The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-10-24
"A DISGRACE TO VERMONT"
Continued from first page.)

an increase in the value of our services
TO society, an increase more than com
mensurate with the greater cost, can WI
hope to win.
Sufficient Remuneration for Teachers.
From the viewpoint of society, then
what is sufficient remuneration fol
teachers as class? Evidently the fnan
cal return must be enough to attract
into the profession and to hold in tbs
profession supply of teachers equal to
the demand. There must be teacher
for every school. That condition is met
in Vermont to-day. IT, then, the quail
ity of the teaching service is satisfac.
tory to the citizens of the state, we have
no logical basis of argument for higher
salaries. Why should the state pay
more, provided a sufficient supply of sat
isfactory teachers can be obtained at the
present scale of wagesy If we as teach
ers are satisfied with our attachments.
il the present legal requirements meet
our approval, why are we justified in
asking for increased salaries or pensions
The Utopia Of our hopes is still far in
the future. Our wages, like those of all
other classes, are determined by an UNI
yielding economic law; given n fixed de-
mand in this case the number of schools
to be supplied with teachers, wages will
| be determined at that point at which the
supply equals the demand
| Teachers wages in Vermont are low
not because of the poverty of the state
or the parsmony OF boards of educa-
ton. but because sufficient supply of
teachers is obtainablc without paying
more. II a town is satisfied with get
ting a teacher who merely meets legal
requirements, the wages paid are the
lowest; IL town seeks a thoroughly
prepared and competent teacher, the
wages paid are higher for such town
must compete with other towns in
searching for superior teachers. All this
is in strict accord with natural economic
law. To argue that we should be paid
higher salaries in return for present serv
ice because our work is difficult and
wearing, the pay small and the future
uncertain, is largely futile. We are met
by the unanswerable argument that we
entered the ranks of teachers as free
agents, that we knew, or ought to have
known. conditions, and that we are free
to yield our places to Others at any
time.
Disgrace to Vermont"
"The fundamental question concerns
the professional standard legally re-
quired of teachers in Vermont. Is the |
quality of the teaching force satisfac
tory? At the risk of seeming discourte- /
GUS to this body OF Vermont teachers, |
! must express my deep conviction that
the standard for certifcation OF teach |
ers in Vermont is extremely low, so low /
az to be a source Of incalculable waste /
to the state In the seemingly harsh
statement which / shall make in this
| have no words OF criticism
for the character or the personality, or
the purpose of those teachers who with
the poorest of preparation and at the
lowest scale of wages are teaching in
many communities of the state The
OF them would become excellent
teachers If given adequate education with
suitable training.
THAT poorly prepared candidates are
given certificates and allowed to teach
s no discrcdit to them but il a disgrace
10 Vermont. The examinations given
candidates for certificates are little more
lifficult, if any more difficult, than those
yiven for free tuition certificates in high
schools. and the marking of the papers
# applicants ls extremely lenient. How
.ver excellent in character, pleasing in
personality, and laudable in purpose
eacher may be. still she must have
if her work is 10 be efficient
Even that fundamental, the one most
asly determined by examination, is not
insisted upon.
There are certified teachers in Yer y
mont to-day whose use of English is no
etter than that of the average gram
mar school boy, who misspell commonly
sed words, and who cannot perform !
nipple operations with decimal frac-
ions. In very truth the state commits. !
ions the blind to lead the blind. Is it
ny wonder that our common schools I
re targets for atackg The crying need 7
I Vermont is not the teaching of in o
ustrial subjects, but more competent
sachng of common subjects. y
How They Get Positions. a
1T may be asked how such poorly h
ualifed teachers find positions. Unfor. b
inately conditions are such in many e
arts of the state that the only ques- v
on asked of an applicant Isl Have il
on certificate? The certified teacher d
IN always find school. The harm n
,mes from the fact that the poorly pre- m
lred teacher often secures a position Il
hch rightfully demands the superior k
acher. The larger villages and cities 81
I'd many of the smaller communities m
famine carefully into an applicants fit ST
sss for teaching thus secure good ly
achers, and retain them in competition ,
it'll other places by paying enough TO
Nd them. 1t is not necessarily true
at such teacher holds the harder W
,sition or has the greater opportunities pr
r service. al
THE teacher in the rural school, re- OF
ote from the influence of churches and al
,rsries, in a community that is stag IS
mt or even decadent, working in 81
orly appointed building with scant I'll
with pupils who come from 1t
mes devoid of all that might inspire pr
at teacher has problems to solve from ne
lch her more fortunate, better paid m
,ter, might well shrink. She has, too, er
portunities for service unknown to &c
e other. Is it right for Vermont to It
rmit unframed, unskilled girls TO as mi
me such tasksl err