The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1914-05-01
Demand More
Pay For Teachers

When an organization has passed
the 100000 membership mark the
official expression of it's position on
matters of public concern become i'm
portant, even if for no other reason
than for the voting strength which the
organization of workers who furnish
most of the pupils in our public
schools outlines a policy toward those
understanding of that policy.
For this reason the attitude of the
American Federation of Labor, as ex-
pressed through resolutions adopted at
its recent convention in Seattle, be-
comes matter of general interest and
public Importance.
Prior to the convention in Seattle
the convention of the Illinois State
Federation of Labor unanimously
| adopted a policy which, embodied in
resolution introduced by a delegate
from Illinois, received the support of
the entire delegation to the conven-
ton of the American Federation of
Labor. This broadened the scope of
the policy outlined to cover the entire
country
In this resolution a strong protest
is made against the practice in large
schools of placing children to the num-
Der of 100 or more under the care of
&c oho
acterized as a "mockery," tending as
it does to subvert the true purpose of
the school by making of the teacher
merely caretaker Of the children for
a certain number of hours each day.
The complaint is more that "the par
ents must do the real teaching at
home, while the teacher reviews the
work of the parents"
While magnificently equipped school
buildings are being erected, costing I,
enormous sums of money, the salaries
paid to the teaching forces of these
schools are often inadequate to secure
efficient service. 1t was stated that
there are 300 public school teachers
in Illinois receiving less than $500 a
year, a wage which compares unfav-
orably with that paid unskilled day
labor. Declaring that what is true of
Illinois is equally true of the entire
country and that salaries paid in
considerable percentage of cases do
not constitute a living wage, the con-
vention urged that minimum be
established for all teachers which will
assure better living conditions and
make it possible to broaden the scope
of their intellectual and professional
activities
A school system which underpays
and overworks its teaching force can
not secure the services of competent
instructors nor maintain the educa-
tional standard which is required to
insure to every child the advantages
of proper training. In order to over.
turn such a system the convention
unanimously adopted a resolution to
demand in the name of the coming
of school teachers be employed by our
school authorities to give a reasonable
degree OF personal attention to each of
our children intrusted to their care.
thereby enabling teachers to qualify
as a real teaching force and as con-
servators of the greatest wealth OF
our nation-our children" and to de-
clare in favor of a salary for those
teachers sufficient to secure service of
the highest standards of educational
value"
The report Of an investigation into =
the matter OF state uniformity of text
DOCKS was made to the convention.
winch showed that in eighteen states .
state commission prescribes text.
books for use throughout the state.
IN TWO states the determination of
school books rests with a county text
DOCK commission. In the remaining
states covered by the report the power
of deciding upon the books IN no usoa
Is vested In the local school boards or
III the school superintendent indiyid.
ually' The convention recommended
ana strongly urged the enactment Of
legislation creating greater uniformity
III textbooks in usethroughout tbe .
various states extending the use of
Tree textbooks and improving their
quality To this end the officers of
the federation were instructed to draft
a model bill to be introduced into tb..
state legislature providing for state Gl
uniformity of textbooks and state ~
ownership of the copyrights on hooks y
used in the public sohools-Etbelhort
Stewart in Chicago News I