Evening star., 1900-03-23
SCHOOL TEACHERS SALARIES.
An Open Letter to Representative
Bingham by n High School Teacher.


The Star has received for publication the
following "open letter" addressed by
High School Teacher to Representative
Bingham of Pennsylvania concerning the
salaries of public school teachers:
The Evening Star of March 15 credits
YOU with the following statement: There
are 22l days in the year when the teachers
are not employed, counting the Saturdays.
the holidays and the vacations Now, l
am certainly willing to assume that you
believe your own statement But to make
such striking statement without having
exact Information on the subject, and espe-
cially to give it such public uttarance, is
douby culpable in a man occupying your
official position. From actual count of
the teaching days in the year 1900 I am
prepared to say that your statement is eN
aggerated one-tifth beyond the fact; is %
per cent too large. The teachers of this
city actually teach forty-three days, or nine
teaching weeks, or two full teaching
months, more than you said. But. of
course. that is small matter and easily
lends itself to the making of a sensational
statement.
Had you told the literal fact and said
that we are unemployed for us days dur
ing the year 1900 You would have created
very false impression. for there are fifty
two Sundays and seven legal holidays on
which no government employe is required
to work.
Had you deducted these nlty-ntne days
and said that we had l19 unemployed days
you would still have created a false inn
preston, for the teachers are, by force of
circumstances, frequently compelled to
work beyond their stated hours of labor,
performing clerical work or arranging or
collecting material for the next days reci
tations. In addition to this many an even
ing hour do they spend planning the next
days teaching and correcting exercises and
examination papers. Not infrequently Sat
urdays are thus employed. Teachers meet
ings are also held outside the stated hours
of labor.
To make even a suparficially fair state
ment you should have deducted from the
remaining 119 days the thirty working days
leave of absence given to other government
employees, and then said that we work
eigh ty-nine days less than the average gov
ernment employe.
And a man who was anxious to have the
whole truth brought before the House, and
who cared nothing about making sensa-
tional statements 20 per cent beyond the
literal, superficial facts, would have taken
pains to add that, In view of the extra Ia
bor necessarily performed by the teachers.
and in view Of the great nervous strain to
which they are subjected for nine months
of the year, 1t would be manifestly unjust
to hold up the eighty-nine unemployed days
in condemnation of an attempt to secure
moro adequate compensation for faithful
services which are rendered conScientiously
and with devotion, and which are of vital
Importance to the community and to the
state. Preventive education is far better
than corrective legislation.
Your remark about the alleged 221 unem-
ployed days was adduced to show that
Washington public school teachers are we'll
paid. There are many considerations bear
ing upon this question First, you should
consider the Importance of the work, its
value to the state and the necessity Of hay
ing men and women of character, educa-
ton and force engaged In 1t; The teacher
also needs to have an understanding of the
child mind and its operations, and should
have a sympathy and affection for his pu
pills Tact and a ready resource are almost
Indispensable parts of his equipment. And
yet. sir, you and your colleagues. Messrs.
Allen and Grout. want tc make us believe
that the present salaries are sufficient tc
renunerate men and women possessing
such qualifications. Many who might have
gone into the public school work have been
deferred by the wretched pay. They could
do much better in other occupations. not to
mention professions. Now, why should
those who have devoted themselves to the
work be punished for their devotion to 1t by
being given smaller salaries than are paid
to comparatively uneducated persons. such
as messengers, computers and copyists In
| the departments Boys just graduating
| from the High School not infrequently step
into positions in the commercial world and
average High School teacher receives. Is
| 1t right to demand character, a college edu-
| cation, force, tact, sympathy and ex-
perience qualifications for High School
positions and yet refuse to pay these teach
ers as much as Is paid to the above-men-
| toned persons with far inferior qualifica-
| tons? 1 believe that the teacher expents
| more nerve force and vital energy during a
| teaching year than a department clerk does
| during the calendar year. Yet s., 200, the
utmost that only a few teachers can ever
| hope to receive, is what is considered only
| an average salary in the departments. The
| director of the high schools once said to
| the writer, in substance: I'VE must have
| men In this work; but we do not expect to
| keep them more than three or four years.
| because we cannot pay them enough to
| keep them"
I wonder If this notion Of working eighty
nine days less than the average government
| clerk is responsible for our smaller salaries
| In view of that possibility / wish to sub
init the following considerations: Our work
1 IN such that Il ia impoSsible for ua as a