Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-06-18
THE WISHES OF THE MOTHERS
SHOULD BE RESPECTED.


SHOULD BE RESPECTED.
Our sympathies are decidedly with
the mothers of the city in their ex-
pressed desire to have lady teacher
in the High School.
We are strong believers in men as
teachers. One of the Weaknesses of
the public school system, educators
generally appear to believe, has been
due to the absence of men as teach
ers. Especially is this held to be true
in the higher grades
1t was with satisfaction that we
welcomed the statement that the
High School would have a corps COM
posed entirely of men. Accepting the
statements of experienced educators
that the absence of boys in the higher
grades is due in a measure to the fact
that they do not want to be taught by
women, and that wherever men have
been introduced there has been a
building up of the attendance of the
boys, it was noted with genuine pleas
ure that the Board of Education here
had taken this forward step.
But the mothers of the girlssatteni-
ing the High School, or by far tae
greater number of them, take the po-
sition that it is not well that there
should not be even one lady teacher
in the High School, that conditions
arise under which lady teacher
should be on hand, that the refining,
elevating, moral influence of lady is
just as essential in the school as in
the home circles, and that they de-
sire that their daughters shall not lie
deprived of this.
The mothers having spoken it does
appear that their wishes should have
been recognized.
1t would be no great difficulty now
to make a change that would give the
High School one lady teacher. One
of the men engaged for the school
could be made principal of the Furlow
school, and a lady transferred to the
High School. There is certainly no
insuperable difficulty to be experience
ed in this
Everyone must recognize the right
of the mothers of the girls to speak
everyone must feel that they are bet
ter equipped to speak authoritatively
than men in this natter, and the pub
lie generally wil%Hbelieve that The
mothers should be saved from any
anxiety on this score.
The Board of Education could very
gracefully retire from it's pos ton tC
the extent of placing one lady on the
teaching force and satisfy the
wishes of the mothers of the girls. II
may seem very small matter to tha
members of the Board but it is evil
IDENTIFY no small matter to the moth
ers. Trey undoubtedly sincerely be
/ lieve that the best. interests of then
daughters, the dearest possess ons
they have-or that the city has-wil
be promoted by the change they re.
quest What, then, is the use in arbi-
trarily declining to accede to it?
Americas has magnificent High
School building. It is superior to any
in all Southwest Georgia and has few
superiors in the state, if any Its
equipment will be of the best. The
Board of Education has sought to Sc
cure a teaching staff on parity wirf
the building and the equipment. Blu
all this will not avail if there is dis
content on the part of the mothers, i
they feel that conditions are not wha
they should be. And with the ele
ments of discord that already exist II
the community it is certainly yer!
unwise thing to introduce another
perhaps to mar the effectiveness o
the High School and prevent those
harmonious relations that should eX
I list between those charged with The
Education of the youth and their pa
rents.
| Give the mothers what they want
That S the best and easiest solutio.
of the question Give them a lad.
teacher and that is the end of thu
whole affair