Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-06-24
TEACHERS AS TYPES
Dr.. Coffman Found Them by
an Extensive Canvass.
SALARIES ARE NOT HIGH
Average for Men Is $4s9 Year; for
Women It Is $3.50.
START MAINLY IN COUNTRY
Find Special Training Necessary to
Advancement in the Cities
and Large Towns.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

| Special Correspondence OF The Star and the
| Chicago Record Herald.
FREMONT, Ohio, June 90. 1911.
| Dr. Lotus Delta Coffman OF the Teach
ers' College Of Columbia University, New
York, has been making an investigation
| into what he calls the social composition
| of the teaching population Of the United
States and has brought out some inter-
esting Information. Hen sent circulars of
inquiry to all the public school teachers
whose names he could learn in twenty
two states. and received 5,215 answers, of
which LIS, or 24.4 per cent. came from
men and 4037, or 1916 per cent, from
| women. The circulars were sent at
random, and the returns correspond very
nearly with the sex proportions of teach
ers in the United States, which is given
as PIT per cent men and 1873 per cent
women, by the commissioner of educa-
! ton.
| The first inquiry was concerning the
age at which the persons addressed be-
gan teaching, and compilation of the
replies shows that roughly % per cent
of the men and 81 per cent of the wom-
en- began between the ages Of eighteen
and twenty. The range is from fourteen
to forty-fve years of age. The average
age for wcmen is 1898 years. exactly
six months younger than for men. Fifty
per cent of all the women began teach
ing between the ages of 1872 and o0.54
years OF the men who answered the
circular six began teaching at fifteen,
twenty-nine began at sixteen, 1O1 began
at seventeen and 2.li at eighteen, which
was the largest number for any age.
| OF the women seventeen began at fif-
teen. l16 at sixteen. 4O7 at seventeen and
] 1873 at eighteen
Start Young in Illinois.
Although it does not explain the forces
that have been determining the character
of the teaching population, still the
natural history of these 5.2l5 shows that
the selection of ap occupation has not
operated in the same way at all places
at all times. In Illinois. for example the
average age for beginning was 1873 years:
| for Indiana, 1918 years: for Maryland,
1874; for New York. 1870; for New Jer-
sey. 1855, and for Missouri 1888. in
| Georgia, Iowa, Kansas. Pennsylvania,
Wisconsin. Texas and other states the
| average was below eighteen years
| DR.. Coffman argues that maturity in
| teaching does not count so much today
as it did half a century ago, when physi-
cal strength as well as Intellectual at
| tainments was required Of a teacher. Pro-
| fessional training is also more common
now than formerly.
OF the men who answered the circulars,
| tSl per cent are dl TIC ~ CoCitl t1iAC
| teaching in the country, but So per cent
| of the whole number began there: 30 I
per cent are teaching in towns and vii
| lagos. but only ID per cent started there;
1872 per cent are in cities, but only 4
per cent of them started there. OF these.
| 6S per cent are women who starte in the
country. but 41.6 have remained there: 1S
per cent began in towns and villages, but
Il. q per cent are teaching there now, and
| although 25S per cent of the replies came
| fao n la cities only IA Dpr
| cent began their careers in cities. winch
shows that the city and town teachers
get their initial experience in the country
| schools.
| to the circulars is 1905 years and that
| of the women. al years. The range OF
age is from seventeen to seventy-one, the
| latter being the age Of woman teacher
| in Missouri. The men who reply have
| been teaching an average OF 6o years,
and the women, 42l years. Nearly per
| cent of the men are still between the
ages of sixteen and nineteen; 24o per
| cent are between twenty and tWenty-four,
| and 2O2 per cent are between twenty-five
| and twenty-nine. which gives 22,3 per
| cent Of the men and 1873 per cent OF
| the women under thirty yea1s of age.
Fifty six per cent of all the teachers re-
| porting are twenty-five years of age or
under The younger teachers are In the
country schools. The average age OF
men in the city schools is 3.p and OF
women. 435 years.
Some of Long Experience.
About men and Is women in a hum
dred have had more than thirty years
experience, which is proof that teaching
is not considered a profession. but only
an occupation, and the figures show that
teachers are more permanent in the city
than in the country. Practically all of
the woman teachers replying are engaged
in graded schools; practically all of the
men are principals or in administrative
positions
The bureau of education in 1904 under
took to determine the length of service
of teachers in the United States. and
showed that the average city man teacher
had taught eleven years and the average
city woman teacher had taught nine
years DR. Coffman's figures show twelve
years for the former and seven years for
the latter.
The length Of preparation for teaching
varies from nothing to thirteen years.
Fifty per cent OF the man teachers had
five years of education beyond the ele-
mentary school, and 50 per cent of the
women four years. OF high school teach
ers the average age is seven years for men
and eight years for women. or the men
BIB per cent and of the women 1916 per
cent had only one year or less prepare
ton. and $40 per cent of the men and
3S per cent of the women had five years
or more, which indicates that the pres
sure for securing gainful occupation has
been slightly greater upon the man than
upon the woman teachers. Women In
the rural schools have had, on the aver
age, one more year of training than the
men; in towns the average is about the
same, and in cities the men have had
an average Of one more year OF training
than the women. This means that the
price OF getting into teaching is higher
for women, but the training necessary
for advancement is greater for men.
Three-fifths OF the men and two-fifths OF
the women teaching in the rural schools
have had less training than that supplied
by the ordinary high school course
1t is probably true. DR.. Coffman argues,
that better man and better woman teach
ers are selected by towns and cities than
by rural districts. Teachers Of sufficient
native ability to rise are attracted in
most cases to cities. but mere ability is
not sufficient to obtain a position in
city school; training is necessary, and the
problem of securing we'll trained, skillfu
teachers increa ses as we move away from
the centers of population to the agricul
tural communities.
Average of Salaries Low.
The average salary paid to the teach
ers reporting is $3.50 per year for men;
for women, $3.50. Only one-half Of 1 per
cent OF the women and 147 per cent of
the men receive 81 600 year or more.
Thirteen per cent receive as low as $3.50;
| II per cent receiy0 S4O0n 10 ner cent re-