce
chevalier inconnu, qui avait combattu contre Bradamante. Marphise,
qui était au nombre des assistants, et qui avait eu grand’peine à se
taire jusqu’à ce que Léon eût fini de parler, s’avança soudain, et dit :
« — Quoique Roger ne soit pas ici pour disputer sa femme à ce
nouveau venu, celle-ci n’en sera pas moins défendue, et on ne l’aura

By The Light of The Silvery Moon Teacher Moonlighting and The Dark Side of Teachers Work 1st Edition Eleanor J. Blair

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

By The Light of The Silvery Moon Teacher Moonlighting and The Dark Side of Teachers Work 1st Edition Eleanor J. Blair

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

By the Light of the Silvery Moon

Teacher Moonlighting and the Dark

Dancing By The Light of The Moon 1st Edition Gyles

Dark Social: Understanding the Darker Side of Work,

Light in the Dark Moon Harbor 1 1st Edition Kate

The Cactus and Snowflake at Work How the Logical and

The Dark Side of Deceit (The Colby Tate Mysteries #4)

Guardians of the Light Omnibus Guardians of the Light 1

Teacher of the Year Teachers in Love 1 1st Edition M A

Teacher of the Year Teachers in Love 1 1st Edition M.

By the Light of the Silvery Moon

Eleanor J. Blair is a faculty member at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North

Teacher Moonlighting and the

By the Light of the Silvery Moon

“What does it mean to be an American teacher? Thanks to Dr. Blair’s work on

blair-moonlighting3P.indd 1 3/30/18 11:28 AM

blair-moonlighting3P.indd 2 3/30/18 11:28 AM

blair-moonlighting3P.indd 3 3/30/18 11:28 AM

blair-moonlighting3P.indd 5 3/30/18 11:28 AM

Published by Myers Education Press, LLC

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available from Library of Congress.

13-digit ISBN 978-1-9755-0017-7 (paperback)

Printed in the United States of America.

Cover and text design by Sophie Appel

Visit us on the web at www.myersedpress.com to browse our complete list of titles.

blair-moonlighting3P.indd 6 3/30/18 11:28 AM

And finally, Richard Wisniewski,

blair-moonlighting3P.indd 7 3/30/18 11:28 AM

Section One: Teacher Moonlighting: Studied and Still Misunderstood

1. Shedding Light on the Dark Side of Teacher Moonlighting 15

Section Two: Teacher Moonlighting IS Teachers’ Work

blair-moonlighting3P.indd 9 3/30/18 11:28 AM

Section Three: Teacher Moonlighting in the 21st Century:

blair-moonlighting3P.indd 10 3/30/18 11:28 AM

Betts, S.C. (2004). Gender differences in multiple jobholding: Moonlighting among

Smith, D. M., & Cooper, B. (1967, January). A study of moonlighting by public

Williams, J. A. (1993). Teacher moonlighting: Interviews with physical educators.

Wisniewski, R., & Kleine, P. (1984, April). Teacher moonlighting: An unstudied

blair-moonlighting3P.indd 11 3/30/18 11:28 AM

“Seems Like Old Times”

blair-moonlighting3P.indd 13 3/30/18 11:28 AM

well as the summer. I do not recall any of us complaining about having to

blair-moonlighting3P.indd 14 3/30/18 11:28 AM

Those Who Can, Teach…

T eachers moonlight. Many teachers moonlight on a continual basis

blair-moonlighting3P.indd 1 3/30/18 11:28 AM

above could be included. In her research, teachers suggested that additional

blair-moonlighting3P.indd 2 3/30/18 11:28 AM

blair-moonlighting3P.indd 3 3/30/18 11:28 AM

blair-moonlighting3P.indd 4 3/30/18 11:28 AM

dedicated to understanding the phenomenon. Twenty-first-century teacher

Compared with other workers, teachers spend much less time at

There is so much wrong with this statement that it leaves me speechless.

blair-moonlighting3P.indd 5 3/30/18 11:28 AM

Teaching entails a schedule unlike that of most other careers. Os-

blair-moonlighting3P.indd 6 3/30/18 11:28 AM

blair-moonlighting3P.indd 7 3/30/18 11:28 AM

1. Moonlighting among teachers is related to being a teacher. Teachers

2. Teachers often experience dissatisfaction with the tasks and responsibil-

blair-moonlighting3P.indd 8 3/30/18 11:28 AM

There does seem to be ample evidence that teacher moonlighting is a complex

Anderson, W.D., Jr. (1966). Supplemental income survey: Oklahoma classroom

blair-moonlighting3P.indd 9 3/30/18 11:28 AM

Reasons Non All Willing Reluctant

Job search Non All Willing Reluctant