The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-01-04
TEACHERS FLOCK
TO HEAR COOLEY
Discusses Standards of Eff
cheney in Crowded Opera
House at Ogden.
OTHER MEETINGS HELD
CONVENTION CLOSES TODAY
WITH A BIG PROGRAM.
OTHER MEETINGS HE'LL
(From a Staff Correspondent. J

ATIOTU a OldII
Ogden. Jan. 3.-The second day of the
great annual contention of Utah teach
ers closed last evening with an address
by DR.. +. G.. Cooley. Of Chicago. deliv-
cred before am audience which tested
the capacity Of the Grand Opera house.
Before the topic was presented the or
chestra rendered a selection from Gou-
mods Faust" and Mrs. Lizzie Thomas
Edwards. Of Salt Lake. was heard to
fine advantage in "Carissima." by
Penn. DIR. Cooley said:
There is some confusion in the minds
OF civilized men today as to what is
the proper basis on which to estimate
the remuneration granted individuals
for services. Attempts have been made
10 Justify the giving OF an equal share
60 each man, regardless of the value
Of the services rendered. Sometimes IL
has been proposed TO reward each man
according TO his labor on the basis OF
time spent, without special regard to
the value of the products Mankind
generally, however. acts on the princi-
pie that each member Of society should
be romunerated i'm proportion 10 the
value of the services rendered by him.
IF the schools are TO be carried on
in the interests of the children, they
must be governed in fixing the teach
eT's salary by an estimate OF the value
uf the services rendered by the teacher.
Any consideration is invalid except in
SO far rs il effects efficiency. An in
crease of salary based upon zeal. habits
and scholarship, must alike be tested
BY the criterion OF efficiency.
Schedule of Salaries.
Many of our large cities have adopt
ed schedules of salaries. making adj
vances in accordance with the length of
service Some, however, are taking
into consideration as well as length of
service progressive scholarship. We
doubt whether length of service is al
ways an element Of efficiency. Some
times it leads TO a decrease in interest
in the school and its work.
Il would recommend n schedule IF
salaries by making provision. for adj
vanCes yearly for a period of four or
five yearS At the end of that period,
If a teacher did not give evidence Of
increase "a @efficiehcy, In professional
zeal and stUdicus habits, she would be
stopped and not allowed to go further.
II believe that scholarship and habits
of study are factors that must be con-
sidered in estimating the efficiency of
n teacher. / am convinced that no
teacher can long remain really efficient
tinuing to he student that she can
avoid the depressing effect of constant
association with immature minds and
ideals and continue TO grow in eff
cheney as long rs She continues to
teach. / in sist that ability 10 utilize
sources of information, either in books,
in laboratories or ir experience outside
of the schoolrooms. is vitality connected
with the value OF the teachers service
to the school. l1h
THE prOpC sition that teachers be
permitted to advance from the mini
mum salary paid to the highest salary
fixed by the board OF education with
out let, hindrance or interruption, eX-
copt that they continue efficient enough
II avoid dismissal. is demOralizing.
Such an arrangem ent absolutely ig-
nores the real purpose for which the
school exists and looks at the school
system from the standpoint Of the job.
Poor Teacher Sticks.
There is a fundamental objection to
the proposition that we ought 10 rely
upon fear of dismissal TO keep teach
crs up To the mark. Fear " punish
ment is the most ignoble of all motives
which are not positively malcvolent IT
fixes attention on the neglect of duty
instead of on the performance of II.
Everyone. too. realizes how extremely
difficult it is to get rid Of the ineffi-
Gent teacher or inefficient emplOye of
any sort. The suggestion that we can
keep people up to the mark in our
schools by mere fear of dismissal is
made by people who are not familiar
with current history.
When the old teacher who is q good
fellow and W no is simply looking for a
comfortable position. gets into one IF
our school system the chances OF re-
moval till death or physical disability
arc exceedingly small. We should