Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-06-15
Letter To Recorder.


EST the action Of the County School
Board, rs set forth in the last issue
Of The Recorder, and desire to com
mend their action in increasing the
salary of End grade teach-rs. aud
aIso in Offering fairer salary or
indncement tn resident graduates
of Va State Normals; but we also
note with no little surprise and sor-
row that the old for many-vears- 81
" heelhorse.resident teachers OF
our county were forgotten or IL
nored, as were also resident gradu-
ates. or those holding high grade
certificates or diplomas from other
good High Schools or Colleges
not regular State Normals.
As to the first neglected class
mentioned, we have in our county
several teachers who have served
their county for quits awhile--soni+
Is or moro years, some ~ years,
and others for somewhat shorter
periods, and as the records in the
hands Of our Supt will show some
Of them have passed examinations
under five Supts Of our caunty aud
received excellent general average.
LIST grade and professional certIfl-
Gates from each one and others
have received high grade certifi.,
Gates from two or more Supts, and
all have been closely identified with
the public schools and educational
interest of the county for several
years. and have proven quite sue
cessfull teachers as witnessed by
the majority OF the young business
men and women of our county to-
day.
More than that-some of this
class have burned the midnight oil
in the study Of Method and Matter
reading and studying the regular
Professional courses as prescribed
by our county board few years
ago, as we'll as studying English
and American Literature, Physical
Geography, Psychology: phyloso,,
phy and other of the sciences and
could teach those things success
fully.
Are not such as worthy OF con:
sideration, promotion, and advance
ment of salary. as the Younger, less
experienced State Normal gradu'
ates?
AS to the second ignored class =
Some. If not many of our young
people have taken the full and
complete teachers course Of study
in LIST class High Schools and Col
leges with view to prepare them
selves, especially for the service of
their native county as teachers.
They haye made good grades on
all the branches required to he
taught in our state, besiles several
additional branches of science. and
have received their well-merited di.
plomas from such schools and COL
leges.
Are not such as we'll prepared to
teach and as worthy Of notice, ell
enlargement and good pay as the
regular State Normal graduates?
If not, why not?
The teachers ranks are now sad :
ly depleted. Will our schoolboards
still further diminish the number
of their, or rather the peoples most
necessary servants by driving from
the ranks the present true and tri
ed LIST grade teachers and driving
to other counties and states the
specially prepared young people OF
our county who were so unfortun'
as not to apply for or not to re.
ceive the appointment to a State
Normal School where the Com
mon wealth paid uition, but bad to
pay every cent out of their own
pockets for their training?
We think we can answer, no;
they wiu not they have no such
desire. But, brethren, will not our
action have precisely that effect.
We cannot answer for all the
teachers or prospective teachers,
but we can answer for the MAORI.
ty Of the Bluegrass teachers. They
are too proud, if not too inderen-
dent to walk a $50 stick, while onl
no more worthy sister rides a $4C
broomstick.
Would our army or navy refuse
to promote a braye, worthy man
because he did not come from 6
certain command or get his train
ing from a certain. school.
The question is not or shall moi
be, where did he come from Or in
what particular manner did he &C.
auire his knowledge or generol TT
ness or experience, but has he GO
|itp Is he prepared? Is ne ready
No matter whether he is Norma
College made or self. made or bOrr
made. If he is worthy he is en-
titled to the same consideration.
We could advance many argu
ments and reasons why We thinl
the two classes mentioned shoult
be treated as we'll as the special OF
favorite few, but space will no
permit, nor do we think it necessa
| nv.
We hove conf;dence tn beliey,