The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1884-07-17
EDUCATIONAL.
what a Correspondent says ON tn
Moral Charcter of Teachers.

! What q Correspondent says Om tne
Moral Charcter of Teachers.
think the moral character of teachers
is being sadly neglected in our county,
and think that while we are doing so much
in the way of institutes and associations to
improve our minds and to learn the best
methods of imparing mental instruction
to our pupils we are neglecting the moral
part of our task. Teachers can do good
deal towards excluding immoral characters
from their ranks, but they must have
more help from their county superintend-
ent in this thar anything else, for he
has the power of Refusing to grant c'rtit-
icates to immoral characters, and of rcrok-
ing their certificates if he finds their infiu-
ence and example in the school room is
such as to njure the moral principles of
their pupils. The free school system is
the grand foundation upon which all the
prosperity, the peace and indeed the very
life and existence of our free government
rests. The public schools are gardens
wherein the minds and all morals Of the
young are cultivated. Here are found
the future rules and supporters of Dur
country. In these gardens grow the most
precious plant that God gives to the
world, and they, require more attention
and tender care than the most delicate
tropical plant requires in our more north
erly climate. We would not employ care
less person who knows nothing and cares
nothing about the kind of care the plant
needs to bring it to perfection to take
care of it. If such is our care for a soul
less plant how much more ought we to
care for the proper care of the children.
How much we should think of proper
teachers to place the young minds of the
children in the care of to be prepared for
future usefulness. Shame, sorrow, dis
grace, and it may be a lost soul for the
child in the future, and sorrow and broken
hearts for others are the result OF poor
teaching and bad examples For this
reason the teacher should be one with as
few bad and injurious habits as possible,
and one who will do all in his power to
discourage and prevent such habits in his
pupils. Who can tell when the ripple
caused by bad example of the teacher
will ever cease spreading? We want to
elevate the moral character of the children
as we'll as to cultivate their minds. If the
teacher is untidy about the school room
or about his or her personal appearance,
how soon is the same carelessness found
in the pupils?
Teachers should not use tobacco, al
though many ofthem do. Most parents
do not wish their boys to learn to smoke
or chew If the teacher does, how long
are boys going to see him do so before
following his example? IF he is gentle
manly and neat about it the more readily
they will pick it up, but they can seldom
be SO neat about it and soon make it un-
pleasant for all around them.
But above all things a person who
drinks to excess should never been al
lowed to enter the school room to teach.
We will all readily acknowledge that man
who goes to school indecently dressed,
his breath strongly scented with whiskey,
complains of being sick and lies around all
day, makes free use of slang words and
phrases in the scsaool reom whether drunk
or Sober, and wncf will BE drunk ten days
at time and not come near the school for
that length of time is not fit to have the
care of children. Yet there is such man
teaching school in Lincoln county. But
what can the people do who do not wish
to have their children under such teachers,
if the teacher comes with certificate Of
good moral character from the superin-
tendent, and they have no other means
of knowing him, and when they find him
out the superintendent will not revoke his
certificate? When l think of this case,
and some of the incompetent teachers
employed, | am tempted to be ashamed
of the name of school teacher. Such ones
are not teachers but hirelings who care
for nothing but the wages they receive.
There is still great work before the
earnest teachers SCHOOL TEACHER.