Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-04-12


she has spent at least $50 of her earn
ings in order to do, not herself, good,
but our children. Now be candid
about it. Ought these $50 or more that
she spends for the good of the children
be looked upon as money that we paid
her for her work? Certainly not No
reasonable man would do that SO 1
will again ask parents and school
boards to think of these matters in
the right light and give the teachers
credit for it and not grudgingly charge
it up to them as good pay Now
subtract these $50 from her $3.50 and
that leaves her $500. For what? For
eight months work? No. She has
worked eight months in the school
room, it is true, but with institute
work teachers meetings., etc, which
she has practically put in an extra
month, making in all nine months that
she has labored for the good of our
children. Now divide the 1920 by nine
and what does she really get for her
time and services? Less than $25 per
! month. I know whereof I speak and
! have been very conservative In reck-
| oning these incidental expenses and
above what worthy teacher spends.
There are many other incidental ex-
penses that the position calls for, that
| I might have included, such as more
expensive wearing apparel than an or
binary laborer needs. car fare or livery
hire to and from the school, hiring a
boy to build fires, etc. All such things
count. Let us be fair and reasonable
| when we consider this question
| If any one should yet think that it is
pretty good wages" let US look at an
other matter. How did the teacher get
to be teacher? Let any young man
or woman try it and see. First they
will find that, to become such teacher
as the editor suggests, they would have
to spend from two to three years of
their time in hard study, and conse-
quently be out what they could earn
during those years. Next they will find
that tuition, books and all kinds of in
cidental expenses incurred in getting
this education will cost them the big
gest part Of $1,000 This money and
time is spent, and never comes back
Now candidly, whould it not be rea-
sonabie to expect that a person who
spends SO much money and time which
never comes back, should, when he en-
tiers on his new work, receive at least
so much better wages than he did be-
fore that he would at least get interest
on the money he has invested, besides
a fair remuneration for his time and
services while doing the work? err
tainly. But would he? Let us see.
Suppose two young men of equal al
tainments and ability start out each
e
preparing himself to become a first
grade teacher During the three years
he is at that, let the other one loan
out his $1,000 at interest and continue
as hired man, receiving his wage.
board, washing and "horse keep" ard
the interest on the $1,000 When the
three Years are up and the first man
has spent his time and money prepar-
ing himself to teach, the other man
will easily have his $4,000 to loan out
or invest for himself When they
start out at the beginning of tn. fourth
year, the first man to teach and the
second still as a common hirel man,
the teacher will find that after he gets
all his incidental expenses patti, The
hired man will be several dollars a
month ahead of him in wages, and fur
thermore have $1,000 drawing interest
while the teacher has none. No, tea.h-
ing school at $50 per month is losing
game financially, but thank; to the
nobler impulses in humanity, We. still
find those who are willing to do the
work. So ] say that no such teacher
as the editor suggests should be asked
to teach for less than $50 month, and
even then we would be in debt to- them
Nor can we afford to hire cheape,
teachers If our children shall ge. a
reasonable amount of good from the
money and trouble we invest in ou1
schools. In hiring teachers for cur
schools is where the greatest waste in
our school system comes in. We levy
; taxes, build school houses, pay for coal
books, and all other incidental; expenses
in keeping the school going and every
day have a good deal of extr:l trouble
IN getting the schildren to school. W.
should bear in mind that ali this pre-
liminary expense and trouble is JUS
the same whether we have poo1
> teacher or a good teacher>in our school
but that there is a big difference in tn.
!. amount Of good the children get from
! the two kinds Of teachers.
OLE 7, RlKANSRED. .