The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1905-12-29
TIE TEACHER 0F TODAY
HE MUST RE FAP IN ADVANCE OF
DECADE SINCE.
GOOD TEActEPs ARE SCARCE
a Condition T1-' Prevails all Over the
Western Country, Where the Grad

A Condition Tb-' PrevaiIs all Over the
Western Country, Where the Grad
ina OF Certificates Eas Been Raised
Materially in tate Years.
one Of the capital city pancrs few
days since contained special from
two county sC1t Of this county com
planning OF the shortage Of tcaChors
md wondering what will come of this
scarcity from year 10 year. There
seems to hC n SHORTAGE of teachers IN
MI Of the eastern states as well rs In
the west. There is probably good rca
son for this scarcity when one takes
a sheet of the examination questions
used ten or fifteen years ago and com
p0rcs them with the questions Of to-
day.
Higher education is the demand OF
the leaders That can not be met by
third grade teachers. The result is the
salaries are too low to tempt college
and university people to take up school
teaching and therefore those who
would teach are looking to higher sal.
aried positions, and of course their
ability counts and they secure the GOV.
eted better pay places and the schools
are left with the third graders.
A scarcity of teachers must even.
tually raise the salaries or the schools
must close for want OF the school.
master"
The city schools have discovered
this condition Of affairs in the east
and everything possible Is being done
10 raise the grades and make the sal.
aries to correspond with the service
secured. The western educational pco
pie have taken the cue, and those who
five or ten years ago were the pos
SCISSORS of first grade certificates now
find difficulty to get a third grade per.
nit They are therefore compelled to
take a country school at a salary Of
$25 and upwards and term of six
months. They refuse, as they can
make more money and have steady
employment for twelve months in the
year at more cOngenial work.
School teaching appears to those
who know nothing of the work as a
rather easy job. They do not stop to
consider that modern methods are not
confined to the three RS" as in years
gone bv. Most of the work is writ.
ten. All this work must be taken IN
by the teacher after school hours and
Inspected and marked Then there are
the monthly examinations, all of which
must be marked and the report cards
must also correspond
The county and state supcrinten
dents are working together to improve
school methods and they are each
aware what the other is doing and
they keep posted on the teaching in
each hamlet, village and city. The
per cent occasionally raised. The
grades have been improved, and teach.
ers applying for certificates must
prove that they have attended the nor
NAL schools or been workers and stu.
dents at IN county Institutes. There
are many obstacles in every avenue
which lead to teachers position in |
these days Of progress. Experience |
Is necessary as well as knowledge. |
The primary rooms show that in the |
ocal schools; higher salaries are paid |
he primary than are received by the |
Intermediate teachers
The scarcity Of teachers will contin.
le until salaries are raised as the |
methods for higher education can not
le carried ont until the very best cdu.
'ated men and women can be induced
o take mp the profession of teaching.
In Chicago, Cleveland and other
'astern cities the efficient teacher af.
er campaign Of a certain number Of
oars is retired on a pension, a very
,ood plan, for II offers an inducement,
bove the excellent salaries paid in
hose cities to become a teacher.
An Iowa dispatch n few DAYS since
nnOUncod a scarcity Of teachers In
10 less than twcnty.three counties.
nd said that good teachers could So
ure positions at from $33 to $45 per
month, but II did not state that the
erms would be from four to six
months with nothing else in sight for
he remainder Of the year, and that
he grading of certificates had been
aised some twelve per cent. during
he past two years. 1t is about the
ame in Nebraska, South Dakota and
ther western and northwestern
tates, The school teacher of today is
ar in advance of the teacher OF