The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1907-01-31


of this county. School boards entering
negotiations with teachers known 10
have broken contracts Will stand
chance of losing their state school aid
Local Elk.
II is safe to say that if the bill above
referred to becomes law, it will oper'
ate as class legislation.
Ever since the early days in American
history when our common school system
was first conceived and established, II
has been the unwritten law OF the lana
that every teacher has, and by right
ought to have, the privilege OF betterlng
his position.
II stands to reason that, with a com
paratively few exceptions, the only
chance a teacher has to rise to hlgher
position lies in the fact that he has a
right to resign relatively subordinate
or inferior position to accept more
nromineut or superior position. A call,
if it ever does come to a teacher, comes
to him at a time when he Is holding
down a fairly good position. Oppor'
tunity never knocks at mans door ex'
cent during his days of prosperity
Opportunity never raps on the door OF
teacher who is out of a job. Hence, II
a teacher wishes to climb while he
has a chance to rise in his profession, he
must fesign-on short notice, If necessa-
ry-when Opportunity knocks at his
door.-when a cali comes to him
when an opening presents itself There
l. q tide in the life of a teacher which
tide, if sailed upon at Its flood, waits hls
professional barque 20 region OF honor,
distinction and financial compensation;
but which, if allowed to recede unim'
proved, leaves want and obscurity IN Its
wake. That tide is governed, not by the
physical law Of gravitation, but by
subtle, memorable law of affinity, the
affinity that obtains between the I'M
material atoms of Opportunity and
those of Prosperity. That tide is never
attracted by Adversely. That tide is
never seen by one who is out Of a job
But it invariably swells and 'heaves' in
the realm where Prosperity reigns
That tide is not attracted by mere |
worth and ability. Those qualities, In |
themselves, have 40 affinity for Oppor-
tunity.
Every teacher who is not offered a
contract for another year by the school
board of his district, at or before the
middle of the school year, should be on
the alert looking for another position
for the following year. Though he be
the most efficient of the efficient in the
school oom-though he put in hun
dreds of hours of extra work for the
benefit of his pupils-his worth and
efficiency will not be recognized unless,
in addition to his good work in the in
terests Of his pupils and patrons, he also
exercises sufficient practical wisdom to
be selfish enough to do what he can to
guard against the contingency Of being
ont of q OBJ for TO be out Of a JOB means
to have every avenue leading to Oppor
tunity closed mp.
As has been stated, Opportunity
knocks only at the door OF Prosperity.
Where all selfshness has been elimi.
mated, there Opportunity never appears.
But where there is prosperity, there Op.
portunity is frequent caller, there
Opportunity often enters as an unbidden
guest conveying good tidings and dis
pensing cheer Hence competent
teacher who holds a good position would
have but little difficulty in securing an
other and a better position, provided
that, while ostensibly rejecting every
thought of self-interest he skillfully
directs movements with ulterior de-
signs, or at least with modicum of
genuine selfi-hness.
If the existence Of vicious law, writ.
ten or INV itten, does not permit a
teacher to rise in his profession while he
holds a position, then such n law will
prevent many Of the best and least selfish
Of educators from rising at all.
But we have said that such law
would operate as class legislation The
Truth Of this element cannot be sue
cessiully cOntradicted. The law would
not prevent normal school professor
from being elected to the presidency Of
normal school. 1t would not prevent
normal school professor or high school
principal from being elected state super.
intendent Of public instruction 1t would
not prevent a high school principal or a
training school principal from resigning
in the middle Of the school year, TO &C.
cept position as q normal school pro.
fessOr
The law would be made to apply 10
the LITTLE fellows" only, some OF whom,
if rightly understood or sized up"
justly by people OF SENSE and under
standing, would rank among the fore
most educators of the state. II the pro.
posed vicious law should be enacted the
little fellows" could not resign their
school positions in the middle Of the
year to accept more lucrative and re-
.yoofahl uOsitinue