The Washington times., 1914-03-14
High Schools Handicapped
: By Scarcity of Instructors
Teachers on Duty More Hours
Than in Other Cities, and At
tempting to Handle Classes
Too Large for Good Work.
Principals Davis and Daniel
Consider Conditions DepIor-
able, With Little Relief for
0vercroWding in Sight.

UfcTGTUWuIi'y w oiy'u'
Teaching longer hours than high
school instructors in other cities,
handicapped BY classes too large
for efficient work, and further i'm
posed upon by a large amount of
cisrcdl work, Washington's high
school teachers are as heavily over
bundened as the city's eighth grade
principal-teachers, in the opinion
of tvo high school heads.
Crowded buildings force classes
into noisy halls at Business High
School. Clicking typewriters, added
to the din of cadet officers COM
mdnds, and the banging of rifles,
make a peritable pandemonium in
corridors there, emphasizing Priuci-
pal Dapis' plea for more room and
more teachers.
An actual relation between too
frequent illness of teachers and
their heavy work is asserted BY
Principal Daniel, at Mckinley Man.
udl Training School, and figures to
sustain this point have been for
warded by him to the Board of Edu-
cation.
By J. R. HILDEBRAND.
Not only grade school. principals. but
large numbers Of high school teachers.
are being worked too hard for their
health and teaching efficiency. and be-
ing subjected to clerical work in addi-
ton. Many OF them have too many
classes per day. these classes are too
large and frequently they must work
in poorly ventilated. poorly lighted, or
noisy rooms, because Of the overcrowd-
ed conditions OF the schools.
This IL the gist Of the statements
made today by Principals Allan Davis,
OF Business High School, and Frank c.
Daniel. Of Mckinley Manual Training
School Similar conditions prevail at
Central, but relief is in sight there, be-
cause Of the appropriation Of funds for
a new building.
Business High School has q seating
ceeds 100 Despite steady increase
in pupils at that school, no additional
teachers have been provided for the
last two years.
The only relief / can see for the
orercrowding." said Principal Davis. is
a double-session plan again next year.
We had such a scheme before We moved
into our new building, and then we
thought II had been abandoned for all
time. A return to IL will mean morning
and afternoon sessions.
Use Every Inch.
In many cases classes now are too
large for teaching efficiency. We are
using every inch of available space, in
CIudinz the corridors. Our program is
a tribute TO the skill OF my assistants.
and an satisfied that every oppor-
tunity for using time and room has
been taken
A four-hour teaching dsy, or twenty
hcurs q v eek Is the maximum demand
I'd Of high school teachers in most cit
ies. II Is believed that a teacher cannot
20 over the same ground more often
Than four times day and maintain the
freshness and efficiency necessary to
impress the days lesson upon her pu-
oils
"At Business High We have intro
drced a six-perfod schedule" said Mr.
Davis That means that all our teach
ers have a twenty-fIve-hour teaching
week. going over the same lesson FIVE
times each day. During the additional
period they should have a rest but two
or three times a week We are compelled
10 use them In this sixth period to pre-
side over a study hall This gives a
teacher no free time in school. and
throws the burden of preparing the next
days work snd OF correcting papers on
her homo time"
Six Hours a Day.
At Mckinley High shop teachers have
10 teach a straight six hours a day. and
all the science teachers have twenty
fve-hour program. The bookkeeping
burden Is heavy on all high school
teachers under the new system just in
stalled. because reports Of attendance
and tsrtincss Of all pupils have to be
Hled every twenty days. This report is
II adClNon 10 TIE reports OF scnoldstlc
standing, made up six times a year.
In 46dition to that work, and the five
hours a day OF teaching. ana a possible
study hall assignment in the sixth pc
'iod, chemistry and physics teachers
Rave a large amount of clerical work 70
do in making requisltions for supplies.
The science departments have to make
CONSTANT acquisitions. Under the new
Dlan these reQuisiuons have to be made
out In Quadruplicate. and copies sent TO
The Franklin School. after being scru-
,ini1ed by school principal.
Is Extra Work.
Making out these requisitions. kco ping
o: attendance, and making out the re-
Dorts, correcting papers, and arranging
-csssns. attendance at teachers meet
,ngs, and consultations with pupils fall
outside the six-period day
Il do not hesitate to say that the
srnount OF work loaded on teachers in
this building is crushing the life out
Of them asserted Principal Daniel.
We have not enough teachers. in the
-irst place. Our teaching force should
be increased. and the amount of clerical
tilev have to do should