Evening journal., 1909-11-24
THE ARDUoUs LABOR OF A TEACHER.

II HE teachers Institutes now being held IN
u the counties furnish not only pleasant
break from dull routine of the school teachers
life and give the teachers an opportunity for social
enjoyment, but they play important part in
the training of teachers. Most people fancy
that the work of teacher is confined TO mere
routine, that teachers labor at their calling as
a man at a trade, that there is little oppor-
tunity for the play of individuasm and that
teachers labor is confined to the school hours.
OF course, there are teachers and teachers. A
teacher go through his her daily work
just a clerk may do, but it is poor teacher
that does this In fact, there is no vocation in
which the field for the display of individuality is
so large that of a school teacher. There is
no vocation so important, calling that is real
ly higher or more honorable.
Conscientious teachers know this and are con-
stantly trying to improve themselves to culti-
vate their minds so that they can impart knowl-
edge that may be suited to the pupils indvid-
ually.
One trouble with the teaching occupation IS
that most OF those who follow it do not look
upon it as a life work. 1t is not attractive from
the view of pecuniary reward. Salaries are low
and there is not the appreciation of the work
Of the teachers that there should be. This is
true of teachers in cities; much more is it true
of teachers in rural districts.
A teacher may fall into rut, go over the same
course of instruction of pupils year by year and
hold her position, but the bright teacher
finds new way year after year of putting old
things. Teachers. many of them, stick to text
books. but there is much outside of text books
that they must know Most text books in our
public schools are inferior, they are manufac-
tured by publishing houses for money making
purposes. 1t used to be the CUSTOM perhaps it
is now to use text books on a variety of sub
jects written by the same man. He would write
a school book on science, grammar, philosophy
and other topics. How he can be expert enough
or have diversified talents sufficiently to pre-
pare many kinds Of books only such
an author and Boards of Education can explain
Therefore, the wise teacher, the competent
teacher, must take and give personal instruction
along with that of the ordinary text books. We
presume that it is to broaden the teacher to give
him or her knowledge to supplement that of the
text books that Institutes are held and provided
| the lecturers at these institutes are competent
| persons much benefit is derived
We have often thought that the text books
used in schools should have the approval of the
highest authorities in that branch of learning in
the country. For example, the text books on
grammar should have the endorsement of the
Pathological Society or a committee thereof; our
text books on physiology should have the ap-
proval of committee of the National Medical
! Association, and so on and they should not be
compiled by an individual writer who has the
approval of publisher only. We are not re-
ferring in particular to the books used in tie Del
aware public Schools but to the subject Of school
text books in general.