Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1905-03-24
Cheerful Cooperation Of Teachers.

III eUuiOOiC OOduuO iS SCl VI NCty
great practical value.
Cheerful Cooperation Of Teachers.
As we have suggested before, it is
the teacher who makes the school.
1t is therefore fitting that / should
mention the conscientious devotion
to every day duties of the school room
which has been shown by each and
every teacher in the school system. /
believe there is no line of work. in
which there are more conscientious
workers than among grade and high
school teachers. There is, l am sure,
no school system in this state in
which this quality among teachers is
shown more than in that of this city
1t is fitting too that l should mention
the cheerful and loyal cooperation
which have had each member of the
teaching force the past year. It has
never before been my lot to work with
as loyal and devoted body of CO.
workers as has been my privilege this
year. The teachers of this city have
had before them constantly, l believe,
the aim to give this city the very best
possible school system.
Discipline.
The discipline and the spirit of the
schools have been most satisfactory.
There are few lessons learned in
school which are of more practical
value than that of cheerful obedience
to the demands of law and order.
Grand Rapids is to be congratulated
on the splendid manner in which she
has supported her public school
system. There are very few cities in
the state in, which more advantages
are offered to students in both grades
and high school. The kindergartens
drawing, manual training. and music
in addition to the old time studies
makes very complete school system.
This makes the work more complex
and demands better teachers. 1t
makes frequent changes of teachers
more than usually to be deplored.
Wages Of Grade Teachers.
The problem of getting and keeping
good teachers today is largely a
financial problem. The average
yearly wages of grade teachers in this
city is S431.92. This is a monthly
wage of $36. Teachers are paying
about five dollars per week, or twenty
| dollars per month for board. A con.
Servative estimate for travelling
expenses, periodicals, books, church
dues, incidentals, is 800 year or S.
month. These necessary expenses
amount to s2S month leaving a net
income Of So month. Add to this
| the fact that We expect a teacher tC
dress we'll enough to move in good
SO ciety-and that the teacher is
obliged to wear good clothes in hel
daily wOrk-and it is easy to see that
| the wages Of the grade teacher are
| not equal to that of the average ser.
| want. This is in spite of the fact that
we require the candidate for a posi-
| ton as teacher to put in two years liz
normal school preparing for the
work. This city has gradually raised
the wages of grade teachers, but other
cities are raising wages also-many
have raised wages more than we have
If we are not to be a training school,
for teachers for other cities further
raises in wages of grade teachers will
be necessity.
Number Of Pupils to the Teacher.
The number of pupils per teacher
has tendency to increase in a grow.
ing city. We have gradually increased
the number of teachers. At the
present time the average number OF
pupils per teacher on the west side is
AZ, the number varying from 81 to 4S.
On the east side the average number
is As, the number varying from 81 tt
SO. 1t is evident that further in.
crease in the number of teachers will
be necessary in the near future.
Aside from these two facts very
little need be suggested regarding the
work in the grades. We need simply
to maintain well what is now In
operation.
Domestic Science.
The demand for more practical
high school education is one that in
time must be met more fully than it
is today. We now offer instruction in
sewing to all girls in the grades from
the third to the eighth. There ought
to be added, as soon as the city is
able to do so, instruction in cooking
and household economies to all girls
ia the seventh and eighth grades to
the high school, a good course in sew
ing, dreSSmaking, cooking, etc.,
should be a part of the domestic
science course which can be elected
by all girls who desire to do so. In
this domestic science course one study
each year would be devoted to the
subjects just named. The balance of
the work, or the other three of the
four studies taken would be the same
as now offered in other courses. For
example, in domestic science course
in the first year the girl takes algebra.