What did Deneen do in her teens?

In her teens in the 1880s, she taught school for a time in Sac County, Iowa.[3] She studied at the Mount Carroll Seminary (later known as Shimer College), exiting in 1890.[4] Although then as now primarily a liberal arts institution,[5] the school also offered courses in stenography and typewriting.[6] Deneen performed well enough in her studies to be hired as an instructor of these subjects in 1889[7] and 1890.[5]

In her teens, Deneen taught school in Sac County, Iowa.