Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1903-12-31
SCHOOL TEACHERS ASSOCIATION
FAvoRs PLAN TO SUPPORT
AGED PEDAeoGuEs.
SALARIES ARE SMALL
Iowa is Below the Average in the
Mean Amount Paid Per Month to In
structors, Ranking Above Only Thirs
teen States.

Des Moines, Dec. 80. Pensions
for Iowa school teachers in their OLD
age are favored by the state associa.
tion which is now in session in this
city. It was plainly shown that In
the Hawkeye state the instructors ara
poorly paid and it is urged that the
Legislature make provisions for the re-.
tlrement OF workers in this field4at q
certain age with pension sufficient to
meet the necessities in declining years.
1t was the announced belief of the ed.
ucational council that teachers would
feel more like making the school room
a field for their life's work if they coul6
be relieved from the harassing worry
OF what would finally become OF them
Cupid Wins the Day.
The question Of how to deal with the
difficulty of supplying the vacancies
caused by the acts of willy Dan Cupid
was matter Of consideration and edu.
Gators who have considered the mat
ter for the past year announced that
no change in the clause could be de.
sired, claiming that it will be an ill day
1or the schools when there are no mar
rlageable women in them as teachs
erS.
The Teacher Problem.
me feature of today's session of the
state teachers convention was the res
port OF the educational council of the
association on Some Phases Of the
Ieacher Problem The auditorium OF
plymouth Congregational church was
comfortably filled with instructors and
educators when this was presented by
! Thomas Nicholson, chairman.
Teachers Salaries.
In reporting on yssTeachers, sala5,
res, Professor Stookay ana.
Superintendent q. G. Thornburg
explained they had made compar,
Fiscns OF Iowa; salaries with. those paisi,I
in other states and discovered that IN
the total average salaries paid ia
teachers of both sexes Iowa standss
thirty-first in the list, only thirteen
states paying less. The average
monthly salary for male teachers ii
the entire country is S49.05 as against.
$43.66 in Iowa. The average monthly
salary for female teachers for the en-
tire country is 500 .77Sas against $30I7
Tor Iowa. They recommend that at.
tention should be directed to the rails.
ing the wages of teachers, not by in.
Ecreasing the total expenditures for
schools, but by some system of COM
centration by which the number OF
teachers employed may be brought I'M
to the right proportion to the number
of pupils taught
& Tenure Of Office.
Concerning the tenure OF office the
committee says: 1T is evident that
the length of time teacher remains
in the average rural school is very
short. Under exceptionally favorable
conditions the same teacher may re-
main for one year. Too often, there
is a change every term. 1t is believed
however, that conditions are irnprov-
ing in this regard.
In graded schools conditions are
better, yet even here tenure of office
LIS uncertain.
Teachers Pensions.
Superintendent H. G. Hollingswortli.
Principal w. O. Riddle and Superin.
|tendent O.aW. Weyer reported on pens
sions for teachers. After pointing out
that in Germany and other foreign
countries pensions are granted not on
ly teachers, but their widows and orr
phans, the committee said:
We think there is no question iri
regard to the merits of the pension
system when provided by; the state.,
Those who devote their lives to teach
Ing in the public schools are serving
the state in the highest capacity. II,
as is now the case, they are poorly
paid, it seems Just and wise that they
should be retired at the proper time
and that the state should provide. q
sufficient pension to meet their .neces-
slties in old age, at "a nominal cost to
them. This would result in great BEN
eft both to the teachers themselves
and the state. Teachers would feel
more like making teaching life work,
would make greater efforts to maintain
a high standard of qualifications so
as to be continued IN the service, and
would be relieved from the harassing
worry of what shall become of them
in old age.
Z "The state would get the continuous
service OF those trained for the work.
Teaching would become more desira-
Bile. More able and better trained
men and women would enter the SER
vice.
TAKES LIGHTHOUSES.
Il VI