The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1878-12-19


tive small wages, and the suppose /: over
crowding of the teachers ranks. 1t is
! true that teachers wages have been Kept
up better than the wages of any other
class of employees, and that Manitowoc
county has not been outdone in this
| particular by any other section of the
State. yet there have been constant and
IN some cases large reduction In the
amounts paid. 1t IS certainly the right
and the duty of district boards to secure
properly qualified persons as teachers at
as reasonable rates as possible, and these
officers and school districts can only be
charged with want of proper care and judg
ment when too small wages are offered
! to secure fit instructors. In order to be
a good teacher, age, experience. educa-
ton, ability and some special aptitude for
the business is needed. Such persons are
not dependent upon school teaching
alone for livelihood. Other avocations
are open and ready to receive them. They
cannot afford to teach school for the same
wages that the inexperienced boy or girl
can. They demand more and are worth
more. Without doubt there are many
teaching on small wages who are far from
earning what is paid them. A poor teach
er is dear at any price. am not an adj
vocate of high wages, but know that the
i,ta cfc Of hat hn
ability and energy of the profession be
not crowded out of it; that teachers be
paid according to their deserts; that he
who has spent years in securing an edu
cation, and has an established reputation
should be paid something for his outlay
and work. Those who are just common
small wages; they are learners; but there
are many schools that should not employ
such teachers, the age and character of
the pupils demanding something different.
The majority of the districts of the
county have adopted the system of sim
gle term of school during the year. There
are SO many advantages in this plan that
its general adoption can be but question
of time. Not ten per cent. of the summer
schools pay. The attendance is small,
and none but the younger pupils find
their way to the schools. Let the inter
ests of the larger pupils be attended to
and the interests of the districts will be
we'll subserved. A change Of teachers, I'M
less for the better, is always detrimental
to school. A teacher can be employed
at a less rate per month for long term
than for short one. Careful study has
convinced me that term of eight months
is the most profitable in majority of the
country districts. The term should COM
mence as early as the first of October and
continue without vacation, except during
the muddy season in spring, until COM
pletion,
The era of better school houses in this |
county seems to be dawning. Several
good buildings have been built the past
fall, and projects are on foot looking to
the construction of several more during |
the coming year. The plans and arrange
ments of some of these new buildings are |
worthy of imitation, while others exhibit |
a want of adaptability to the purposes of
school work greatly out of harmony with !
their cost. Ventilation should be care.
fully attended to. Plenty of good black
board, near enough the floor to enable |
the smallest pupil to use it, should be
placed in the school room. Patent fur
niture is the cheaper in the end and if
the circumstances of the district will per-
NIT, should be purchased.
The session of the County Teachers !
Association the l4th inst. was attended |
by about 70 teachers, the meeting being |
in every way successful. The bad wealth
er without doubt prevented some from |
being present and formed the basis of Cd
excuse for others to remain away. Among |
the absentees were, of course, numbered |
those who never seek any means of i'm |
provement, dead weights, who dodge |
Institutes, teachers meetings, examina-
tions, and the greater portion of their
work in the school room. An intermit
tant but well develo ed sickness seems
10 possess many OF this class, which like
an evil spirit, needs but the report of a
teachers meeting to grapple them with
giant power, entirely incapacitating them |
for physical or mental labor for the time |
being. A popularity of those thus afiic- |
ted is that their abilityis always good to
draw the wages they never earn, and that !
prospect Of a dance usually dispels the
dark clouds of invalidism. These words |
do not apply to those who had valid ex-
cuses, but to the makers and seekers for |
excuses to shirh their duty that cumber
the profession. To the teachers who |
braved wind and weather to aid and re-
oeive, oil honor is due. Their zeal does !
not alone stamp them as desiring and |
deserving to succeed as teachers, but in |!
dicates something beyond mere mer- |
cenary interest in the schools; stamps |
them as possessing manhood and woman
hood, that will play an important part in |
winning success in whatever they choose
to engage, that will make them respected |
as being earnest and honest.
Teachers meetings will be held the
coming winter throughout the county. |
Those who are interested can easily find |
out their locations and times of meeting. |
Every teacher should take an active in
terest in these meetings aud contribute
TO make them successful by regular at
tendance and prompt performance of
assigned duty.
", 4, WALKER,
Go. Supt. of Schools.
Manitowoc, Dec. 16, 1878.