Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1898-06-02
Teachers Institute.

As a fellow teacher, who is in sym.
pathy with the cause of education and
desirOus of seeing the teachers, pat.
rons and pupils of Iron county, ever
striving to raise her schools to high.
er plane. we would say to ell such
give the County School Commissioner
your hearty support in all his profes-
sional work.
On the 18th of June, the County
Teachers Institute convenes at Belle
view, to be continued for period ot
three weeks. That goodly number
of the teachers of the county will be
present, goes without saying; that
some will give finaSy eucatse for non
attendance is equally true. My dear
fellow teachers, do you not realize that
you are co-workers of profession sec
ond to none in the nation, that of
moulding and shaping the lives, minds,
and actions of the children of our
schools-that they may become better
citizens - physically, mentally and
morally? Then if you do, will you
shirk q duty which you owe to yourself,
to your profession. to your pupils, to
your State and nation, that of develop
ing and strengthening every faculty
you have, that you may be the better
enabled to impart instruction to those
who are to be in your charge? No,
you will not shirk this duty, if you
love to teach and have decided to make
teaching a life time profession. But,
on the other hand, if you are simply
using the profession as a stepping
stone to some other calling which you
believe to be better or more renumer-
ative, or if you enter the work half
heartedly, simply to get living out of
it, then you may not hope to become
interested and enjoy the high calling
that you are pursuing, neither may the
patrons expect their children to re-
ceive the best instruction Or results.
Every wide-awake, energetic, pro-
gressive. unselfish teacher, unless
compelled to remain away, will not
forego the pleasure and profit of at
tending their home County Institute.
Neither will they be among the last to
enroll as members of the Institute.
They fully realize the advantages to
be gained at such meetings, by coming
in contact with their fellow teachers,
even from the weakest member. They
know that if they are present each day,
the Board Of Instructors has better
opportunity to test their ability and
fitness as teachers. Management,
methods, address, personality, deter
mination and devotion must be added
to scholarship in order that an accu-
rate test of ones teaching ability may
be reached. A correct knowledge of
these characteristics of teacher
cannot be secured by written exam
ination. The daily institute class ex-
erclse presents an opportunity to trace,
step by step, line of ning-each
answer becoming the basis for the sue
ceeding question-leading up to covet-
ed knowledge; the written examina
ton fishes forth from an overloaded
memory this coveted knowledge as a
dead product.
Should teachers be like stagnant
pools, inactive, satisfied to teach on
the same grade certificate this year
that they did last? Would it net be
better to advance each year if possible,
get out OF the ruts, obtaining higher
ideals and greater inspiration? If
teachers do not attend institutes and
use every legitimate means to qualify
themselves for their work, then should
they object to School Boards giving
preference to those who do? It is a
duty which the Board owes to the dis
trict that they serve, to employ the
best teacher that they can with the
money they have at their disposal.
What the people are interested in-the
plain common people who foot the
bills-is securing a teacher that can
teach. The same business sagacity in
investing public money, by the Board,
should be used, that is employed in in
vesting prtUate money. No just COM
parison can be made between the re-
suits of cheap, bungling teacher, and
q scholarly skilled teacher. No one
can blame the Board for being careful
to get the worth of it's money; but the
Board must be commended that has
learned that the cheapest teacher is
usually the dearest.
We as teachers should remember
that we are practically members of
common. 1t is impossible for one to
learn and acquire all of the best sub
ject matter and best methods of in
by reading and study. II
we attempt it we will become rutty i
and rusty. One secret of the success
of schools in large towns is, that each
teacher recognizes that he is a mem
Der of a great system. that he Is one
link of chain whose strength and
usefulness depend upon each link be-
ing perfect and without a flaw. Teach /