The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-08-28
A PLEA FOB THE COMMON SCHOOLS.
The following Essay was read by Miss
Leila Russell before the recent Teachers

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Iustitute
In attempting to write on this subject
I fear that my older and more expert
enced comrades will think me presumptu.
Gus, fer am very young in the work of
teaching, having taught only one school
term, but really I feel there are serious
defects in our common school system,
when consider the temperature of the
weather, and then think that shall re-
turn to my school in short while. Hu-
man nature is selfish thing. Whenever
anything effects ones own self they
investigate the matter Immediately to
find the cause of the grievance and to
remove it, But to whom shall we look
for help. Are The defects in our school
system due to unwise legislation? 1t
seems to me that it is due, in great
measure, to the want of interest on the
part of the parents and Trustees. If we
could only awaken in them an interest
iu the school and its workings. l think
it is in their power to do a vast deal
towards removing the barriers. We can
not run the school successfully without
this co operation The school is talked
over at home. Parents listen to the
child's accounts of the transaction, and
no matter how much the child may love
his teacher, he will listen to his parents
conclusions. So let us try to get these
parents interested in the school by invit-
| ing them to come and see its workings,
by visiting them and talking schoo! to
them when and wherever We see them.
A further means of interesting them is to
send them specimens of their children's
best work, having succeeded in this it
may arouse these parents and Trustees to
action, and they will tax themselves
heavier for the maintenance of the
schools. We might in this way get bet.
ter school houses.
Some of the houses in use are mere
novels. As Prof. Albert said: fought
the house where an immortal soul is to
be trained, where character is to be
built up, to be poorer than our jails 2"
visited school once in this County
and found the children sitting on slabs,
and having only an awkard desk, which
was SO high that the children had to
stand up to write. How could those
children progress? We will not discuss
this point further; suffice it to say that
this co operation is one of the things for
which we plead. We need longer school
terms, also. In most of the common
schools The term is 20 short that you can
scarcely prepare curriculum, aud the
children are just becoming interested in
their work when the term expires. And
ere the next session begins, the ideas
gained from last sessions work have
been almost .obliterated. This is very
discouragiug, both to teachcr and pupil.
The former almost reaches the cnncu-
sion that her work is vain, and then, too,
the parent is very likely to attribute the
non progression OF his child to q def
cheney in the teacher Oh we teachers
have a great mauy discouragements.
The poet was not far wrong wher he
said:
''Uneasy lies the heads
OF all who rule,
And his the most
Whose kingdom is a school,"
But we are making some improvement
in the length of term. A good many
of our schools have an eight months
term, but there is a point of objection
here. Most Trustees have this divided,
making summer term. They want you
to open school the last of November, or
first of December, and teach until last Of
April and dismiss, taking vacation of
over two months, commencing again
about the second week in July, and at
this time We are having such hot weather
aoho could do good work? Neither pupil
nor teacher. It is so hot that to exer-
else either body or mind is very fatigu-
ing. And as all teachers know, VIC have
to undergo both physical and mental
strain, for which we receive very little
pay, in pecuniary poiut of view, not
that we should look forward to this as
our only reward, for we have others.
Look on it rs a means, not an end.
In ancient times the Roman soldiers
were paid barely enough to buy their
salt, so they called it salatarium, and
from tina. we have the word salary. You
see teachers salary fully illustrates the
derivation of the word. 1t will barely
buy their salt. The people don't seem
to realize that good salaries command
good teachers. If they would only tax
themselves the two mills extra, which
they have the privilege of doing, and get
good teachers. Teachers who know how
to teach. Not every ore who has kuowl.
edge in store is gifted with the power to
impart it. Some of the finest scholars
will utterly fail in the school room. If
they will gel good teachers, then will
the children be rightly educated, and the
people also There will be less crime
and less use for prisons aud jails. School
teachers are cheaper than judges, and
school houses are cheaper than jails. So
let us pay better salaries, get good teach
era, and instruct aud educate the people.
We are repaid partially, though, by the
thought that the fruits of our labors are
not all reaped at once, but extend on.
Ages on ages after The poor clay in which
the creative intellect was enshrned has
moldered back to lis kindred dust, the
truths which it has unfoldcd, moral or
intellectual, are holding on their path
way of light and glory, awakening ether
minds to the same heavenly career. We
must be satisfied 10 work cnergctically
with purpose, not so much for our
reward here, as fer our reward hereafter.
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