Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-12-19
Usual Large Attendance Ex-
pected at Meeting Of Iowa
Teachers Association
PROGRAM COMMENCES DEG. 80
Educational Council Will Hold Meeting
on That Date to Dispose, as Usual, of
Weishty Matters Long DeIiberated
Upon-Letter Of Dubuque County
School Teacher on Poor Pay.
i to Tines-Republican.


which are being made by educators of
Iowa, and the engagement of rooms IN
hotels and private residences for holi-
day week in Des Moines, indicate that
there will be the usual large attend
ance at the annual convention of the
Iowa State Teachers Association COM
mencing on the 30th of the month, and
that the capital city will be once more
filed to overhowing with thousands of
fair schoolma ans. The program COM
menees on the evening of the 30th with
a meeting of the educational council,
the body which is a sort of higher court
for the association, where Welghty
matters are finally disposed of after
two or three years deliberation and
discussion From this body there mas
come some of the greatest movements
in the direction of educational progress
ever entered upon in Iowa. 1t was
from this body that the great report
on high schools emanated a few years
ago which has resulted in unifying the
high school work in Iowa as never be-
fore. The council this year will con-
slider no new topic, one of the topics
having been before the council once be-
fore, and the other on its third year.
This latter is on "the sequence OF
studies" an effort to arrive at some or
der in which studies should be taken
up in all educational work. In both
previous discussions in this higher body
there was such diversity of opinion that
no statement could be agreed upon. 1t
is not by any means certain tnat a re-
port can be formulated this year, but an
effort will be made in that direction.
The general program and that of the
departments covers all of three days.
1t is generally agreed now that there
are too many departments and round
tables, too much division OF the pro-
gram so that no one person attending
can get the benefit of the entire pro-
gram, and some effort will be made this
year TO simplify this matter. The ses-
sion promises nothing sensational. The
program is filed with plain practical
things. A number of prominent edu-
Gators from other states are to be
present, and the best talent in the state
will be on hand. There is to be very
little politics in the association this
time, due largely to the fact that this is
not legislative winter in Iowa. Some
thing may develop as to candidates for
superintendent of public instruction,
but this is not certain. On the whole,
thoroughly enjoyable and eminently
practical session of the association, now
nearly a half century DID, is expected.
ssa
The Iowa teachers are alert and ac-
tive This is made manifest in many
ways, and they not only attend the
state meetings. but the district meet
ings, and county meetings, and the ma
tional meetings. At the four great
meetings held in the four quarters of
the state each year thousands of teach
ers attend. At the last meeting of the
national association, held in Minneap-,
oils, Iowa had ITO teachers enrolled,
which was more than any other state
except Minnesota and Illinois. Iowa
had nearly as many teachers there as
the entire group of north Atlantic
states, 926. The south Atlantic group
had only 1877, the south central 174. and
the western states only 23S. Iowa had
more than Ohio, Michigan and Missou-
ri at the meeting. Kansas had only 56.
and Nebraska 173. Iowa stands high
among the states in the matter OF pro-
gressive teachers. Usually there are
from 1900 to 1000 teachers enrolled.
There will be, of course, the usual
efforts to induce those who are re-
sponsible for the support of the school
system to place the teachers profession
on a better basis. The complaint that
there are not a sufficient number of
teachers to fill the schools is an Old
one. some would call it chronic COM
plant, but the fact is that this year
more than ever before is this COM
plaint q live one. The fact is that in
scores of the counties of Iowa there
is a demand for teachers which can
not be filed. The young ladies who
usually go to teaching are finding en-
ployment in commercial lines and flock
to the towns and cities where they can
get better pay and steady employ
ment Prosperity has made teaching
unattractive to the young women of
Iowa, Unless something is done to
bring the teachers profession up to
others the complaint will become louder
in a few years.
A young lady school teacher in
Dubuque county. who has considered
this subject in all its phases has writ
ten state Superintendent Barrett let
ter in which she states the case so
clearly that it needs no other expos
ition. She wrote:
I'm behalf of the poorly compensated
teachers of Dubuque county permit me
to make the following statement. Our
rural schools are in prosperous con-
dition under the guidance of our very
excellent state and county superinten-
dents, and because of the standard
which our teachers are required to
reach our schools compare favorably
with our city graded schools and In
many cases excel them. Our state laws
require our teachers to keep abreast
with the times and to pass an exam
ination in extra subjects almost year.
ly, which is perfectly right and proper,
for the teacher who remains as She
started and the teacher who negiects
the advancement Of education by ne