The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-11-06

contract for three months. / have
in mind a school In our own county
where the board hired a teacher In
this way last fall. This particular
teacher expects to quit at Christmas
vacation time. n as there are now
four schools In this county which are
closed on account of lack Of teachers
you a easily guess what is likely
to happen to the sixteen pupils who
are very regular in attendance at that
school at this time.
For the year ending June 30. 1912.
we find that a tr1f]e over 20 per cent
Of the rural schools in this state were
open less than seven months and that
the average pay of the teachers of he
rural school vas $780,, and unless
these conditions are Temedied we will
be obliged to resort to the permit and
to the teacher who has not the quail
fications and ability to keep our schools
up to the high standard that we are
trying to maintain.
"One thing Is certain. Our schools
In North Dakota are entitled to the
best teachers 1t is possible to obtain.
According to the census Of 1910 only
eight states in the union had a smaller
percentage of i~lliteracy at 10 years Of
age or over, in the rural districts. than
North Dakota, our being 80 per cent.
THE ratio Of school enrolment In
towns to school population was 66.4
per cent in North Dakota, while the
ratio in the rural districts was 77.3 per
cent. The average daily attendance In
the town schools was 0,S78, while in
the rural schools was 80. 771-ratio of
rural to total average daily attendance
was 89.6 per cent, and the urban
schools were in session about 40 per
cent in excess of the rural schools.
The permit system is one OF the
greatest ahIIEnc Of tho la We nf corfif-
cation, in that 1t allows Unfit candi-
dates to slip in and opens the way for
nepOtism, political pull and personal
influence. 1t reduces the dignity and
Importance of the teaching Office and
there is grave danger Of the idea be-
coming so prevalent that almost any
one with pull can get a job to keep, not
teach, school. This, very often places
the county superintendent in a very
embarrassing position and unless the
county superintendent has courage
enough to stand his ground, he is liable
to get Into trouble.
Il am glad to find that the number
of permits issued in North Dakota this
year Is less than al the number is
sued last year. Reports from all but
seven counties of the state show a
total of only 579 as against 1,437 in
1912, 372 of those issued this year be-
Ing to teachers who anne to the state
too late to take the examination be-
fore the time for them to open their
school, and a large majority of these
teachers are normal graduates. Only
two counties report no permits. One
of these superintendent says in her
report: so far this year all my schools
are supplied with competent teachers.
L never give a permit and lave had
more teachers this year than I could
supply with schools I hope that some
ia " al nf Mn nal - ~ - 800,
can make the same kind Of a report.
While 1 am not trying to compete
With the teachers agencies I will be
pleased to introduce the lady to the
three Of four gentlemen who reported
schools closed on account Of lack of
teachers. 1t seems to me that under
ordinary conditions there should be no
reason for schools being closed on
account Of lack of teachers. / can
easily see why in some counties of our
state 1t is hard to get teachers for
he rural schools, but in a majority of
instances I think that there is no ex-
cuse for it. Too often the local board
is too busy Cor apparently so) with
their farm work to bother with the
teacher proposition and simply refer
the matter to the poor county superin-
tendent, and he or she simply do the
best they can under the circumstances
to keep the schools open. A short
time ago an article appeared in The
Minneapolis Journal with reference to
conditions in one Of the counties Of
Minnesota. I wrote the county super
intendent and in reply he said that
about twenty years ago a lady who is
now a resident, of North Dakota, was
elected county superintendent there,
and h had courage enough to dis
continue the practice of issuing per- |
mits to would-be teachers, and that
this act of hers has been the great
step in strengthening the work Of their
schools and placing that county in the
front of all counties of Minnesota, |
and he further says tina one direct
effect of the requirement is that they
have more experienced teachers and
that he fnds it very difficult to place
the beginning teacher in any school