The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-01-21
PEDAGOGY.
THE LIFE AND DUTIES OF A NEW
YORK scHooLTEAcHER.
Good Pay, Short Days and Lots OF vaca-
tion-Advantages over Other ocoupa-
tions-sraio Teachers Havo Wider OPP
p%ortunities Than the women.

p~ortunities Than the Women,
Everything taken into consideration,
snere are few public offices in the city of
new York which are moro desirable
imam those within the public school sys-
rem. From almost every point Of view i,
the life Of q echoolteacher is a desirable
one in this city. The pay is good, the
promotion tolerably rapid, the work not
onerous, and the hours are better than in
almost any other field Of labor. About
H,ooo teachers arc employed In the pub
y NC school system of Now York whose
salaries range from 5000 to 81, 900 q
year for women, and from 81, $50 to 3d.
900 for men. But SO, 900 is by no means
the limit to the financial ambition Of a
New York schoolteacher. On the part of
the men there are several greater prizes
within their reach if they nave tho prop
or qualifications and can secure the right
influence i'll the board Of education. For
instance, there is the Office Of assistant
superintendent of public schools, of
winch there are ten, each drawing q sal
airy OF about 81, 900 q year. Then there
is the superintendent s office itself, with
IT'S handsome pay of 1000, and it has
lpeen the goal toward which scores of
educators i'll this and other cities are
constantly keeping thoir 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 q matter of practice, has u life
position. Then the male teachers can
look forward to Il promotion TO the City
pOllQnQ 0ifInr nc nv ,Detr-oko. - -
airy Of $50, 500, or a full f1edged professor
mt 81, 500.
There arc few of the 90 male princi-
pals i'll New Yorlh's public schools, how
ever, who do not get moro than their
salary of So, 900 q year. Almost every
one of them gets some little additional
pay, as $500 or $500 q year for extra
service as an instructor III the evening
schools or rs clerks of tho ward board of
school trustees. Some of tho principals
hold both of these little pluns and make
II clear $40 0 a year out Of the school
system. The principals of boys schools,
CT course, have their pick in these choice
perquisites, but there are SO many addi-
tional Offices to be filled that undor male
teachers i'll the public schools come in
for 4 good round share.
The four evening high schools alono
give employment to 30 or 80 teachers,
T ch of whom gets anywhere from So to
'@8 u night for tho additional work.
Then there are some 30 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 q year. Nearly all these clerks
are DrinciDalS 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, 300. Sho 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 c. 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 a pre-
lliminary examination, which. if he is
successful, entities him to be placed up
on the eligible list Of teachers. After
satisfactory work in this capacity for
not more than Il year the candidate Sc
cures a permanent license as II teacher
i'll New York's public schools, and as
such is entitled to teach in any part of
the city.
This does not mean necessarily that
the teacher will Immediately find en-
lployment. That depends entirely upon
the local board of school trustees. The
city is divided into % school districts,
tho schools in each of which are con-
ftrolle1 by q 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 tho board of cduca-
ton. AS a rule, however, the licensed
teacher soon finds an opening and then
is i'll 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 III New
York get to work at 8 q. IN. anG are
lucky if they get away by 8 p. H., with
half an hour for luncheon. The work of
the teacher begins at 0 a. m. and is over,
as a rule, by 8 p. m, with IN hour for
luncheon. Nine-tenths of the salary
learners get only 2 weeks out Of the so
in the year for q vacation, and they
work 6 days in the week at that. The
Ischoolteachers get q vacation Of 10
weeks i'll 81 and draw full pay during
that time. Besides this they work only
8 days in the week and have all holt
days. 1t has been estimated that the
schoolteachers of New York work less
than 200 of the 800 days in the year.
If q schoolteacher is to rise in the
calling, however, the work does not end
with school hours. Studies In pedagogy