Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-12-07


that a conscientious teacher must un-
dergo. was a public school teacher,
or rather, L ran country nursery,
for It seemed to ME in those days that
every person in the community who
bad a child too bad to keep at home
and they were too stipgy to hire q
nurse for it, sent it to me to nurse
during my school hours. / have al
ways felt that the thirty dollars paid
me was not half compen sstion for
nursing those infants aud teaching
that school. My heart goes out to
the poorly paid teachers of Virginia,
and | pledge them to use all the
power of my Office and all the influ.
ence L possess to have their salaries
made commensurate with the COM
pensation derived from other yoca-
tions. Tue best interest of the State
requires this. 10 the end, the sue.
cess of every school is dependent
upon the teacher. Magnificent
school structures, splendidly equip
ped rooms, are but dead objects un-
til illumined by his personality.
Scaut and barren rooms can be made
to glow with his enthusiasm and
gleam with his genius. All that
surrounds him is but an envir-
onment of which be is the soul:
the books to the children are mere
rubbish until their interpreter reveals
their wonderful treasure. Ambi-
ton lies dormant in -oung mind
until some teacher faus fires of
aspiration aud makes nem flsme
with the hope of achievement. Next
to the mother, child's life, his men,
tai and moral faculties and aspira-
tlons, are more fixed by his teacher
than all other influences combined.
The bent and impressions then given
continue through life. There are
about nine thousand teachers aud
professors in this State aud next to
the mothers of Virginia these per-
sons are the most potential of all
factors in shaping the lives, in form
ing the mental and moral qualities of
the rising generation, in whose hands
lie the future destiny of this great
Commonwealth. / wish to impress
upon the school trustees of this State
that more important than the erect
ing of magnificent school buildipps.
the purchase of fine equipment, is
the procurement of capable and COM
petent teachers. 1t is folly to spend
thousands of dollars in the erection
of handsome building to be occu-
pied by worthless teachers. The
best and most lasting results that
will accrue from the expenditure of
school money will be that given to
get competent teachers. One person
makes novels out Of the same ma
terial of which another builds palaces.
One teacher can take a school practi-
cally destroyed by another, and by
tact, force and genius, form of it q
school pre-eminently noted for sue
cess and efficiency In every respect.
Brick and mortar are brick aud
mortar until the skilful architect
makes out of them the superb struct-
ure which is the wonder and admira-
ton of succeeding generations. All
childhood is crude and plastic ma
terial until transformed by some
great instructor into the magnificent
character, whose genius and achieve
ment illumine forever the pathway
of human endeavor. Modern Ger.
many with her amazing progress,
her rapid growth and greatness is
the product of her teachers. From a
nation poor and despised Germany by
eminent teachers and education has
forced to the front rank of material
power and possibilities. If the future
Virginia is to be as resplendent as
her proud past it can only be
achieved through the work of faith
full and competent teachers. We
must recognize that we can only
secure and retain such teachers by
paying them fair and just salary.
Hundreds of competent teachers,
educated in our many colleges, yearly
leave Virginia, because the salaries
here are not equal to those they can
secure out of the State. Many of the
states consider Virginia the best place
from which to draw good teachers.
1t is folly in us to spend thousands
of dollars annually in our colleges
to equip teachers and then by short
sighted parsimony permit them to
leave the State and teach elsewhere.
We should have the wisdom imme-
diately to increase salaries, not only
to retain our good chers, but to
attract the desirable ones from other
states.
The last General Assembly under
took the accomplishment of this COM
mendable purpose. 1t made an ad-
ditional annual appropriation of two
hundred thousand dollars to be di-
rected to the payment of teachers
salaries. This increases by about
ten per cent the funds available for
the salaries of teachers. If the
county and district authorities will
now respond to this generous legis
lative aid and each provide an equal
increased amount, ample funds will
be available in each county to pay
the teachers fair salary and to ex-
tend the terms of the schools. The
sections in the future cursed with
poor schools and teachers must
blame the local authorities who fail
to meet the liberal and patriotic
aid given by the General Assembly
1 appeal to the county and district
achn0l anthorItias fo on,oY1lo,,oo,>s a. =