Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1904-09-02
HIRING G or TEACHERS
Some Practical Remarks
on an Important
Subject

A "Stevens County School Officer
has the following in last weeks Nor
r1s Sun. Il sid ..*. ~
II OF what do Qualifications of 4 teach
or consist and TO- which should the
preference be given?
Ehese are questions which school
officers are. Obliged to, Consider now
the season for hiring teachers has are
rived. xg.,~
grade Of certificates held. This is not
q sure way of securing good teachers,
as many who hold good first grade
ceftincates are not successful teachers
while Others who hold either complete
or condlt1onal second grades are often
our beet teachers. Some who have
failed at the teachers examination do
good work In the school room, max
Ing use of energy, tact and experience
in lieu Of more complete. knowledge
OF the common branches.
Then, besides the school boards who
ask only for the grade held and are
guided by that. we find the ones who
are guided entirely by the amount Of
experience the teacher has had. More
mistakes are made in this way than
in any other as often times teacher
does more and better work the first
term than at any other time. Thew
often display more interest in their
work and endeavor to please their
patrons more than they do afterwards
az experience sometimes makes teach
ers ooroeited and careless. This should
not be so, but is sometimes the case.
While l would not always advise
school officers to hire inexperienced
teachers, yet if thought that the ap-
plicant was possessed of an education
sufficient for the needs of the pupils
and was endowed with q natural
ability for school work and was q
worker, I would not refuse them a
school on account Of lacking exper-
fence. The same rule holds good in
dealing with low grade teachers
Having talent to impart knowledge
to others and to maintain order, are
both on par, at least with certificates
and experience. If the applicant is an
experienced teacher then look up the
records Of the teacher and see what
kind of satisfaction they have given.
Teachers who have given eatisfac-
tion IN one district will generally d.
SO In another if they are given an op-
portunity to do 80.
Of course information is not always
correct and will sometimes be mis-
leading, yet this seems to me to be
the best way to secure good capable
teachers for our schools. There are
many reasons for hiring teacher,
also many for not doing 80, but of
all the poor reasons for not hiring one
is because the teacher asked too much
wages. Perhaps he was well worth it.
How do you know?
Many teacher Is refused school
on that account alone, the officers
never taking the trouble to ascertain
whether the teacher is a successful
one or not. Man y teachers are hired
simply because they offer to teach
cheap, when absolutely nothing about
the ability of the teacher is known.
This is the greatest mistake that could
possibly be made.
The sooner we find longer terms of
school, from eight to nine months,
and better wages, from $40 to $50 q
month, with one teacher hired for the
whole term the better schools we will
have and the better the results will
be-. Let, qs7nQt be go particular about
the wages paid and be more particu-
lar about the worke done. Pay good
wages and see that the services are of
the best
Visit the schools It will encourage
the teachers and pupils, don't forget
that they, are human Praise as we'll
as condemn, If your teacher did good