The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1896-01-07
GOTHAM PEDAGOGY.
THE LIFE AND DUTIES OF a NEN
YORK ScHOOLTEAcHER.

tions-MaIe Teachers Have Wider op
portunitISs Than the wor,en.
Everything taken into consideration,
there are few public Offices in the city a
New York which are more desirable
than those within the public school sys.
tenn. From almost every point Of view
the life Of a schoolteacher is desirabls
one in this city. The pay is good, the
promotion tolerably rapid, the work nol
onerOus and tue hours are better than iD
almost any other field of labor. About
1900 teachers are employed in the pub
lie school system of New York whose
salaries range from 5000 to 81 800 a
year for women, and from 81 ,OSO to S3,-
900 for men. But So. 900 is by no means
the limit to the financial ambition Of
New York schoolteacher. On the part Of
the men there are several greater prizes
within their reach if they have the prop
er qualifications and can secure the night
influence in the board of education. For
instance, there is the Office of assistant
superintendent of public schools, Of
which there are ten, each drawing q sal
airy Cf about 81, 600 year. Then there
is the superintendent Office itself, with
its handsome pay Of $1,000, and it has
been tho goal toward which scores Of
educators in this and other cities are
constantly keeping their eyes. Both the
offices of assistant superintendent and
superintendent are filed absolutely by
the board Of education. The assistant
superintendent is elected for two years,
and, as matter of practice, has life
position. Then the male teachers can
look forward TO promotion to the City
college either as an instructor at a sal
airy of s., 500, or full fled ed professor
at 81, 500.
There arc few of the 53 male princi-
pals III New York's public schools, how
ever, who do not get more than their
salary Of IS, 900 year. Almost every
one Of them gets some little additional
pay, as $500 OF $500 a year for extra
service as an instructor in the evening
schools or as clerks of the ward board Of
school trustees. Some of the principals
hold both of these little plums and make
a clear $4, 900 a year out of the school
system. The principals of boys schools,
of course, have their pick in these choice
perquisites, but there are SO many addi
tional offices to be filed that under male
teachers in the public schools come in
for good round share.
The four evening high schools alone
give employment TO 20 or 80 teachers,
each of whom gets anywhere from SO to
SO a night for the additional work.
Then there are some % boards of school
trustees, each Of which has its clerk,
who gets pay for the amount of work
done, the average mounting up to 500
or $500 year Nearly all these clerks
are principals of some schools.
In the case of women schoolteachers
the chances for earning extras are very
| limited. The maximum salary she can
get is 81 800. She starts into the system
with a salary of about 5000, which is
gradually raised until she becomes the
/ principal of a girls department of a
/ grammar school.
In order TO become a schoolteacher in
| the public schools of New York it is first
necessary to get "a recommendation from
a member of the board of education.
! This enables the candidate to try pre-
/ liminary examination, which, if lie is
/ successful, entities him to be placed up
On the eligible list of teachers After
satisfactory work in this capacity for
not more than year tho candidate Sc
cures permanent license as a teacher
/ i'll New York's public schools, and as
such is entitled to teach in any part Of
1 the city.
This does not mean necessarily that
/ the teacher will Immediately find en-
ployment. That depends entirely upon
| the local board of school trustees. The
city is divided into 24 school districts,
the schools in each of which are con-
/ trolled by a school board, who are ap-
pointed by the board of education. The
boards have the selection of all teachers
below the grade of principal, these be-
ing appointed by the board of educa-
tion. As a rule, however, the licensed
teacher soon finds an opening and then
is in the regular line of promotion.
What has made the school service so
attractive to many are the easy hours.
Nine-tenths of the salary earners in New
York get to work at u. N. aud are
lucky if they get away by . p. M, with
half an hour for luncheon. The work of
the teacher begins at a. IN. and is over,
as a rule, by p. M, with an hour for
luncheon. Nine-tenths of the salary
earners get only weeks ont of the 52
in the year for a vacation, and they
work days in the week at that. The
schoolteachers get a vacation of Is
weeks in % and draw full pay during
that time. Besides this they work only
0 days in the week and have all holi-
days 1t has been estimated that the
schoolteachers of New York work less
than 200 of the 800 days in the year.
If n schoolteacher is to rise in the
calling, however, the work does not end
with school hours. Studies IN pedagogy
and advanced education must be kept mp
at home. The work is not so hard, how
ever, or tie pay so poor as to induce