The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-08-04
WHO Is A SCHOOL TEACHER?
And How are school Teachers Paid

And How are school Teachers Paid
To the Editor of the Argus
To my Judgment school teacher is a
lady or gentleman who is capable of tax
ing charge of country, village or town
school. teaching and instructing the
pupils in charge with definite, outlined
plan. Before person can take charge
of school room, teach and instruct the
children as they should be taught, he
must first have what is required of tea
cher.
First-What think stands at the head
of this list of requirements is, that he
should be thoroughly acquainted with
the work he is going to teach. What |
mean by being thoroughly acquainted
is, that the teacher should have the prin-
ciples of the work wholly at his CON-
mand. If, for instance, his work is in
arithmetic, he should be thoroughly ac-
quainted with all its principles, such as
the principles of addition, multiplication
and division; also with fractions, both
common and decimal, in the various
forms of each. He should be able to
present this work so plat My that the child
will be able to grasp the thought that is
presented.
Secondly-The teacher should have
love for the work, and feel interested in
the behalf of his pupils, or at once resign
his work as teacher, and quit robbing
children of their time, something that he
cannot give to them.
To my mind, person who will cons
tract to teach school just for the pur>
pose of getting little spending money"
as it is called. is committing wilful
crime. Now, If "a person has no love for
school teachers work, il is evident that
the want of little money brought him
into the teachers field A person of this
character is by ne means a benefit to the
| true teacher.
Thirdly-A person to be school
| teacher, should be strictly moral in his
habits Should he not De so, his influence
in the school room or out, Isl foyeno great
good The saying that 'sdch as the
fountain is, so will be its waters is
true, and it is also true that
such as is the character or
| habits of the teacher, such will
be the tendency of his pupils A child
learns to do by doing, and when he hears
| an improper expression made by the
teacher, he learns TO do the same thing by
doing it.
The mental ability, the love for the
| work, and the morals OF the teacher
| should be looked upon as the leading re-
quirements of a school teacher. Without
either, no person should be permitted by
| the public to enter school room for the
purpose of instructing children A bad
impression made upon the childs mind Is
| hard to eradicate, and parents should be
| very careful, as means of preserving the
purity of the child. who they are placing
as the instructor of their children
How a teacher is paid depends wholly
upon his ability to carry on the work
| that he undertakes. The fact that teach>
ers do not receive sufficient wages for
their work Is true in some cases; it is also
true in some cases that teachers receive
better wages than they deserve.
| One reason why they receive more than
they earn is because they do not hold the
| one position months enough at time
| No teacher can enter a strange school
room, having set of children who are
| wholly unacquainted with him, and begin
at once to do good, effective work. The
| first month or two the teacher spends in
| training the children to work TO his meth>
| DDS, and by the time he has the children
| fully under his control, or in other words
fully acquainted with his methods, the
| district board finds some one else who
| will teach the next term of school for a
| few dollars less per month than the
teacher they have, so the board informs
the present teacher that he will have to
teach for certain sum. less than what he
lis now receiving, or they will have to
| change teachers
Now If this is a teacher who holds bis
education at or above par, he will not
teach the school for any lower wages than
he did before, unless it is necessary, as it
is in some cases No business man will
sell bond that is bearing good
rate of interest, AID which is also
ten per cent. aoove par, for par
or less Just for the sake of sell.
ing it, Here is where the teacher
is paid more than he earns; if he could
take the school for at least a year. which
should be the teachers allotted term, he
could then do good work. work that
| would be credit to himself. and also
work that would be as valued as the
wages paid to him.
Many teachers are paid a higher salary
than they really earn from the simple fact
that they are not teachers, but are per-
sons who have found an opportunity to
teach a school (and board at honey at
which they can get little extra change
as they call it. Many times these per
sons will take school for a lesser salary
than good regular teacher viii teach
for, and in this way the regular school
teachers wages are reduced to such a
point that he withdraws from the teach
ers field entirely.
A reason why teachers are not paid
enough for their work is on account of
SO much opposition. Wages change &C
cording to the supply and demand OF
teachers, Ibut, it is only too true that as q
general thing the poorer teacher is hired
to fill these important positions, be-
cause they can afford to. or because they
do underbid the better ones.
Teachersl let us not throw our credit
away by undertaking some other teach
er. If we teach one school for $25 per
month, our next term will be expected to
be taught for about the same; for We
have acknowledged our weakness in thai
profession.
Now if Our work as teachers does moi
fit us for better work, and better wages
flor none of us work for honor alone
let us quit the profession, slip down and
out, and give way for others who fee
} that they can continue the work.
PEDAGoGUE.
| A Good Investment