The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-06-09
HEALTH
MOST IMPORTANT
State Board Makes Sugges-
tons Regarding Employ
ment of Instructors.


next few weeks teachers for all the
public schools in the state will have
been selected. Township and city and
town trustees are making selections
now. The state board of health, after
a study of disease and death statistics
concerning public schools, extending
over several years, have issued sug-
gestion to school officials against the
employment of teachers who are not
physically we'll, on the theory that
the teachers should teach and exem-
plify health as we'll as culture, and
that a teacher who is constantly "out
of sorts" because of i'll health can not
teach pupils properly and can not rem
der value received for the money paid
her by the state. The suggestions is
contained in formal statement is
sued By the board, as follows:
THE teaching of children should
not be done by sick or diseased teach
ers School work surely suffers il the
teacher is not strong and healthy. II
a teacher be nervous or irritable. he
or she will do harm to the dispositions
of the children. In Indiana the sick
rate and death rate is higher among
teachers than in general life. This is
almost certainly because there are so
many unsanitary schoolhouses. The
life of the teacher at home is the same
as in general life. Only at school does
any difference appear.
The pupils in unsanitary school
houses are held back and made sick.
their health is impaired and ever
death is caused. Twelve hundred
school children died in Indiana during
the school term in 1910. The sickness
causing their death was forced upon
them. The bad air, insufficient light,
over or under heating seats which
are not adjusted to the size of the hui
man bodies they contain, horrible out
houses, bad water, etc, do their dead
ly work. All of these conditions are
imposed in the name of economy, and
hence would be laughable if so much
health, efficiency and life were not
wasted. The same unsanitary condi-
tions knock the teachers harder than
they do the pupils, because they are
longer exposed to them, and. in addi-
ton, bear nervous strain of RESPONSE
bility.
Effect on Teachers.
'By spring most teachers show the
strain That is, they have lost health
They usually have lost color and
weight; they sleep poorly; they have
little appetite, and perhaps "a slight
cough Consumption )has appeared
In general life one death in 81 is from
consumption, and among teachers it
is one in six. The invalidism and
death which teachers endure on &C.
count of unsanitary school houses
should cause them to take action and
demand sanitary schoolhouses. But
teachers are like the most of us
not until they discover the awful dis
ease has attacked them do they real
ize Their opportunity has been lost.
"All teachers should pass physical
examination as we'll as one intended
to discover mental and educational fit
ness. They should have a good heart
good lungs, good eyes, good teeth, a
straight spine, good digestion, straight
body, good hearing, normal scapulae,
a good speaking voice, good nerves,
etc. A teacher with chronic cough, ca
tarrh, anaemia, bronchitis, sore or
weak eyes, chronic rheumatism. dys-
pepsia, chronic constipation, neuras-
thenia, any skin disease, etc., should
never be employed to teach children
A sickly teacher is certain to be more
or less liestless and irritable, and wifi
be unable to keep the school work VI
to the standard.
Teachers should teach and exem
plify health, as well as teach and ex
emplify culture. Ill health is usually
the result of wrong living. and not to
know how to live rightly is a terrible
indictment of teacher"