Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1899-02-01
Pen sloning Teachers.

pension teachers is attracting 5atten-
ton. This is perfectly natural. Any.
thing which will in any way aid our
educationa system deserves the most
profound attention from ali thinking
men and women. In our county pap
els have appeared articles, bearing
on this subject from teachers, but none
have rppealeu4 from some Of those
who are to bear the burden if the bill
becomes a law, namely the taxpayers
at large. Perhaps the reason for this
is that most people deem this moye, so
perfectly natural and proper, that dis
cussion is thought superduous. .*@
Be this as it may, in my. humble
opinion the matter is of Importance,
and if several years spent in the school
room and a ''bona fde'' intention to
spend still more will entit]e me to
space in your paper, should ask for
the privilege to express my ideas on
the subject.
The teaching profession, as far as
the common schools, are concerned.
has too often and is too often used
simply as a stepping stone to some
thing better. Notwithstanding the
great Importance of his work, the COM
mon school teacher has not COM
manded the respect his station really
entities him to. l consider the COM
mon school teacher. as far as his work
is concerned, amore potent factor in
the act of building up the American
nation than those of his colleagues
employed in higher institutions of
learning, for he is Indirect contact
with the tbrobbing pulse of democratic.
America, the sons and daughters of
the laboring masses of the country.
If the school teacher is not honored
as the dignity of his profession de-
serves, the reason is perhaps mainly
this, as already stated, that he uses
his profession merely as a stepping
stone for something better. But is the
teacher to blame for this? The salary
paid is so low that man with fami-
~, can barely live as long as he is
able to work, but if prevented by sick.
ness or old age to do this, he has alb
solute1y nothing. Any thinking man,
no matter how greatly he loves his
work, knows that the duty towards
his family has the strongest claim on
him, and when he finds that the work
in which he is engaged does not suf1i-
GENTLY meet the demands to which his
position, as a supporter of a family,
is exposed, will change.
We are justly proud Of our educa-
tional system, it has accomplished
great things in the past, and we love
it because it is American. But con-
tentment is fatal to progress so for
the sake of progress, if for nothing
else, we should try to obtain still bet-
. ter results. Prominent educators
agree that better results can be- OBJ
tanned for the same amount Of money,
and would humbly suggest that the
beginning be made by retaining the
services Of our old teachers by grant
ing them a small pension after years
of faithful service in the interests of
the state. Experience in the school,
room is most valuable and this con-
slant change, pushing out the old
teachers, and filling the vacancies
with the young, inexperienced ones,
cannot but prove detrimental to the
best interest of the schools.
10 compare our educational system
to that of a foreign country would per-
haps be considered un-American, but
when such a comparison brings to the
surface facts, which, if needed, would
be of value to US, it needs no apology
For years we have borrowed many
of our educational principles from
Germany, and the superiority of the
German school system is also recog.
nized by those of our scholars and
students who have spent years in that
country for study and observation.
So perhaps we would be justified in,
for a moment, to note how Germany
deals with her old teachers. OF course
there would be great many things to
learn from comparison Of this kind,
but we shall merely consider that
which touches directly on the subject
/ in hand. In Germany the teachers
position is a permanent one. Only
applicants, fully prepared, are EN-
ployed. The salary paid is perhaps
not 50 very much larger than salaries
paid in the United States, conditions
Of the country not requiring so much,
but after the teacher has served faith
fully for years, the government sees
that he is not, when old age necessi.
tates bis withdrawal from active work,
left to the mercy OF the world. A pen
sion,< sufficient TO supply his wants, is
given to him by the government, as a
I fl recognitionsof his faithful service.
This provision has stood It's test in