The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1891-06-25


ed into the business of teaching is mat
ter Of grave apprehension when the well
| fare of the schools is considered. At pres
ent the evil OF Inducing every year from
without the remotest idea of the prin-
| ciples underlying the work they engage
! IN, does not admit of correction. 1t may
/ be urged that the superintendent by re-
/ fusing to issue certificates except only in
/ cases Of exceptional ability, can thereby
/ eliminate the incompetent from the rank
| and file Of teachers. This is true only to
a limited extent. 1t can safely be said
| that the standard of admission 10 Mani
| towoc county compares favorably with
! any in the state, and the increased severn
| ty of the examinations insures a fair
| scholarship, but the fact that the county
! superintendent by an unWritten law Is
expected to furnish his county with a
/ sufficient number of teachers to fill the
schools prevents him from making fitness
| to teach an additional qualification. As
| long as the present system prevails teach
ing will be conducted largely by persons
of immature years who congratulate
| themselves on their success because they
| fail to comprehend the responsibilities
they assume. They know little as to
| what to teach and less of how to teach
| Possibly their strongest recommendation
| is that they are IN a position to under
| stand childhood which will contribute to
efficiency in course of time, because they
are children themselves.
Many are attracted to teaching not from
| any inherent liking for the work but be-
cause it offers a fair field for making a
| little money which may assist in acquir-
ing some profession, o. because it fur
| nishes employment during the winter
months. District boards are largely to
blame for this. For years premium has
been placed on cheap teachers and natur-
ally inefficiency goes with cheapness.
There is one school in the county that
has not had an experienced teacher in
fifteen years-of course the school is not
| in advance of the educational sentiment
that upholds it. Every town has one or
more schools that may be called recruit
ing districts, where inexperience expert
ments with childhood. Naturally the
teachers employed give no satisfaction; is
| 1t reasonable to expect that they should?
About 3 of the thirty who enter teach
ing in the country schools drop out at
the end of The first year; the other twenty
begin the second years work backed by
the first years experience and the train
ing which the institute and teachers
meetings give The productiveness of
this years work is measured largely by
the degree of interest the teacher mani
tests and the capacity he has developed
to study child nature. Thus through the
experience gained reinforced by clear
comprehension Of the subjects to be
taught the progressive teacher develops
a consciousness of strength that goes far
to make his future efforts successful.
Most of our teachers get their training
IN this way. Bat at what a sacrifice. If
now the experienced teachers remained
at the work for some years they might,
IN measure offset the wrong done the
children, but no sooner has the teacher
developed powers for doing good, agencies
are at work threatening to cut short his
life as a teacher. Our county has always
fair proportion Of excellent teachers
who lift their pupils from the level of
shallow pretense 10y insisting npon the
full measure of intellectual effort" but
whose interest in the work soon flags be-
cause of the growing conviction that
teaching will not pay. Every year the
teacher of experience is thrown into COM
petition with the apprentice teacher, and
since school boards as rule are unwilling
to consider fitness and ability, he fails to
get the recognition that his services en-
title him to. 1t is for tins reason that so
many quit teaching, while others seek
the remuneration abroad that is denied
them at home. Chicago and Milwaukee
are always deslrous of securing the well
trained teacher. Do you blame him for re-
fusing to work for forty dollars month
for eight months of the year? He gets
less than a dollar a day, since he is laid
off for four months of the year. Does
this compare favorably with the steve
dores who strike for higher wages because
they only get one dollar and fifty cents
day? Can You blame him for preparing
to enter profession while still engaged |
in teaching? He is willing to remain at
his chosen calling if you will let him. |
Pay him living wages so that he can
marry and settle down in your midst and |
until you are willing to do this do not |
censure too strongly the apprentice |
teacher because he does not furnish the |
fruits of experience.
Teachers should make decided effort |
to increase their wages. The only way to |
do this is to enter the work with increas-
Ell efficiency and to make strenuous |
efforts to overcome the apathetic condi- |
ton of the people by doing professional |
work in the schoolrocm. There are in |
this county a number of teachers who |
spent a year at a normal school prelmin-
AIRY to teaching. As a rule even their first |
years work Is characterized by a definite
ness of purpose rarely found otherwise. |
Though they do not necessarily outrank
the averagein scholarship their pedogogic
training enables them to grasp more
clearly the conditions under which they 7.
are working and to adapt the subjects
taught to the capacity ofthe child Argu-
ing from the success these teachers meet /
with | should suggest to those who in
tend to teach to spend at least one year
IN a training school for teachers. Is it too /